<p>Richard Griffiths, the versatile British actor who played the boy wizard’s unsympathetic Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” movies, has died. He was 65. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Agent Simon Beresford announced on Friday that Griffiths died a day earlier of complications following heart surgery at University Hospital in Coventry, central England. <br /><br />He paid tribute to Griffiths as “a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors.” Griffiths appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, but will be most widely remembered as a pair of contrasting uncles _ the hero’s grudging Muggle guardian in the “Harry Potter” series, and flamboyant Uncle Monty in 1980s cult classic “Withnail and I.” <br /><br />“I was proud to say I knew him,” said “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe. A large man and a huge stage presence, Griffiths was one of Britain’s leading theater actors, creating roles including the charismatic teacher Hector at the emotional heart of Alan Bennett's “The History Boys” , winning a Tony Award.</p>
<p>Richard Griffiths, the versatile British actor who played the boy wizard’s unsympathetic Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” movies, has died. He was 65. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Agent Simon Beresford announced on Friday that Griffiths died a day earlier of complications following heart surgery at University Hospital in Coventry, central England. <br /><br />He paid tribute to Griffiths as “a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors.” Griffiths appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, but will be most widely remembered as a pair of contrasting uncles _ the hero’s grudging Muggle guardian in the “Harry Potter” series, and flamboyant Uncle Monty in 1980s cult classic “Withnail and I.” <br /><br />“I was proud to say I knew him,” said “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe. A large man and a huge stage presence, Griffiths was one of Britain’s leading theater actors, creating roles including the charismatic teacher Hector at the emotional heart of Alan Bennett's “The History Boys” , winning a Tony Award.</p>