Hugh Emrys Griffith was born on 30 May 1912 in Marian-glas, Anglesey, north Wales, the youngest son of Mary and William Griffith. He became one of the most memorable character actors of British stage and screen, appearing in more than 100 theatre, film and television productions over a career spanning more than 40 years.
Griffith won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Sheikh Ilderim, who supplies Charlton Heston's character with his prize horses, in 'Ben-Hur' (1959). He was the second Welsh-born actor to win an Oscar, following Ray Milland, and he received a second Academy Award nomination for 'Tom Jones' (1963).
He was closely associated with the Ealing comedies of the late 1940s and 1950s, including memorable roles in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'The Titfield Thunderbolt'. He is particularly fondly remembered in Wales for playing Huw Price, a down-on-his-luck harpist, in 'A Run for Your Money' (1949), a comedy about two Welshmen visiting London for a rugby international.
Griffith, described by the BFI as a "wild-eyed, formidable character player," died on 14 May 1980.