Harry Potter Actor Richard Griffiths Dies at 65

Richard Griffiths, who played Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter franchise, has died, The Associated Press reports. He was 65.
On Friday, agent Simon Beresford announced that Griffiths had passed away the previous day after undergoing heart surgery in central England. Bakers honored Griffiths, calling him "a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors."

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"I was proud to say I knew him," Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the popular franchise, said in a statement. Radcliffe also worked alongside Griffiths in a 2007 London production of Equus."Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career," Radcliffe added. "In August 2000, before official production had even begun on Potter, we filmed a shot outside the Dursleys', which was my first ever shot as Harry. I was nervous and he made me feel at ease."Seven years later, we embarked on Equus together. It was my first time doing a play but, terrified as I was, his encouragement, tutelage and humor made it a joy. In fact, any room he walked into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence."In addition to Harry Potter, Griffiths is most famous for playing Uncle Monty in the 1987 cult classic Withnail and I. His last major role was opposite Danny DeVito in a West End production of The Sunshine Boys last year.Griffiths is survived by his wife, Heather Gibson.