Richard Griffiths

He further earned a host of new admirers for his comic villain Uncle Vernon Dursley in the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's mega-successful book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001).

Born in Stockton-on-Tees and raised in Thornaby, Griffiths was the son of deaf parents and he learned sign language before he could speak. He experienced a somewhat troubled childhood, which included frequent attempts to run away from home, and he …