Hugh Emrys Griffith

 Hugh Emrys Griffith (May 30, 1912 – May 14, 1980)

He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur (1959) and received an additional Oscar nomination in the same category for his work in Tom Jones (1963). Between 1946 and 1976, Griffith won acclaim for many stage roles, in particular for his portrayals of Falstaff, Lear and Prospero. Griffith performed on both sides of the Atlantic, taking leading roles in London, New York and Stratford. In 1952, he starred in the Broadway adaption of Legend of Lovers, alongside fellow Welsh actor Richard Burton. In 1958, he was back in New York, this time taking a lead role in the opening production of Look Homeward, Angel, alongside Anthony Perkins. Both he and Perkins were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Griffith began his film career in British films during the late 1940s, and by the 1950s was also working in Hollywood. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur (1959), and was nominated for his performance in Tom Jones (1963). In 1968, he appeared as the magistrate in Oliver!. He was also in How to Steal a Million (1966), with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. His later career was often blighted by his chronic alcoholism. Griffith died of a heart attack in London in 1980, shortly before his 68th birthday.