Richard Griffiths

Richard Griffiths (born 31 July, 1947 in Thornaby-on-Tees) is the actor who portrays Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films. He is married to Heather Gibson.

Career
Griffiths acting career bagan on radio and the classical stage where he built up an early reputation as a Shakespearean clown, with larger-than-life portrayals of Henry VIII, Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Royal Shakespeare Company just a few of his standout credits. The son of deaf mute parents, he learned sign language at an early age and, interestingly enough, developed a talent for dialects which allowed him to show off in a number of ethnic portrayals. Griffiths has been appearing in films since1975 both in Britain and abroad, his most acclaimed roles have been in both contemporary and period pieces.

Achievements
2004 - Won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Hector in The History Boys at the National Theatre (Lyttleton) (London).

He was awarded the 2006 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as "Hector" in Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

Past performances/earlier career Griffiths was considered by the producers of Doctor Who for the role of the Doctor himself, however, the original series did not continue from 1989.

He has been in over 60 productions in both films and theatre.

He also starred with Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) in the British-Film made for TV, Ballet Shoes.

Harry Potter career
Griffiths plays the magic-disliking Uncle Vernon, who is married to Aunt Petunia, father to Dudley Dursley, brother to Aunt Marge and uncle of Harry Potter. He has appeared in four of the six films so far.

Mobile phones
Richard Griffiths has been known to take public issue with mobile/cell phones ringing in the audience during his stage performances.

June 2005: he ordered a man out of the National Theatre, London, when his mobile phone went off for the sixth time during a performance of Alan Bennett's The History Boys. The actor stopped in the middle of his lines, fixed the offender with an icy stare and said: "I am asking you to stand up, leave this auditorium and never, ever come back". Other members of the audience applauded as the man left the theatre.

November 2005: Was performing in the stage play Heroes in London's Wyndham Theatre when a lady's mobile phone kept ringing in the audience. After it rang a third time, he stopped the play and - to loud applause - had her ejected from the theatre.

May 2006: When a mobile rang out for the third time during his performance as Hector, a teacher, in Alan Bennett's The History Boys at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York, Griffiths rounded on the theatregoer and thundered: "I am not going to compete with these electronic devices. You were told to turn them off by the stage manager; you were told it was against the law. If we hear one more phone go off, we'll quit this performance. You have been warned."

Coincidence
By coincidence, his birthday is the same as that of Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling, 31st July.