Richard Thomas Griffiths is a British theater, film and television actor. Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Multiple award nominees: Tony, Emmy, Laurence Olivier Award, Outer Critics Circle Award. During his creative biography, he played in more than eighty films. Well known to viewers for the role of Vernon Dursle in the Harry Potter films.
Griffiths began his career at the BBC radio station and worked on stage, playing small roles. A few years later he became one of the leading actors of the Manchester Theater and made his film debut.
Childhood
The boy was born in the summer of 1947 in a small town in England, in a working class family. From childhood, Richard had to learn sign language, because his parents were deaf and dumb.
Richard did not like to remember his early years, where he had to go through many unpleasant moments. He tried several times to run away from home, worked as a porter and did not make plans for his future life. But once an employee of the market, where the boy at that time earned his living, convinced him that education was necessary. Thanks to this, Richard returned to school and later became a good actor, whom the audience loved for his numerous roles.
At the age of fifteen, Richard began to get involved in the theater and attend the school drama club. Gradually, he increasingly liked to appear on stage, by the end of school, Richard decided to continue his education and entered the theater school in Manchester. Creativity completely captured the young man and soon he begins his acting career in theater and television.
Creative way
After working for several years at a radio station and at the same time performing at a local theater, Griffiths in 1975 received an invitation for the first time to shoot the film "It Shouldn't Have Happened to the Veterinarian", in which the future famous actor made his debut in cinema. Griffiths performed his role quite successfully, but did not receive further offers from the filmmakers and continued his theatrical career and work at the radio station. A year later, he was invited to the television project "The Flying Squad of Scotland Yard", where the actor starred in a cameo role in one of the first seasons of the popular series.
Only four years later, he reappears on the screens and since then begins to constantly appear in new projects. During this period, Richard was involved in the films: "Superman 2", "Ragtime", "The French Lieutenant's Woman", "Chariots of Fire", "Gandhi", "Gorky Park", "The messenger is to blame for everything", "King Ralph", Naked Pistol, Sleepy Hollow, Tess's Bodyguard.
In addition to filming films, Griffiths continues to perform on stage, joining the troupe of the Royal Shakespeare Theater.
For theatrical roles, the actor was repeatedly awarded prestigious prizes. He received the Tony Theater Award for his role in History Lovers, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theater Actor and Drama Desk for Outstanding Actor in a Play.
Griffiths gained immense popularity for his role in the Harry Potter film series, where he embodied the image of Uncle Vernon on the screen.
The last works of the actor in the movie were roles in the films: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", "Keeper of Time", "Henry V", "Boyfriend from the Future" and the series "Episodes".
Personal life
Richard married when he was 33 years old. The chosen one was Heather Gibson, who worked as an artist at the studio. With her, the actor lived his entire future life, but the couple did not have children.
Griffiths passed away in the spring of 2013, after severe heart surgery, at the age of 65.
