Hugh Griffith
Hugh Griffith | |
---|---|
From the film Ben-Hur | |
Born |
Hugh Emrys Griffith 30 May 1912 Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales |
Died |
14 May 1980 67) London, England | (aged
Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1939–80 |
Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh film, stage and television actor.[1] He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur (1959) and received an additional Oscar nomination for the same category in Tom Jones (1963).
Early life
Griffith was born in Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales, the son of Mary and William Griffith.[2] He was educated at Llangefni County School and attempted to gain entrance to university, but failed the English examination. He was then urged to make a career in banking, becoming a bank clerk and transferring to London to be closer to acting opportunities.[3] Just as he was making progress and gained admission to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he had to suspend his plans in order to serve in the British Army, serving for six years with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in India and the Burma Campaign during the Second World War.[3] He resumed his acting career in 1946.
Stage career
Between 1946 and 1976, Griffith won acclaim for many stage roles, in particular for his portrayals of Falstaff, Lear and Prospero.[3] Griffith acted on both sides of the Atlantic, taking leading roles in London, New York and Stratford. In 1952 he starred in the Broadway adaption of Legend of Lovers, alongside fellow Welsh actor Richard Burton.[4] In 1958 he was back in New York, this time taking a lead role in the opening production of Look Homeward, Angel alongside Anthony Perkins.[5] Both he and Perkins were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a play for their roles.
Film career
Griffith began his film career in British films during the late 1940s, and by the 1950s was also appearing in Hollywood films. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur (1959), and received a nomination for his role in Tom Jones (1963). In 1960, he appeared in an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel, and in 1968, he appeared as the magistrate in Oliver!. His later career was often blighted by his chronic alcoholism.[6][7]
Television work
On television, he had major roles in Quatermass II (1955) and Clochemerle (1972), but is best remembered for his role as funeral director Caradog Lloyd-Evans in the 1978 comedy Grand Slam. Whilst he was visibly unwell at the time of shooting (years of alcohol abuse had clearly taken their toll), Griffith's portrayal encountered widespread acclaim and helped Grand Slam attain cult status.
Private life
Griffith married Adelgunde Margaret Beatrice von Dechend (1911–1983), a granddaughter of the Prussian banker Hermann von Dechend.
He received an honorary degree from the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1980, and died from a heart attack in London later the same year.
Filmography
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | Neutral Port | Bit | uncredited |
1947 | Silver Darlings | Packman | |
1948 | So Evil My Love | Coroner | |
The Three Weird Sisters | Mabli Hughes | ||
The First Gentleman | Bishop of Salisbury | ||
London Belongs to Me | Headlam Fynne | ||
1949 | A Run for Your Money | Huw Price | |
Kind Hearts and Coronets | Lord High Steward | ||
The Last Days of Dolwyn | The Minister | ||
Doctor Morelle | Bensall, the butler | ||
1950 | Gone to Earth | Andrew Vessons | |
1951 | The Galloping Major | Harold Temple, Process Server | |
Laughter in Paradise | Henry Augustus Russell | ||
1952 | The Wild Heart | Andrew Vessons | |
1953 | The Titfield Thunderbolt | Dan Taylor | |
The Beggar's Opera | The Beggar | ||
1954 | The Sleeping Tiger | The Inspector | |
1955 | Passage Home | Pettigrew | |
1957 | The Good Companions | Morton Mitcham | |
Lucky Jim | Professor Welch | ||
1959 | Ben-Hur | Sheik Ilderim | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance (3rd place) National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor |
The Story on Page One | Judge Edgar Neilsen | ||
1960 | The Day They Robbed the Bank of England | O'Shea | |
Exodus | Mandria | ||
1962 | The Counterfeit Traitor | Collins | |
The Inspector | Van der Pink | ||
Term of Trial | O'Hara | ||
Mutiny on the Bounty | Alexander Smith | ||
1963 | Tom Jones | Squire Western | Laurel Award for Top Male Supporting Performance (5th place) Nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated-BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
1964 | Hide and Seek | Wilkins | |
The Bargee | Joe Turnbull | ||
1965 | The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders | Prison Governor | |
1966 | How to Steal a Million | Bonnet | |
1967 | Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad | Commodore Roseabove | |
Brown Eye, Evil Eye | Tadeusz Bridges | ||
The Sailor from Gibraltar | Llewellyn | ||
On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... | Ibn-el-Rascid | ||
1968 | Oliver! | The Magistrate | Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture |
The Fixer | Lebedev | Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | |
1970 | Start the Revolution Without Me | King Louis XVI | |
Wuthering Heights | Dr. Kenneth | ||
Cry of the Banshee | Mickey | ||
1971 | The Abominable Dr. Phibes | Rabbi | |
1972 | Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? | The Pigman/Mr. Harrison | |
Dr. Phibes Rises Again | Harry Ambrose | ||
The Canterbury Tales | Sir January | ||
What? | Joseph Noblart | ||
1973 | The Final Programme | Professor Hira | |
1974 | Take Me High | Sir Harry Cunningham | |
Luther | John Tetzel | ||
Cugini Carnali | Barone di Roccadura | Also screened under the names Loving Cousins, Hot and Bothered, and High School Girl | |
Craze | Solicitor | ||
1975 | Legend of the Werewolf | Maestro Pamponi | |
1976 | The Passover Plot | Caiaphas | |
1977 | Joseph Andrews | Squire Western | |
The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Judge | ||
Casanova & Co. | The Caliph | ||
1978 | Grand Slam | Caradog Lloyd-Evans | |
The Hound of the Baskervilles | Frankland | ||
1979 | A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | Sid Larkin | |
Source: "Hugh Griffith". IMDb. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
References
- ↑ Obituary Variety, 21 May 1980.
- ↑ "Hugh Griffith". BBC Wales Arts. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel; Menna, Baines; Lynch, Peredur I., eds. (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ↑ "Legend of Lovers". IBDB.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ↑ "Look Homeward, Angel". IBDB.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ↑ Biodrowski, Steve (2004). "Dr. Phibes Rises Again". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
- ↑ Turner, Robin (29 March 2009). "New book tells of Wales’ famous boozers". Western Mail (walesonline.co.uk). Retrieved 2013-04-16.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hugh Griffith. |
- Hugh Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
- Hugh Griffith at the Internet Broadway Database
- Hugh Griffith at Find a Grave
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