Richard Griffiths

**Richard Thomas Griffiths** OBE (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) played the Eighth Doctor from 1991 to 1995, beginning with *Avatar*, and ending with *Mind Games,* the latter of which he also voiced the Body-snatchers in.

## Profile

### Prior to *Doctor Who*

Richard Thomas Griffiths was born in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Riding of Yorkshire, to Jane Ann (née Denmark, 1899–1976) and Thomas Griffiths (1915–1976). His father was a steelworker who also fought in pubs for money, while his mother's occupation was described as "bagger". He had an elder sister and two elder brothers, all of whom died in infancy before he was born. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic.

His parents were both deaf and he became fluent in British Sign Language at an early age. During his childhood he attempted to run away from home many times. He dropped out of Our Lady & St Bede School in Stockton-on-Tees at the age of 15 and worked as a porter for Littlewoods for a while but his boss eventually persuaded him to go back to school. He decided to attend a drama class at Stockton & Billingham College. He continued his education in drama at Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre (now Manchester School of Theatre) at the same time as Bernard Hill.

After graduating, Griffiths won a contract on BBC Radio with their Radio Drama Company. He also worked in small theatres, sometimes acting and sometimes managing. He built up an early reputation as a Shakespearean clown with portrayals of Pompey in *Measure for Measure* and Bottom in *A Midsummer Night's Dream* with the Royal Shakespeare Company and went on to play the Kings in *Love's Labour's Lost* and in *Henry VIII*. He eventually settled in Manchester and began to get lead roles in plays. From there, he began to appear on television and then got his big break in film in *It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet* (1976). By the early 1980s, he was selected for the lead role in *Bird of Prey*, an early computer-conspiracy thriller. His character Henry Jay was reprised in *Bird of Prey 2* (1984). In 1981, he also gave a memorable performance as Chilean secret police victim William Beausire in an edition of the BBC *Prisoners of Conscience* series. Griffiths went on to supporting roles in a number of major films, including *The French Lieutenant's Woman*, *Chariots of Fire* and *Gandhi*. On stage, in 1985–1986, he performed the role of Verdi in Julian Mitchell's *After Aida*, in Wales and at the Old Vic Theatre in London. He appeared in The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends.

Griffiths met Heather Gibson in 1973 and they married in 1980. They had no children.

Griffiths' film roles prior to *Doctor Who* were in both contemporary and period pieces, such as *Gorky Park* (1983), *Withnail and I* (1987), *King Ralph* (1991) and *The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear* (1991).

### *Doctor Who*

Griffiths took over as the role of the Doctor in 1991, and played the role for five years until 1995. He in turn passed on the role to Stephen Fry.

He had been considered for the role of the Doctor previously, being asked to take up the role after Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor left in 1981, but he was unavailable. When planning for the Eighth Doctor, Griffiths had been heavily considered as an option due to his heavy filmography, and the production team believing that he would be able to bring the series in a darker direction more successfully.

Griffiths' run is notable in the fact that he is one of only two Doctors to change networks, the other being his predecessor, Sylvester McCoy. his tenure started on BBC Two, where he spent the first two years of his tenure, before the series was moved back to BBC One by Alan Yentob in 1993, with his performing the remainder of his run on BBC One.

Griffiths played the Doctor initially as a continuation of his predecessor, being dark, manipulative, and also coming across as being grumpier and more unapproachable to most people. However, this façade was fairly easy to break, with him being devastated at his companion's death, and apologetic after he felt he had pushed his companion Guinevere too far, offering to take her home. With each season, the Doctor began to lighten up, much like with the First Doctor, eventually giving up his manipulative ways for good.

Like with his predecessor, some of Griffith's own traits made it into the role of the Doctor, most notably his use of sign language. The Eighth Doctor uses sign language in every season of his run, usually to communicate with his companions without the villains knowing what he is saying (for example in *The Herald*, where he signs the phrase "shoot him now!" to Raine Cunningham whilst being attacked by the Destroyer). Griffiths asked for these amendments to the scripts himself, believing it would add a new layer of "craftiness" to the Doctor's character if he silently spoke to his companions, whilst also raising awareness for sign language in the process.

Griffiths ultimately left the role in 1995, citing commitment to other projects as the reason for his departure.

### Post-*Doctor Who* Career

Griffiths' film roles continued to be period and contemporary peieces during and for a short period after his run on *Doctor Who,* appearing in *Guarding Tess* (1994) and *Sleepy Hollow* (1999). Later, he was seen as Harry Potter's cruel uncle Vernon Dursley in the *Harry Potter* series, appearing in five of the eight films: *Philosopher's Stone*, *Chamber of Secrets*, *Prisoner of Azkaban*, *Order of the Phoenix* and *Deathly Hallows – Part 1*.

He appeared as Inspector Henry Crabbe, disillusioned policeman and pie chef extraordinaire, in *Pie in the Sky*, a role which was created for him.[*citation needed*] He also made an extended appearance in the 2005 version of Charles Dickens' *Bleak House*. In 2004, he originated the role of Hector (the teacher) in Alan Bennett's play *The History Boys*, directed by Nicholas Hytner, winning the 2005 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. During the play's United States run, he added a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award. He reprised his role in the film version, which was released in October 2006.

Together with his *Harry Potter* co-star Daniel Radcliffe, he appeared in a stage revival of Peter Shaffer's *Equus* at the Gielgud Theatre in London and later from October 2008 in a short run of the play at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway, which ended in February 2009. Later, in 2009, he replaced Michael Gambon as W. H. Auden prior to the premiere of *The Habit of Art* at the National Theatre, once again directed by Hytner.

He performed in adaptations of the *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, providing the voice for Slartibartfast for the radio adaptation of *Life, the Universe and Everything* and playing the Vogon Jeltz in the film version of *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*. He appeared in *Bedtime Stories* with Adam Sandler and as a special guest in *A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa*.

In 2005 he asked a member of the audience to leave a performance of *Heroes* after her phone rang three times. This interruption of a performance because of audience distraction happened three times in his career.

Griffiths was awarded an honorary degree from Teesside University in 2006 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.

He was the godfather of comedian Jack Whitehall.

Griffiths appeared as George II in Disney's *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides*. He appeared in the first episode of the television series *Episodes* as Julian Bullard. In April 2012, Griffiths starred, with Danny DeVito, in a revival of the Neil Simon play *The Sunshine Boys*. The show previewed at the Savoy Theatre from 27 April 2012, opening on 17 May and playing a limited 12-week season until 28 July.

Griffiths died aged 65 at University Hospital Coventry on 28 March 2013 after complications following heart surgery.

## Credits

### *Doctor Who*

#### As the Eighth Doctor

* *Alixion*
* *Avatar*
* *Hostage*
* *The Herald*
* *Lungbarrow*
* *A School for Glory*
* *The Green Knight*
* *Illegal Alien*
* *Nightshade*
* *Network*
* *Destruction of the Daleks*
* *Love and War*
* *Transit*
* *The Domesday Book*
* *Destiny*
* *The Highest Science*
* *Death's Oracle*
* *Nothing*
* *Venusian Lullaby*
* *Legacy*
* *Goth Opera*
* *The Death of Art*
* *The Romance of Crime*
* *Paradox of the Daleks*
* *Downtime*
* *The Menagerie*
* *Mind Games*

#### Other roles

* *Mind Games* - voice of the Body-snatchers