Who Is That: Richard Griffiths

Name: Richard Griffiths
Occupation: Actor
Genre: Stage/Film
Born: July 31, 1947

Best known by current audiences as the film incarnation of the mean spirited Uncle Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter film series.

The celebrated British actor has appeared in a wide array of both box office hits and critically acclaimed films including Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Withnail and I, King Ralph, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, Guarding Tess, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Venus. Most recently, Griffiths worked in the Disney film Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler and will be making an appearance in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

My personal favorite screen appearance of Griffiths' was in Tim Burton's successful and popular realization of the classic tale Sleepy Hollow.

His stage credits are numerous, but most notable is his recent win of the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Laurence Olivier Awards all for his work in The History Boys (a role he revived for the film version). He most recently appeared on the West End and Broadway stages alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Kate Mulgrew in a revival of the Peter Shaffer play Equus.

Below is a brief interview with Griffiths at the premier of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. No hiding Richard's rather off-beat but very educated sense of humor. He continually delights me.