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Richard Briars
 Richard
Briers has been enormously popular throughout his career in the UK because of his
regular contributions to television comedy series. He was the linchpin of three of the most
successful sitcoms ever made in Britain: "Marriage Lines," "The Good Life"
and "Ever Decreasing Circles."
After a long career in popular television drama, in 1987 he joined Kenneth Branagh's
Renaissance Theatre Company and his already very successful professional life took a new turn
as he moved on to the major classical roles.
"Ken offered me Malvolio in his production of 'Twelfth Night' Briers recalls, "at the
very time I had decided to expand my career when I realized I had gone as far as I could doing
sitcoms. As soon as I worked with him, I thought he was truly exceptional."
After his Malvolio, Briers took on King Lear at Branagh's insistence, followed by the title
role in "Uncle Vanya" and Menenius in "Coriolanus."
The role of Henry in A MIDWINTER'S TALE marks Briers' fifth appearance in a Kenneth Branagh
film, following his Bardolph in "HenryV," Leonato in "Much Ado About
Nothing," the blind grandfather in "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein" and his
co-starring role with Sir John Gielgud in Branagh's Academy Award nominated short film,
"Swan Song."
Other film credits include Michael Warner's "A Chorus of Disapproval" and the film
version of the hit TV series "Minder."
Briers trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he won the Silver Medal and a
scholarship to Liverpool Playhouse. He made his West End debut in 1958 and has barely stopped
working since in both theatre and television. In both media, he has appeared often in the work
of playwright Alan Ayckbourn, playing leading roles in "Relatively Speaking,"
"Absurd Person Singular" and "Absent Friends" in the theatre and in
"The Norman Conquests" and "Just Between Ourselves" on television.
In 1989 he was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen for his services to
the arts. |
Filmography
A. Movies.
Girls at Sea (1958)
A Matter of Who (1961)
The Girl on the Boat (1962)
Fathom (1967)
All the Way Up (1970)
Rentadick (1972)
Watership Down (voice, 1978)
A Chorus of Disapproval (1988)
Henry V (1989)
Peter's Friends (1992)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
B. Television.
Marriage Lines (sitcom, 1963)
Brothers-in-Law (sitcom, 196?)
Birds on the Wing (sitcom, 1971)
Tall Stories (variety show, 1971-72)
One-upmanship (variety show, 1974, 1976, 1978)
The Good Life (1974-1976)
The Galton and Simpson Playhouse (2nd play, 1977)
The Norman Conquests (3 Alan Ayckbourn plays, 1977)
The Other One (sitcom, 1977, 1979)
Just between Ourselves (Alan Ayckbourn play, 1978)
Village Wooing (GB Shaw play, 1979)
Family Dance (Felicity Brown play, 1980)
Play for Today (Roger Milner play "PQ17", 1981-82)
The Aerodrome
Twelfth Night
Goodbye, Mr. Kent (sitcom, 1982)
Ever Decreasing Circles (sitcom, 1984, 1987)
All in Good Faith (sitcom, 1986-87)
Doctor Who (episode "Paradise Towers", 1987)
commercials for Nescafe (ca. 1987)
Mr. Bean (1989)
If You See God, Tell Him (1993)
C. Radio.
Brothers-in-Law
Doctor in the House |
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