Richard Briers Biography (1934-)

Born January 14, 1934, in Merton, Surrey, England; son of Joseph Benjamin andMorna Phyllis (maiden name, Richardson) Briers; married Anne Davies, 1958; children: Lucy (an actress).

Nationality: British
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor
Birth Details: January 14, 1934; Merton, Surrey, England

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Popeye, Girl at Sea, Associated British, 1958
Colburne, Bottoms Up, Associated British, 1960
Mrs. Binster, Murder, She Said (also known as Meet Miss Marple), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1961
Jameison, A Matter of Who, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1961
Eustace Hignett, The Girl on the Boat, Knightsbridge, 1962
(Uncredited) Meteorological official, The V.I.P.s (also known as International Hotel), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963
Medical student, Doctor in Distress, 1963
Husband, A Home of Your Own, 1964
Tomkins, The Bargee, Associated British/Warner Bros., 1964
Flight lieutenant Timothy Webb, Fathom, 1967
It's Your Move, 1969
Nigel Hadfield, All the Way Up, Granada/Anglo Amalgamated, 1970
Miles Gannet, Rentadick, Virgin, 1972
Voice, Great, 1975
Voice of Fiver, Watership Down (also known as Richard Adams' Watership Down; animated), Avco-Embassy, 1978
Ted Washbrook, A Chorus of Disapproval, South Gate Embassy, 1988
Bardolph, Henry V, Samuel Goldwyn, 1989
Lord Morton (Peter's father), Peter's Friends, 1992
Nikita, Swan Song, 1992
Seigneur Leonato, governor of Messina, Much Ado about Nothing, 1993
Grandfather, Frankenstein (also known as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), 1994
Old Arthur/George, Skallagrigg, 1994
Henry Wakefield (Claudius, the Ghost, and the Player King), In the Bleak Midwinter (also known as A Midwinter's Tale), 1995
Polonius, Hamlet (also known as William Shakespeare's Hamlet), Columbia/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1996
Bishop, Spice World, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1997
Nathaniel, Love's Labour's Lost (also known as Peines d'amour perdues), Miramax, 2000
Unconditional Love, New Line Cinema, 2001
Television Appearances
Series
Roger Thursby, Brothers in Law, 1962
George Starling, Marriage Lines, 1963
Charles Jackson, Birds on the Wing, 1971
Narrator, Roobarb and Custard, 1974
Tom Good, The Good Life (also known as Good Neighbors), BBC, 1975, then PBS, 1980
Narrator, Noah and Nelly on the Skylark, 1976
Ralph, The Other One, 1977
Travis Kent, Goodbye, Mr. Kent, 1982
Martin Bryce, Ever Decreasing Circles, BBC1, 1984
Reverend Philip Lambe, All in Good Faith, 1985
Mr. Bean, ITV, 1990
Godfrey Spry, If You See God, Tell Him, 1993
Tony, Down to Earth, 1994
Voice of Captain Broom, Watership Down, 1999
Hector Nathan MacDonald, Monarch of the Glen, 2000

Movies
The husband, It's Your Move, 1982
The rector, The Aerorome, BBC, 1983
Colonel Caplan, Minder: An Officer and a Car Salesman, 1988
Dr. Corbitt, The Student Prince, 1997
Himself, Funny Women, 1998
Miniseries
Narrator, Geoff Hamilton: A Man and His Garden, 1998
Himself, Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom, 1999
Specials
Murder Club (also known as Armchair Theatre: Murder Club),1961
Reg, The Norman Conquests: Table Manners, Thames, then PBS, 1978
Reg, The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden, Thames, then PBS, 1978
Reg, Sarah's husband, The Norman Conquests: Living Together, 1978
Voice of Rat, Mole's Christmas, The Disney Channel, 1995
The Honorable Galahad Threepwood, Heavy Weather, PBS, 1995
Sir Charles Fairley, A Respectable Trade, PBS, 1998
The Prince of Hearts, PBS, 1998
Himself, The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything, 1999
Episodic
Narrator, "Snow White 2," The Goodies, 1981
Chief caretaker, "Paradise Towers," Doctor Who, 1987
"The Verger," Tales of the Unexpected, 1988
Raymond Doncaster, "Never Judge a Book by Its Cover," Lovejoy, 1993
Himself, Clive Anderson Talks Back, 1995
Sir Clixby Bream, "Death Is Now My Neighbour," Inspector Morse, PBS, 1998
Reverend Stephen Wentworth, "Death's Shadow," Midsomer Murders, Arts and Entertainment, 1999
Stage Appearances
(London debut) Joseph Field, Gilt and Ginger-Bread, Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1958
Bill, "Special Providence," Double Yorke, St. Martin's Theatre, London, 1960
Christian Martin, It's in the Bag, Duke of York's Theatre,1960
Bartholomeus II, The Shepherd's Chameleon, and Detective, Victims of Duty (double-bill), Arts Theatre, London, 1960
James Whinby, "The Form," and the Tramp, "A Slight Ache," Three (triple-bill), Arts Theatre, then Criterion, London, 1961
David Madison, Miss Pell Is Missing, Criterion, 1962
Lieutenant William Hargreaves, Hamp, Edinburgh Festival, Lyceum, 1964
Roland Maule, Present Laughter, Queen's Theatre, London, 1965
Mortimer Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1966
Greg, Relatively Speaking, Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1967
William Falder, Justice, St. Martin's Theatre, 1968
Moon, The Real Inspector Hound, Criterion, 1968
Bois d'Enghein, Cat among the Pigeons, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1969
Five roles, The Two of Us, Garrick Theatre, 1970
Title role, Butley, Criterion Theatre, 1972
Sidney Hopcroft, Absurd Person Singular, Criterion, 1973
Colin, Absent Friends, Garrick Theatre, 1975
Colin, Middle-Age-Spread, Lyric Theatre, London, 1979
Captain Bluntschli, Arms and the Man, Lyric Theatre, 1981
John Smith, Run for Your Wife, Shaftesbury Theatre, London, 1983
John Bailey, Why Me?, Strand Theatre, London, 1985
Lord Foppington, The Relapse, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, England, 1986
Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Renaissance Theatre Company, Riverside Studio Theatre, London, 1987-88
Title role, King Lear, Renaissance Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1990, then Dominion Theatre, London, 1990
Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Renaissance Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, 1990, then Dominion Theatre, 1990
The old man, The Chairs, John Golden Theatre, New York City, 1998
Also appeared as the Dame, Babes in the Wood.
Major Tours
Blisworth, Something about a Sailor, U.K. cities, 1957
Joseph Field, Gilt and Ginger-Bread, U.K. cities, 1958
Gerald Popkiss, Rookery Nook, U.K. cities, 1964
Richard, Richard III, U.K. cities, 1972
Title role, King Lear, Renaissance Theatre Company, internationalcities, 1990
Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Renaissance Theatre Company, international cities, 1990
Radio Appearances
Appeared as Roger Thursby, Brothers in Law; and George Starling, Marriage Lines.
RECORDINGS
Taped Readings
(With others) Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Penguin Audiobooks, 1997

Further Reference

SIDELIGHTS

Favorite roles: January 23, 1990. Sidney Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular and the title role in Butley.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

Hollywood Reporter,
Sunday Times July 29, 1990. (London),

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:

forum