Hugh Griffith
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh actor.<ref>Obituary Variety, 21 May 1980.</ref> Described by BFI Screenonline as a "wild-eyed, formidable character player",<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Griffith appeared in more than 100 theatre, film, and television productions in a career that spanned over 40 years.<ref name=":0" /> 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 lifeEdit
Griffith was born in Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales, the youngest son of Mary and William Griffith.<ref name="bbc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="WAEoW">Template:Cite book</ref>
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.<ref name="WAEoW"/> He resumed his acting career in 1946, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
StageEdit
Between 1946 and 1976, Griffith won acclaim for many stage roles, in particular for his portrayals of Falstaff, Lear and Prospero.<ref name="WAEoW"/> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both he and Perkins were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
FilmEdit
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.<ref name="gothique">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="turner">Template:Cite news</ref>
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 taken their toll), Griffith's portrayal received widespread acclaim and helped the movie attain cult status.Template:Cn
Griffith was attached to Orson Welles' unproduced 1960s adaptation of Treasure Island.
TelevisionEdit
On television, he had major roles in Quatermass II (1955), a miniseries adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel (1960) and Clochemerle (1972).Template:Cn He also appeared in an episode, 'The Talking Head', of Colonel March of Scotland Yard.
HonoursEdit
He received an honorary degree from the University of Wales, Bangor, in 1965.<ref name="ODNB">Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Griffith was married to Adelgunde Margaret Beatrice von Dechend in 1947. He was a lifelong friend and drinking companion of poet Dylan Thomas.
DeathEdit
Griffith, after being unwell for about a year, died in 1980 at his home in Kensington, London,<ref name="ODNB"/> at age 67.<ref>"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.</ref>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
TelevisionEdit
| 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 creditsEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Venue | Other notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | The Venetian | Concini | Hugh Miller | St Martin's Theatre, London | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 1946 | The Tempest | Trinculo | Eric Crozier | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| Love's Labour's Lost | Holofernes | Peter Brook | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| Henry V | Charles VI | Dorothy Green | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| As You Like It | Touchstone | Herbert Prentice | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| Macbeth | First Witch | Michael Macowan | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| Doctor Faustus | Mephistopheles | Walter Hudd | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| 1947 | The White Devil | Cardinal Monticelso | Michael Benthall | Duchess Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| 1948 | A Comedy of Good and Evil | The Rev. John Williams | Vivienne Bennett | Arts Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| 1950-51 | Point of Departure | Father | Peter Ashmore | Lyric Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| Duke of York's Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| 1951 | Richard II | John of Gaunt | Anthony Quayle | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| Henry IV, Part 1 | Owen Glendower | <ref name=":1" /> | |||||
| The Tempest | Caliban | Michael Benthall | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||
| 1951-52 | Henry V | Canterbury | Anthony Quayle | <ref name=":1" /> | |||
| Legend of Lovers | His Father | Peter Ashmore | Plymouth Theatre, New York City | Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Male (UK) | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 1952-54 | Escapade | Andrew Deeson | John Fernald | Theatre Royal, Brighton | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| St James's Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| Strand Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| 1954 | The Dark Is Light Enough | Belmann | Peter Brook | Aldwych Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| The Alexandra, Birmingham | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| 1956-57 | The Waltz of the Toreadors | Gen. Léon Saint-Pé | Peter Hall | Arts Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| Criterion Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh | <ref name=":1" /> | ||||||
| 1957-59 | Look Homeward, Angel | W.O. Gant | George Roy Hill | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City | Nominated- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play | <ref name=":2" /> | |
| 1959 | The Cenci | Francesco Cenci | Michael Benthall | The Old Vic, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| 1962 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | Azdak | William Gaskill | Aldwych Theatre, London | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| 1963 | Andorra | The Teacher | Michael Langham | Biltmore Theater, New York City | <ref name=":2" /> | ||
| 1964 | Henry IV, Part 1 | John Falstaff | Peter Hall | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | <ref name=":1" /> | ||
| Henry IV, Part 2 | <ref name=":1" /> |
Awards and nominationsEdit
| Award | Category | Year | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | Best Supporting Actor | 1960 | Ben-Hur | Template:Won |
| 1964 | Tom Jones | Template:Nom | ||
| British Academy Film Award | Best British Actor | 1964 | Template:Nom | |
| Clarence Derwent Award | Best Supporting Male (UK) | 1952 | Legend of Lovers | Template:Won |
| Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | 1964 | Tom Jones | Template:Nom |
| 1969 | Oliver! | Template:Nom | ||
| The Fixer | Template:Nom | |||
| Laurel Award | Top Supporting Male Performance | 1960 | Ben-Hur | Template:Nom |
| 1964 | Tom Jones | Template:Draw | ||
| National Board of Review | Best Supporting Actor | 1959 | Ben-Hur | Template:Won |
| Tony Award | Best Actor in a Play | 1958 | Look Homeward, Angel | Template:Nom |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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