Hugh Griffith
Hugh Griffith | |
|---|---|
 Griffith in 1960 | |
| Born | Hugh Emrys Griffith 30 May 1912 Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales |
| Died | 14 May 1980 (aged 67) London, England |
| Resting place | Golders Green Crematorium, London, England |
| Education | Llangefni County School |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1939–1980 |
| Spouse | Adelgunde Margaret Beatrice von Dechend (m. 1947) |
| Relatives | Elen Roger Jones (sister) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1946 |
| Unit | Royal Welch Fusiliers |
| Battles / wars | |
Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh actor.[1] Described by BFI Screenonline as a "wild-eyed, formidable character player",[2] Griffith appeared in over 100 theatre, film, and television productions in a career that spanned over 40 years.[2] He was the second-ever Welsh-born actor to win an Academy Award (following Ray Milland for The Lost Weekend), winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Ben-Hur (1959), with an additional nomination for Tom Jones (1963).
As a stage actor, he was a renowned Shakespearean and a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was nominated for Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the original production Look Homeward, Angel. He was also a BAFTA Award and a three-time Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (for Tom Jones; 1963, Oliver!; 1968, and The Fixer, also 1968), and a Clarence Derwent Award winner.
Early life
Griffith was born in Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales, the youngest son of Mary and William Griffith.[3] His sister was actress Elen Roger Jones. 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.[4]
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 join the British Army, serving for six years with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in India and the Burma Campaign during the Second World War.[4] He resumed his acting career in 1946, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.[5]
Career
Stage
Between 1946 and 1976, Griffith won acclaim for many stage roles, in particular for his portrayals of Falstaff, Lear and Prospero.[4] Griffith performed on both sides of the Atlantic, taking leading roles in London, New York City and Stratford. In 1952, he starred in the Broadway adaption of Legend of Lovers, alongside fellow Welsh actor Richard Burton.[6]
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.[7] Both he and Perkins were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
Film
Griffith began his film career in British films during the late 1940s, and by the 1950s was also working in Hollywood. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur (1959), and was nominated for his performance in Tom Jones (1963). In 1968, he appeared as the magistrate in Oliver!. His later career was often blighted by his chronic alcoholism.[8][9]
He played the funeral director Caradog Lloyd-Evans in the 1978 BBC Wales comedy Grand Slam. While visibly unwell at the time of shooting (years of alcohol abuse had clearly taken their toll), Griffith's portrayal received widespread acclaim and helped the movie attain cult status.[citation needed]
Griffith was attached to Orson Welles' unproduced 1960s adaptation of Treasure Island.
Television
On television, he had major roles in Quatermass II (1955), a miniseries adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel (1960) and Clochemerle (1972).[citation needed] He also appeared in an episode, 'The Talking Head', of Colonel March of Scotland Yard.
Honours
He received an honorary degree from the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1965.[10]
Personal life
Griffith was married to Adelgunde Margaret Beatrice von Dechend in 1947. He was a lifelong friend and drinking companion of poet Dylan Thomas.
Death
Griffith, after being unwell for about a year, died in 1980 at his home in Kensington, London,[10] two weeks before his 68th birthday.[11]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Johnson Was No Gentleman | Footman | TV movie |
| 1947 | The Wandering Jew | Juan de Texeda | TV movie |
| Maria Marten or, the Murder at the Red Barn | Ishmael | TV movie | |
| The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus | Mephistophilis | TV movie | |
| 1948 | A Comedy of Good and Evil | The Rev. John Williams | TV movie |
| 1952 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | Episode: "Tour of Duty" | |
| Lux Video Theatre | Constantine / Man with Cello | Episodes: "The Game of Chess" & "The Sounds of Waves Breaking" | |
| Lights Out | Episode: "The Borgia Lamp" | ||
| Back to Methuselah | TV movie | ||
| 1953 | Saturday Special | 4 episodes | |
| Rheingold Theatre | Episode: "Outpost" | ||
| Escapade | Andrew Deeson | TV movie | |
| The Broken Jug | Judge Adam | TV movie | |
| The Teddy Bear | Charley Delaney | TV movie | |
| 1955 | Sunday Night Theatre | Photographer | Episode: "The Moment of Truth" |
| The Merry Christmas | Scrooge | TV movie | |
| Quatermass II | Dr. Leo Pugh | Miniseries; 6 episodes | |
| Colonel March of Scotland Yard | Dr. Ivy | Episode: "The Talking Head" | |
| 1957 | Armchair Theatre | Simon Kendall | Episode: "Now Let Him Go" |
| 1959 | Omnibus | Episode: "Ah Sweet Mystery of Mrs. Murphy" | |
| ITV Play of the Week | M. Tarde / Gen. Léon Saint-Pé | Episode: "The Wild Bird" & "The Waltz of the Toreadors" | |
| Playhouse 90 | Jaggers / Reverend Light | Episode: "The Second Man" & "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" | |
| 1960 | The Citadel | Philip Denny | TV movie |
| The DuPont Show of the Week | Long John Silver | Episode: "Treasure Island" | |
| Point of Departure | Father | TV movie | |
| 1963 | Comedy Playhouse | Luther Flannery | Episode: "The Walrus and the Carpenter" |
| 1966 | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Salah Rahman Khan | TV movie |
| 1967 | ABC Stage 67 | Herr Hoffman | Episode: "Dare I Weep, Dare I Mourn?" |
| 1971 | Tomorrow's World | The Baron | Episode: "Tomorrow's World Meets Yesterday's World" |
| 1971-72 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Choobukov / Uncle Rollo | Episodes: "The Proposal" & "Uncle Rollo" |
| 1972 | Clochemerle | Alexandre Bourdillat | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
| 1973 | Owen, M.D. | John Owen | Episode: "September Song!" |
| Orson Welles Great Mysteries | The Man | Episode: "The Inspiration of Mr. Budd" | |
| 1974 | BBC2 Playhouse | Dr. Walden | Episode: "The Joke" |
| 1975 | A Legacy | Baron Felden | Miniseries; 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Grand Slam | Caradog Lloyd-Evans | TV movie |
Partial theatre credits
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Year | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | Best Supporting Actor | 1960 | Ben-Hur | Won |
| 1964 | Tom Jones | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Film Award | Best British Actor | 1964 | Nominated | |
| Clarence Derwent Award | Best Supporting Male (UK) | 1952 | Legend of Lovers | Won |
| Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | 1964 | Tom Jones | Nominated |
| 1969 | Oliver! | Nominated | ||
| The Fixer | Nominated | |||
| Laurel Award | Top Supporting Male Performance | 1960 | Ben-Hur | Nominated |
| 1964 | Tom Jones | 5th place | ||
| National Board of Review | Best Supporting Actor | 1959 | Ben-Hur | Won |
| Tony Award | Best Actor in a Play | 1958 | Look Homeward, Angel | Nominated |
References
- ^ Obituary Variety, 21 May 1980.
- ^ a b "BFI Screenonline: Griffith, Hugh (1912-1980) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ "Hugh Griffith". BBC Wales Arts. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "Hugh Emrys Griffith | Welsh Actor, Film Star, Lawrence of Arabia | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
- ^ "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 16 April 2013.
- ^ Turner, Robin (29 March 2009). "New book tells of Wales' famous boozers". Western Mail. walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Griffith, Hugh Emrys (1912–1980)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55467. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Hugh Griffith, Oscar-Winning Actor In 1959 For His Role in 'Ben Hur,' Dies", The Washington Post, digital archives, 15 May 1980, C4. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Hugh Griffith | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Hugh Griffith – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1912 births
- 1980 deaths
- Alumni of RADA
- Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Royal Welch Fusiliers soldiers
- Actors from Anglesey
- Welsh male film actors
- Welsh male stage actors
- Welsh male television actors
- People educated at Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni
- 20th-century Welsh male actors
- Golders Green Crematorium
- Military personnel from Anglesey