Early Life
Richard Griffiths was born on July 31, 1947, in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire. His parents were deaf, and he learned sign language as his first method of communication. He left school at fifteen and worked various jobs before discovering acting. He trained at the Manchester School of Theatre.
Major Role
Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe, Pie in the Sky (1994–1997)
Henry Crabbe is a police detective who would rather be a chef. The character’s passion is cooking — he runs a restaurant on the side, the eponymous “Pie in the Sky” — and the job is something he does because it pays the bills and because he is good at it. Griffiths played Crabbe as a man whose pleasures are culinary and whose professional skills are reluctantly deployed. The series was a gentle crime drama, lighter in register than most procedurals, and Griffiths’s performance — warm, exasperated, and fundamentally decent — was its defining feature. Five series, forty episodes.
Other Notable Work
Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films (2001–2010). Uncle Monty in Withnail & I (1987) — one of the most quotable comic performances in British cinema. Extensive stage work, including the National Theatre’s production of The History Boys — his performance as Hector earned him an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. Griffiths was one of the most respected character actors of his generation, and the awards track the recognition.
Acting Style
Griffiths worked through presence and precision. The physical frame — he was a large man — was part of his public image, but the performances were built on craft and intelligence. Crabbe’s culinary obsession is comic but Griffiths plays it straight — the man genuinely loves food, genuinely resents the police work, and the comedy comes from the sincerity.
Personal Life
Married to Heather Gibson from 1980 until his death. He died on March 28, 2013, aged 65, following complications from heart surgery.
Appeared In
- Griffiths starred as Inspector Henry Crabbe in the television series ‘Pie in the Sky’ (1994–1997).
- He appeared in the 2005 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘Bleak House’.
- He provided the voice for Slartibartfast in the radio adaptation of ‘Life, the Universe and Everything’ and played the Vogon Jeltz in the film version of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.
- He appeared in the 2008 version of ‘A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa’.
- He starred as Barry Nottingham in the fantasy comedy film ‘Bedtime Stories’ (2008).
- He appeared in the 2011 film ‘Hugo’, directed by Martin Scorsese.
- He appeared in the 2011 film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’.
- He appeared in the 2005 film ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.
- He appeared in the 1999 film ‘Sleepy Hollow’, directed by Tim Burton.
- He appeared in the 1991 film ‘The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear’.
Frequently Asked Questions
Richard Griffiths was a highly regarded British character actor known for his work on stage and screen. He was born in Thornaby-on-Tees in 1947 and became one of Britain’s most respected actors.
Richard Griffiths is best known for playing Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter film series and Uncle Monty in ‘Withnail and I’. He also had a notable role in the BBC series ‘Pie in the Sky’.
Richard Griffiths died on March 28, 2013 at the age of 65. He passed away following complications from heart surgery.
Richard Griffiths played Vernon Dursley, Harry Potter’s muggle uncle, in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011.
Richard Griffiths starred in the BBC crime drama ‘Pie in the Sky’ as Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe, and appeared in ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Inspector Morse’, and other British series.
In Closing
Richard Griffiths built a career of extraordinary range — from Uncle Monty to Vernon Dursley to an Olivier-winning Hector — and his Henry Crabbe in Pie in the Sky remains one of British crime drama’s most distinctive detectives. He was a character actor of the highest order, and the work is irreplaceable.
For the broader cluster, see British Detective Dramas.