Richard Briers Biography Quotes 7 Report mistakes

Early life and training
Richard David Briers was born on 14 January 1934 in Raynes Park, London, and grew up in the capital during and after the Second World War. Drawn to performance from a young age, he began acting in local productions before deciding to pursue the craft as a career. After completing National Service, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where his natural warmth, crisp diction, and comic timing quickly marked him out. Early stints in repertory theatre refined his technique and gave him the range to move comfortably between light comedy and more substantial roles.

Breakthrough on television
Briers first became widely known to British audiences in the early 1960s with Marriage Lines, a popular BBC sitcom in which he starred opposite Prunella Scales. The series showcased his deft comic instincts and his ability to create a sympathetic everyman, traits that would become his hallmark. The role made him a familiar face on television and opened the door to a succession of leads.

The Good Life and national popularity
His defining breakthrough came with The Good Life in the mid-1970s, written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. As Tom Good, the suburban dreamer who quits his job to pursue self-sufficiency with his wife Barbara, he formed a beloved screen partnership with Felicity Kendal. Their neighbors, played by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington, provided a perfect foil, and the quartet created one of British television's most enduring ensembles. The series' blend of optimism, gentle satire, and character-driven humor turned Briers into a household name and a symbol of genial English wit.

Beyond sitcom: range and reinvention
Briers refused to be confined by one role. Reuniting with writers Esmonde and Larbey, he took the lead in Ever Decreasing Circles during the 1980s as Martin Bryce, a fussy, anxious suburban organizer whose life is unsettled by a suave neighbor. Acting alongside Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan, he deepened his comic persona into something more layered, revealing a vulnerability and melancholy beneath the precision. The series confirmed his range and his ability to anchor character comedy with humanity.

Stage work and the Branagh collaboration
In the late 1980s and 1990s, Briers enjoyed a major chapter in classical theatre and film through his partnership with Kenneth Branagh. With Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company and in subsequent screen projects, he embraced Shakespeare with renewed vigor. On film he played Bardolph in Henry V (1989), Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and Polonius in Hamlet (1996), working alongside ensembles that included Emma Thompson, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Brian Blessed. He also appeared in Peter's Friends (1992) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994). These roles broadened his reputation from sitcom star to a versatile actor comfortable in both comic and serious classical parts.

Voice and narration
Parallel to his stage and screen work, Briers was an immediately recognizable voice artist. He narrated the animated children's series Roobarb, delighting generations with droll humor and musical phrasing. In cinema he voiced the visionary rabbit Fiver in the animated feature Watership Down (1978), bringing urgency and tenderness to the role. He recorded numerous readings and appeared frequently on radio drama and comedy, extending his influence to audiences who first knew him only by his voice.

Later screen roles
Briers' later career showed no sign of slowing. He moved into a new generation's television schedules with Monarch of the Glen in the early 2000s, playing the irrepressible laird Hector MacDonald. Acting with Susan Hampshire and Alastair Mackenzie, he combined eccentricity with pathos in a portrayal that once again made him a Sunday-night favorite. He also took on darker or quirkier parts, notably turning up in Doctor Who during the Sylvester McCoy era, and appeared in contemporary films such as Cockneys vs Zombies, demonstrating his willingness to surprise audiences and to approach new material with curiosity and relish. He co-starred with Imelda Staunton in the blackly comic If You See God, Tell Him, a project that underlined his capacity for satire.

Personal life
Briers married the actress Ann Davies, a partnership that remained a stable center throughout his long career. They had two daughters, including Lucy Briers, who went on to her own success as an actor. Colleagues frequently remarked on his kindness, discipline, and sense of fun on set and in rehearsal rooms. Friends such as Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, and Kenneth Branagh often spoke of his loyalty, his tireless professionalism, and his quickness to encourage younger performers.

Honors and standing
As his body of work grew, Briers became an emblematic figure of British entertainment, respected across theatre, television, film, and radio. He was appointed OBE and later CBE for services to drama, formal recognition of a career that had already earned public affection. Critics noted his uncanny ability to embody an everyman without condescension, and to move with ease from gentle farce to the rigors of Shakespeare.

Final years and legacy
Even in his final years, Briers continued to work, valuing the camaraderie of ensembles and the challenge of new scripts. He had long struggled with the consequences of heavy smoking and later spoke candidly about the damage it had caused. Richard Briers died on 17 February 2013, aged 79. He left behind Ann Davies and their family, and a legacy woven through cornerstone series such as The Good Life, Ever Decreasing Circles, and Monarch of the Glen, as well as his celebrated Shakespearean turns with Kenneth Branagh. To audiences and colleagues alike, he remains a model of clarity, generosity, and delight: an actor who made the difficult look effortless and whose work continues to feel fresh, humane, and unmistakably his own.

Our collection contains 7 quotes who is written by Richard, under the main topics: Funny - Learning - Dark Humor - Art - Grandparents.

Other people realated to Richard: Susan Hampshire (Actress)