---
name: "Hugh Griffith"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/hugh-griffith"
fi1m_id: "hugh-griffith"
imdb_id: "nm0341518"
tmdb_id: 10021
wikidata_id: "Q310934"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "30 May 1912"
died: "14 May 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-07T13:51:31.379100+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Hugh Griffith

## Identity

Hugh Griffith

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/hugh-griffith
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** hugh-griffith
- **IMDb ID:** nm0341518
- **TMDB ID:** 10021
- **Wikidata ID:** Q310934
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Griffith, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q310934, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0341518/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10021

Actor. Born 30 May 1912 in Marianglas, Anglesey, Wales, UK. Died 14 May 1980.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 30 May 1912, Marianglas, Anglesey, Wales, UK
- **Died:** 14 May 1980
- **Active:** 1949–1972
- **Also known as:** Hugh Emrys Griffith, Хью Гриффит
- **Frequently works with:** [Joan Greenwood](https://film.one/person/joan-greenwood.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 91 (1), 1950s 76 (1), 1960s 69 (3), 1970s 55 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 79 to 77 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, History 4, Comedy 3, Adventure 2, Crime 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 15 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $215m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Griffith, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q310934, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0341518/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10021

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Ben-Hur*](https://film.one/film/ben-hur.md) (76), [*Mutiny on the Bounty*](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md) (56)
- **Apple TV:** [*Kind Hearts and Coronets*](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) (91)
- **HBO Max:** [*Tom Jones*](https://film.one/film/tom-jones.md) (74)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Canterbury Tales*](https://film.one/film/the-canterbury-tales.md) (55)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Hugh Griffith

> Hugh Griffith made brief appearances count through wild eyes, a resonant voice and a willingness to be loud. We like him most when that force has a clear purpose, rather than simply making an eccentric character harder to ignore.

Griffith’s wide eyes and resonant voice give a supporting character a quick, firm introduction. There is often bluster, but it serves the useful business of establishing who this person is. We value the speed with which he makes an eccentric figure distinct. The qualification is simple: a performance this emphatic needs a director who knows how much of it the film can take.

In Robert Hamer’s *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), he has the brief role of Lord High Steward. We would not pretend he is the principal reason to see this precise, cruel comedy: Dennis Price’s reasonable delivery of appalling ideas matters far more. But Griffith makes a small allocation of screen time count, which suits a film so exact about its comedy. *Lucky Jim* (1957), with Griffith as Professor Welch, gives his bluster an academic position. These early parts establish how readily his force could be put to work in figures of authority.

William Wyler’s *Ben-Hur* (1959) gives him a larger setting as Sheik Ilderim, who supplies the horses for the chariot race. We felt relief at his colourful, robust presence because the surrounding solemnity can make the film hard going. He gives us someone whose immediate business is easy to grasp, and whose company is welcome. The race and the tension between Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd are still what earn the long evening; Griffith cannot remove the need for patience elsewhere. Wyler makes good use of a performer who can register strongly without carrying the story.

His film career expanded into Hollywood after *Ben-Hur*, then continued in international supporting roles through the 1970s. Squire Western in *Tom Jones* (1963) is another clear use for his raucous manner, with the authority now belonging to a lecherous squire. There is a danger in casting him only for volume, since eccentricity alone is not enough to make a character worth watching. Start with *Kind Hearts and Coronets*; give *Ben-Hur* an evening when there is no hurry.

## Biography

Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh actor known for character roles in British and Hollywood films. Born in Marian-glas, Anglesey, he worked as a bank clerk before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated as a gold medallist. He served in the British Army during the Second World War before resuming his stage career.

Griffith appeared in films from the late 1940s, including as the Lord High Steward in *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Sheik Ilderim in *Ben-Hur* (1959) and received a further Oscar nomination for *Tom Jones* (1963). Other notable screen roles include parts in *Oliver!* (1968), *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962) and *How to Steal a Million* (1966). On stage he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and earned a Tony Award nomination for the Broadway production of *Look Homeward, Angel*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, silversirens.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *The Canterbury Tales* (1972), Fi1m 55, as Sir January — [page](https://film.one/film/the-canterbury-tales.md)
- *Oliver!* (1968), Fi1m 76, as The Magistrate — [page](https://film.one/film/oliver.md)
- *Tom Jones* (1963), Fi1m 74, as Squire Western — [page](https://film.one/film/tom-jones.md)
- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), Fi1m 56, as Alexander Smith — [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md)
- *Ben-Hur* (1959), Fi1m 76, as Scheich Ildirim — [page](https://film.one/film/ben-hur.md)
- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91, as Lord High Steward — [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)

## Complete filmography (79)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Under Milk Wood* (1992), as Captain Cat (voice) (archive sound)
- *A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square* (1980), as Sid Larkin
- *The Hound of the Baskervilles* (1978), as Frankland
- *Grand Slam* (1978), as Caradog Lloyd-Evans
- *The Last Remake of Beau Geste* (1977), as Judge
- *Joseph Andrews* (1977), as Squire Western
- *Casanova & Co.* (1977), as The Caliph
- *The Passover Plot* (1976), as Caiaphas
- *The Joke* (1976), as Dr Walden
- *Legend of the Werewolf* (1975), as Maestro Pamponi
- *Craze* (1974), as Solicitor
- *Playhouse* (1974), series, as Dr. Walden
- *High School Girl* (1974), as Barone di Roccadura
- *Luther* (1974), as Tetzel
- *Take Me High* (1973), as Sir Harry Cunningham
- *The Final Programme* (1973), as Professor Hira
- *Orson Welles' Great Mysteries* (1973), series, as The Man
- *Increase and Multiply* (1973), as Monsignor Casadei
- *What?* (1972), as Joseph Noblart
- *The Canterbury Tales* (1972), as Sir January — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/the-canterbury-tales.md)
- *Dr. Phibes Rises Again* (1972), as Harry Ambrose
- *Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?* (1972), as Mr. Harrison, The Pigman
- *The Abominable Dr. Phibes* (1971), as Rabbi
- *Cry of the Banshee* (1970), as Mickey
- *Wuthering Heights* (1970), as Dr. Kenneth
- *Start the Revolution Without Me* (1970), as King Louis
- *The Fixer* (1968), as Lebedev
- *Oliver!* (1968), as The Magistrate — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/oliver.md)
- *Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare* (1968), as Ignazio
- *On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who...* (1967), as Ibn-el-Rascid
- *Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad* (1967), as Commodore Roseabove
- *The Sailor from Gibraltar* (1967), as Llewellyn
- *Brown Eye, Evil Eye* (1967), as Tadeusz Bridges
- *ABC Stage 67* (1966), series, as Herr Hoffman
- *How to Steal a Million* (1966), as Charles Bonnet
- *The Poppy Is Also a Flower* (1966), as Salah Rahman Khan
- *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, as Uncle Rollo
- *The Walrus And The Carpenter* (1965), series, Actor
- *Hide and Seek* (1964), as Wilkins
- *The Bargee* (1964), as Joe Turnbull
- *Tom Jones* (1963), as Squire Western — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/tom-jones.md)
- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), as Alexander Smith — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md)
- *Term of Trial* (1962), as O'Hara
- *The Inspector* (1962), as Van der Pink
- *The Counterfeit Traitor* (1962), as Collins
- *Exodus* (1960), as Mandria
- *The Day They Robbed the Bank of England* (1960), as O'Shea
- *The Dow Hour of Great Mysteries* (1960), series, as Captain Harmonville
- *The Citadel* (1960), as Philip Denny
- *The Story on Page One* (1959), as Judge Edgar Neilsen
- *Ben-Hur* (1959), as Scheich Ildirim — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/ben-hur.md)
- *Lucky Jim* (1957), as Professor Welch
- *Now Let Him Go* (1957), as Simon Kendall
- *The Good Companions* (1957), as Morton Mitcham
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, as Simon Kendall
- *Colonel March of Scotland Yard* (1956), series, as Dr. Ivy
- *The Merry Christmas* (1955), as Scrooge
- *Quatermass II* (1955), series, as Dr Leo Pugh
- *Passage Home* (1955), as Pettigrew der Chefingenieur
- *The Moment of Truth* (1955), as The Photographer
- *The Sleeping Tiger* (1954), as Inspector Simmons
- *The Million Pound Note* (1954), as Potter
- *The Beggar's Opera* (1953), as The Beggar
- *The Titfield Thunderbolt* (1953), as Dan
- *Laughter in Paradise* (1951), as Henry Russell
- *The Galloping Major* (1951), as Humbert Temple
- *Gone to Earth* (1950), as Andrew Vessons
- *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Man with Cello, Constantine
- *Scrapbook for 1933* (1950), as (voice)
- *A Run for Your Money* (1949), as Huw Price
- *Dr. Morelle: The Case of the Missing Heiress* (1949), as Bensall, the butler
- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), as Lord High Steward — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)
- *The Last Days of Dolwyn* (1949), as Minister
- *London Belongs to Me* (1948), as Headlam Fynne
- *So Evil My Love* (1948), as Coroner
- *The First Gentleman* (1948), as John Fisher
- *The Three Weird Sisters* (1948), as Mabli Hughes
- *Neutral Port* (1940), as Bit
- *Night Train to Munich* (1940), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Hugh Griffith](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-d0137d5abbed.jpg) Hugh Griffith — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Hugh_griffith_publicity_photo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Billie Whitelaw and Hugh Griffith in trailer for "Start the Revolution Without Me" (1970) (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-ae23b76bcfea.jpg) Billie Whitelaw and Hugh Griffith in trailer for "Start the Revolution Without Me" (1970) (2015) — Trailer for "Start the Revolution Without Me" (1970) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7pAZrOKQq4, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Billie_Whitelaw_%26_Hugh_Griffith_%281970%29.jpg/1280px-Billie_Whitelaw_%26_Hugh_Griffith_%281970%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan.Actor Oded Teomi.](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-e150d409abad.jpg) Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan.Actor Oded Teomi. — Dan Hadani, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Shooting_the_new_film_%22The_Passover_Plot%22_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL45791633%29.jpg/1280px-Shooting_the_new_film_%22The_Passover_Plot%22_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL45791633%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan.](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-7b8871529f8f.jpg) Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan. — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Shooting_the_new_film_The_Passover_Plot_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL62514507%29.jpg/1280px-Shooting_the_new_film_The_Passover_Plot_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL62514507%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Hugh Griffith](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-0d47ac51dd88.jpg) Hugh Griffith — Image via TMDB
- ![Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan.](https://film.one/media/person/59046/gallery-97f6c70ebce0.jpg) Shooting the new film "The Passover Plot" produced by Menahem Golan. — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Shooting_the_new_film_The_Passover_Plot_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL62514516%29.jpg/1280px-Shooting_the_new_film_The_Passover_Plot_produced_by_Menahem_Golan_%28FL62514516%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 1964: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Tom Jones*
- 1960: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *Ben-Hur*

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1958: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/hugh-griffith