Farewell Uncle Monty: Remembering Richard Griffiths

He was the avuncular character whose on-screen creations you always hoped would turn up at someone else’s family Christmas dinner. As Uncle Monty Richard Griffiths became an iconic figure amongst cult fans of the 1987 film Withnail & I and as Uncle Vernon he terrorised a new generation from the mainstream in the Harry Potter films. In between, he delivered another uncle-esque figure with disturbing proclivities who couldn’t help but elicit some disappointed sympathy from his audience in his magnificent Olivier and Tony award winning stage performance as Hector in Alan Bennett’s History Boys. These three uncles-on-his-shoulder guarantee that Richard Griffiths, who sadly died today at the age of 65, will remembered vividly and fondly by fans across generations, mediums, and film-going divides.

Part of the baby-boomer generation, Griffiths was born in North Yorkshire in 1947. His astonishing ability to communicate every nuance of his thoughts so vividly and immediately without uttering a word was no doubt fostered by growing up with two deaf parents, and it is one of his many strengths which marked him out from contemporaries and peers both on screen and stage. His stage career saw him master myriad genres and characters, from the larger-than-life Shakespearean clown to the self-questioning psychiatrist Martin Dysart in Thea Sharrock’s 2006 production of Equus. A favourite of Sharrock’s, he delighted audiences just a year ago in a limited run of her production of The Sunshine Boys, along with Danny DeVito, and for which he received his customary excellent notices. He was an equally strong and engaging presence on-screen; small-screen devotees will remember him particularly for his portrayal of Henry Crabbe – detective inspector and chef – in the 1994-1997 series Pie in the Sky.

Griffiths received an OBE in the 2008 Honours list in recognition of his long career across radio, stage, and screen, which had made him a much-loved name in British households. A man of wit, comic mastery, and wonderful emotional intelligence, let’s remember him with a fine glass of red and say “Farewell, Uncle Monty”.