Hugh Griffith

Hugh Griffith
Griffith in 1960
Born	Hugh Emrys Griffith (1912-05-30)30 May 1912 Marian-glas, Anglesey, Wales
Died	14 May 1980(1980-05-14) (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
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1940–1946
Unit	Royal Welch Fusiliers
Battles / wars	World War II Burma Campaign

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 more than 100 theatre, film, and television productions in a career that spanned over 40 years. ^[2] He was the second 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 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

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1940	Night Train to Munich	Sailor	Carol Reed	Uncredited
	Neutral Port	Spaniard	Marcel Varnel
1947	The Silver Darlings	Packman	Clarence Elder
1948	The Three Weird Sisters	Mabli Hughes	Daniel Birt
	So Evil My Love	Coroner	Lewis Allen
	The First Gentleman	Bishop of Salisbury	Alberto Cavalcanti
	London Belongs to Me	Headlam Fynne	Sidney Gilliat
1949	The Last Days of Dolwyn	The Minister	Emlyn Williams
	Kind Hearts and Coronets	Lord High Steward	Robert Hamer
	Doctor Morelle	Bensall	Godfrey Grayson
	A Run for Your Money	Huw Price	Charles Frend
1950	Gone to Earth	Andrew Vessons	Powell and Pressburger
1951	The Galloping Major	Harold Temple	Henry Cornelius
	Laughter in Paradise	Henry Augustus Russell	Mario Zampi
1953	The Titfield Thunderbolt	Dan Taylor	Charles Crichton
	The Beggar's Opera	The Beggar	Peter Brook
1954	The Million Pound Note	Potter	Ronald Neame	Uncredited
	The Sleeping Tiger	The Inspector	Joseph Losey
1955	Passage Home	Pettigrew	Roy Ward Baker
1957	The Good Companions	Morton Mitcham	J. Lee Thompson
	Lucky Jim	Professor Welch	John Boulting
1959	Ben-Hur	Sheik Ilderim	William Wyler	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best British Actor Nominated- Laurel Award for Top Supporting Male Performance
	The Story on Page One	Judge Edgar Neilsen	Clifford Odets
1960	The Day They Robbed the Bank of England	O'Shea	John Guillermin
	Exodus	Mandria	Otto Preminger
1962	The Counterfeit Traitor	Collins	George Seaton
	The Inspector	Van der Pink	Philip Dunne
	Term of Trial	O'Hara	Peter Glenville
	Mutiny on the Bounty	Alexander Smith	Lewis Milestone
1963	Tom Jones	Squire Western	Tony Richardson	Nominated- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated- Laurel Award for Top Supporting Male Performance
1964	Hide and Seek	Wilkins	Cy Endfield
	The Bargee	Joe Turnbull	Duncan Wood
1965	The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders	Prison Governor	Terence Young
1966	How to Steal a Million	Bonnet	William Wyler
1967	Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad	Commodore Roseabove	Richard Quine
	The Sailor from Gibraltar	Llewellyn	Tony Richardson
	On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...	Ibn-el-Rascid	Pasquale Festa Campanile
	Brown Eye, Evil Eye	Tadeusz Bridges	Robert Angus
1968	Oliver!	The Magistrate	Carol Reed	Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
	Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare	Ignazio	Pasquale Festa Campanile
	The Fixer	Lebedev	John Frankenheimer	Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1970	Start the Revolution Without Me	King Louis XVI	Bud Yorkin
	Cry of the Banshee	Mickey	Gordon Hessler
	Wuthering Heights	Dr. Kenneth	Robert Fuest
1971	Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?	"The Pigman" Harrison	Curtis Harrington
	The Abominable Dr. Phibes	Rabbi	Robert Fuest
1972	Dr. Phibes Rises Again	Harry Ambrose
	The Canterbury Tales	Sir January	Pier Paolo Pasolini
	What?	Joseph Noblart	Roman Polanski
1973	Crescete e moltiplicatevi	Monsignor Casadei	Giulio Petroni
	The Final Programme	Professor Hira	Robert Fuest
	Take Me High	Sir Harry Cunningham	David Askey
1974	Luther	John Tetzel	Guy Green
	The Visitor	Barone di Roccadura	Sergio Martino
	Craze	Solicitor	Freddie Francis
1975	Legend of the Werewolf	Maestro Pamponi
1976	The Passover Plot	Caiaphas	Michael Campus
1977	Casanova & Co.	The Caliph	Franz Antel
	Joseph Andrews	Squire Western	Tony Richardson
	The Last Remake of Beau Geste	Judge	Marty Feldman
1978	The Hound of the Baskervilles	Frankland	Paul Morrissey
1979	A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square	Sid Larkin	Ralph Thomas

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

Year	Title	Role	Director	Venue	Other notes	Ref.
1940	The Venetian	Concini	Hugh Miller	St Martin's Theatre, London		[12]
1946	The Tempest	Trinculo	Eric Crozier	Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon		[12]
	Love's Labour's Lost	Holofernes	Peter Brook			[12]
	Henry V	Charles VI	Dorothy Green			[12]
	As You Like It	Touchstone	Herbert Prentice			[12]
	Macbeth	First Witch	Michael Macowan			[12]
	Doctor Faustus	Mephistopheles	Walter Hudd			[12]
1947	The White Devil	Cardinal Monticelso	Michael Benthall	Duchess Theatre, London		[12]
1948	A Comedy of Good and Evil	The Rev. John Williams	Vivienne Bennett	Arts Theatre, London		[12]
1950-51	Point of Departure	Father	Peter Ashmore	Lyric Theatre, London		[12]
				Duke of York's Theatre, London		[12]
1951	Richard II	John of Gaunt	Anthony Quayle	Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon		[12]
	Henry IV, Part 1	Owen Glendower				[12]
	The Tempest	Caliban	Michael Benthall			[12]
1951-52	Henry V	Canterbury	Anthony Quayle			[12]
	Legend of Lovers	His Father	Peter Ashmore	Plymouth Theatre, New York City	Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Male (UK)	[13]
1952-54	Escapade	Andrew Deeson	John Fernald	Theatre Royal, Brighton		[12]
				St James's Theatre, London		[12]
				Strand Theatre, London		[12]
1954	The Dark Is Light Enough	Belmann	Peter Brook	Aldwych Theatre, London		[12]
				The Alexandra, Birmingham		[12]
1956-57	The Waltz of the Toreadors	Gen. Léon Saint-Pé	Peter Hall	Arts Theatre, London		[12]
				Criterion Theatre, London		[12]
				Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh		[12]
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	[13]
1959	The Cenci	Francesco Cenci	Michael Benthall	The Old Vic, London		[12]
1962	The Caucasian Chalk Circle	Azdak	William Gaskill	Aldwych Theatre, London		[12]
1963	Andorra	The Teacher	Michael Langham	Biltmore Theater, New York City		[13]
1964	Henry IV, Part 1	John Falstaff	Peter Hall	Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon		[12]
	Henry IV, Part 2					[12]

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

1. Obituary Variety , 21 May 1980.
2. "BFI Screenonline: Griffith, Hugh (1912-1980) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
3. "Hugh Griffith". BBC Wales Arts. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
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. "Hugh Emrys Griffith | Welsh Actor, Film Star, Lawrence of Arabia | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
6. "Legend of Lovers". IBDb.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
7. "Look Homeward, Angel". IBDb.com. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
8. Biodrowski, Steve (2004). "Dr. Phibes Rises Again". Hollywood Gothique. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
9. Turner, Robin (29 March 2009). "New book tells of Wales' famous boozers". Western Mail . walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
10. "Griffith, Hugh Emrys (1912–1980)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55467.(Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
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. "Hugh Griffith | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
13. "Hugh Griffith – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

External links

• Hugh Griffith at IMDb
• Hugh Griffith at the Internet Broadway Database
• Hugh Griffith at the BFI 's Screenonline
• Hugh Griffith at Theatricalia