Chin chin dear friend: Tributes paid to award-winning actor Richard Griffiths as he dies from complications after heart surgery
- Won Olivier and Tony awards for his role in the stage production of The History Boys
- Came to prominence in Ghandi and became a cult hero as Uncle Monty in Withnail and I
- Known to new generation of fans as Vernon Dursley in Harry Potter
- Co-star Daniel Radcliffe pays tribute: 'I am proud to say I knew him'
By HUGO GYE
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The famed theatrical, television and film actor died yesterday after suffering complications related to heart surgery at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire.
He starred in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys and appeared in cult classic Withnail and I as the comic Uncle Monty, after getting his start with a small role in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi - but he found a new audience of fans as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played the title role in Harry Potter and also performed with Griffiths in the play Equus, led tributes to the actor, as Withnail star Richard E. Grant said: 'Chin chin dear friend.'
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Cult hero: Richard Griffiths, who died yesterday at the age of 65, as Uncle Monty alongside Richard E. Grant in 1987 classic Withnail and I
Star: Griffiths at the 2008 Tony awards in New York with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with whom he appeared in the blockbuster series and who led tributes to him today
Operation: The 65-year-old actor, pictured left last year in the most recent known picture of him and right in 2006, died following heart surgery
Co-stars: The actor with Stephen Campbell Moore in the 2006 film version of The History Boys, in which he played the inspirational but paedophilic teacher Mr Hector
'Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career,' he said.
'In August 2000, before official production had even begun on Potter, we filmed a shot outside the Dursleys', which was my first ever shot as Harry. I was nervous and he made me feel at ease.
'Seven years later, we embarked on Equus together. It was my first time doing a play but, terrified as I was, his encouragement, tutelage and humour made it a joy.
'In fact, any room he walked into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence. I am proud to say I knew him.'
Richard E. Grant tweeted: 'My beloved "Uncle Monty" Richard Griffiths died last night. Chin-Chin my dear friend.'
Withnail co-star Paul McGann added his condolences, writing: 'A mighty tree has fallen. Heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
'A brilliant, funny, principled man, and a true gent. Led the way on Withnail and I. Wore his great skill lightly and his great heart out.'
Honour: The actor being invested with the OBE for services to drama by the Queen in June 2008
Beloved: Griffiths played the lead role of Harry Crabbe in popular BBC1 series Pie in the Sky
Many of Griffiths' fellow actors took to Twitter to pay tribute to him.
Russell Tovey, who appeared alongside him in The History Boys and went on to star in Being Human, wrote: 'Really sad.
'Our mate and leader has moved on to the theatre in the sky. We will miss you so much Richard Griffiths... RIP you wonderful man.'
John Simm, from Life on Mars and Doctor Who, added: 'RIP the mighty Richard Griffiths. Very sad news indeed.'
In 2005, Griffiths won the Olivier award for best actor for his performance as Mr Hector in The History Boys, a play set in a 1980s Yorkshire grammar school which was later turned into a film also starring Griffiths and directed by Nicholas Hytner.
After the play transferred to Broadway, Griffiths added a much-coveted Tony award.
He was already known to the British public for playing the lead role of Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky, a police drama broadcast on BBC1 from 1994 to 1997.
Loss: Withnail co-star Richard E. Grant wrote of his sadness at the death of Griffiths, aka 'Uncle Monty'
Victor: Griffiths accepting the Oliver award for best actor for his performance in The History Boys in 2006
Plaudits: Griffiths posing with his 2006 Tony award after Alan Bennett's play transferred to Broadway
Griffiths was awarded the OBE for services to drama in the New Year's Honours 2008.
He married Heather Gibson in 1980 after they met during a production of Lady Windermere's Fan in 1973. The couple lived near Stratford-upon-Avon and had no children.
The exact circumstances of Griffiths' death are unclear, and it is not known whether the operation was intended to address a long-term heart condition.
The portly actor, whose weight problem was blamed on medication he took as a child, played many starring roles on television and in the West End.
Sir Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said Griffiths's unexpected death would devastate his 'army of friends'.
'Richard Griffiths wasn't only one of the most loved and recognisable British actors - he was also one of the very greatest,' he said.
'His performance in The History Boys was quite overwhelming: a masterpiece of wit, delicacy, mischief and desolation, often simultaneously.
'But that was just one small part of a career that spanned Shakespeare, cutting-edge new plays and major work in film and television.'
Hit: Griffiths with the cast of Alan Bennett's The History Boys, including stars like James Corden, Russell Tovey and Dominic Cooper
On stage: The star made his name as a theatrical actor and returned to the form in The History Boys, pictured
Sir Nicholas, who directed Griffiths in The History Boys and The Habit Of Art, added: 'His currency as an actor was truth; as a colleague it was hilarity.
'His anecdotes were legendary. They were, literally, endless. They would go on for hours, apparently without destination, constantly side-splitting.
'The only way to stop them was to tell him you were walking away, though there were always others in the audience so, as far as I know, he never stopped. He was the life of every party.'
Griffiths was well-known as an actor who took a strong line against members of theatre audiences whose mobile telephones rang out during performances.
At least twice, he was known to have stopped a show to order people out of the theatre after their phones had persistently rung.
Couple: Griffiths with his wife Heather at the Evening Standard Drama Awards in 2006
Tributes: Other actors and media figures took to Twitter to express their condolences at Griffiths' death
He was born on July 31 1947 in Thornaby-on-Tees, the son of a steelworker. His parents were both deaf and he learned sign language at an early age so he could communicate with them.
Griffiths developed an ear for dialects which subsequently landed him with several diverse roles.
In his childhood, he attempted to run away from home many times. He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and worked as a porter, but his boss convinced him to go back to school. He decided to attend a drama class at Stockton and Billingham College, then moved on to Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama.
Subsequently Griffiths earned a spot on BBC radio and worked in small theatres as an actor and manager. But he built up a reputation as a Shakespearean 'clown' with hilarious portrayals of characters such as Falstaff with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
After settling in Manchester, he began to get lead roles in plays and on television. His first big break was in 1976 film It Shouldn't Happen To A Vet, followed by roles in contemporary and period pieces such as Gorky Park, Withnail And I, The Smell Of Fear, Guarding Tess and Sleepy Hollow.
New generation: Griffiths is known to some as wicked Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films
Cheerful: Griffiths arriving at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007
Film credits included Chariots Of Fire, The French Lieutenant's Woman, GoldenEye, Gandhi and The Naked Gun 2 1/2.
Later in his career, he made an extended appearance in the 2005 television version of Charles Dickens' Bleak House.
RICHARD GRIFFITHS' GREATEST HITS
Uncle Monty in Withnail and I (film, 1987)
Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky (TV, 1994-97)
Vernon Dursley in Harry Potter (film, 2001-11)
Hector in The History Boys (play/film, 2004-6)
Mr Bayham Badger in Bleak House (TV, 2005)
Martin Dysart in Equus (play, 2007-9)
W.H. Auden in The Habit of Art (play, 2009-10)
In 2006, he starred with Daniel Radcliffe in a stage revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus at the Gielgud Theatre in London.
Last year he appeared alongside Hollywood actor Danny DeVito in The Sunshine Boys in the West End.
His agent Simon Beresford said: 'Richard brightened my days and enriched the life of anyone he came into contact with.
'On stage he allowed us to share in our own humanity and constantly question our differences.
'Richard gave acting a good name. He was a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors. He will be greatly missed.
'Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to his devoted wife Heather and his family at this sad time.'
Reprise: Griffiths joined up with Daniel Radcliffe again in the revival of Peter Shaffer's play Equus
On stage: Richard Griffiths in last year's The Sunshine Boys in London alongside Danny DeVito
Thea Sharrock, who directed Griffiths in Equus, Heroes and Sunshine Boys, said: 'I worked with Richard more times than any other actor.
'Everybody knew he was my favourite. He was the most tender, gentle, kind, generous, loving man.
'His curiosity was unending, as was his striving for perfection. I cannot imagine a world without all those stories. I will miss him so very very much.'
The producers of Heroes and Equus, David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, described the actor as a 'great man, a great character, a great talent greatly missed'.
In a joint statement they said: 'He was a glorious man and we were so honoured to have known him.'
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