Bio
Richard Griffiths, OBE (31 July, 1947 – 28 March, 2013) was an English actor best known for his roles as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, Uncle Monty in Withnail and I, Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky, and King George II in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
He also appeared as a British journalist in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning 1982 film Gandhi and won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his role in the stage production of The History Boys.
Griffiths came from radio and the classical stage where he built up an early reputation as a Shakespearean clown, with larger-than-life portrayals of Henry VIII, Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Royal Shakespeare Company just a few of his standout credits.
The son of deaf parents, he learned sign language at an early age and developed a talent for dialects which allowed him to show off in a number of ethnic portrayals.
In films from 1975, his better roles have been in both contemporary and period pieces, such as Gorky Park (1983), Withnail & I (1987), King Ralph (1991), Guarding Tess (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999) and the Harry Potter series as Uncle Vernon Dursley.
Typically cast as comic relief in serious fare, he is well known in England for a number of comedy series including Pie in the Sky (1994).
Griffiths died at the University Hospital Coventry on 28 March, 2013 after complications following heart surgery. He was 65.