RIP Richard Griffiths
Mar. 29th, 2013 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blamebramptonSad news this evening that magnificent character actor Richard Griffiths has died after complications from heart surgery.
He is probably best known among my flist as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films, but to me he will always be Uncle Monty from Withnail and I. It came out when I was a wee lass of 20 and was nearly the end of me when I foolishly popped a Malteser into my mouth just before he fruitily declared to 'I' that 'I mean to have you, even if it must be burglary!'
A friend at the time had the misfortune to be called Monty, and after months of being greeted as 'Monty you terrible cunt!' by everyone he loved (I believe even his mother at one point), declared he wished to be known henceforth as Featherstonehaugh-Smythe, or whatever his actual, similar, surname was.
Several friends in the land of Drama worked with him over the years and declared him as charming offscreen as on: he could have tortured orphans on the weekend and I would still be mourning the loss of his talent. I was surprised to learn that he was only 65: I am six years older than Uncle Monty was. Terrifying thought indeed!
Goodbye, sir, you were a great talent and brought much joy to many.
He is probably best known among my flist as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films, but to me he will always be Uncle Monty from Withnail and I. It came out when I was a wee lass of 20 and was nearly the end of me when I foolishly popped a Malteser into my mouth just before he fruitily declared to 'I' that 'I mean to have you, even if it must be burglary!'
A friend at the time had the misfortune to be called Monty, and after months of being greeted as 'Monty you terrible cunt!' by everyone he loved (I believe even his mother at one point), declared he wished to be known henceforth as Featherstonehaugh-Smythe, or whatever his actual, similar, surname was.
Several friends in the land of Drama worked with him over the years and declared him as charming offscreen as on: he could have tortured orphans on the weekend and I would still be mourning the loss of his talent. I was surprised to learn that he was only 65: I am six years older than Uncle Monty was. Terrifying thought indeed!
Goodbye, sir, you were a great talent and brought much joy to many.
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Date: 2013-03-29 12:23 pm (UTC)(I wish (momentarily) I hadn't moved all my icons to DW, but insert hand-on-heart Posner icon here.)
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Date: 2013-03-29 12:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 03:33 pm (UTC)Oh noes....
I got to see him in Equus twice. I have to say, each time he was struggling physically due to his size and a cough(this was months apart, too). I noted the changes in stage direction to accommodate him. In one performance, the 'nurse' had to bring him a glass of water. Eeeep. Despite those distractions, he pulled every bit of humor out of those lines, and just acted the hell out of it. He looked terrible handsome, too, with his leonine beard.
At the end of one performance, Dan kept checking on him, like he was going to fall over. The level of adoration in Dan's eyes was heart-warming.
I"m so sorry he's gone.
I have "Withnal and I" in my NetFlix queue. Time to watch!
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Date: 2013-03-29 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-29 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 03:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-30 01:25 am (UTC)so glad i got to see him onstage in equus.
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Date: 2013-03-30 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-31 03:13 am (UTC)