Hugh_Griffith

Hugh Griffith

Hugh Griffith

Welsh actor (1912–1980)

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).

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

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] at age 67.[11]

Filmography

Film

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Television

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Partial theatre credits

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Awards and nominations

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References

  1. [1]
    Obituary Variety, 21 May 1980.
  2. [2]
    "BFI Screenonline: Griffith, Hugh (1912-1980) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Hugh Griffith". BBC Wales Arts. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. [4]
    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.
  5. [5]
    "Hugh Emrys Griffith | Welsh Actor, Film Star, Lawrence of Arabia | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Legend of Lovers". IBDb.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  7. [7]
    "Look Homeward, Angel". IBDb.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  8. [8]
    Biodrowski, Steve (2004). "Dr. Phibes Rises Again". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  9. [9]
    Turner, Robin (29 March 2009). "New book tells of Wales' famous boozers". Western Mail. walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  10. [10]
    "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.)
  11. [11]
    "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.
  12. [12]
    "Hugh Griffith | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Hugh Griffith – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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