
Richard Briers
Known for Acting · 122 credits
- Born
- 1934-01-14
- Died
- 2013-02-17
- Place of birth
- Raynes Park, Surrey, England, UK
Biography
Richard David Briers, CBE (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor. His fifty-year career encompassed television, stage, film and radio.
Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines (1961–66), but it was a decade later, when he narrated Roobarb and Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk (1974–76) and when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life (1975–78), that he became a household name. Later, he starred as Martin in Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–89), and he had a leading role as Hector in Monarch of the Glen (2000–05). From the late 1980s, with Kenneth Branagh as director, he performed Shakespearean roles in Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996), and As You Like It (2006).
Known For
TV Shows (59)

Midsomer Murders
1997
as Stephen Wentworth

Doctor Who
1963
as Chief Caretaker

Play for Today
1970
as Mr. Smythe / Commander Jack Broome

Wogan
1982
as Self

Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Wilson

Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Nominee

BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Sandy Tyrell

Natural World
1983

Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Albert Dobson

New Tricks
2004
as James Farlow

Torchwood
2006
as Parker

Screen Two
1985
as Old Arthur/George

Mr. Bean
1990
as Mr. Sprout

ITV Playhouse
1967
as A

Theatre 625
1964
as David Prentice

Lovejoy
1986
as Raymond Doncaster

Parkinson
1998
as Self

Extras
2005
as Richard Briers

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self

Monarch of the Glen
2000
as Hector MacDonald

Dixon of Dock Green
1955
as Ken Tracey

Kingdom
2007
as Jim Wright

Brass Eye
1997
as Self

Watership Down
1999
as Captain Broom (voice)

The Good Life
1975
as Tom Good

Ooh La La!
1968

Comedy Connections
2003
The Sunday Drama
1977
as Dennis

NBC Experiment in Television
1967
as (voice)

The Galton & Simpson Playhouse
1977
as Henry Fairlane

From a Bird's Eye View
1970
as George Lemon

Armchair Theatre
1956
as Stanley Frelaine

The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
2000

A Respectable Trade
1998
as Sir Charles Fairley

If You See God, Tell Him
1993
as Godfrey Spry

Ever Decreasing Circles
1984

The Other One
1977
as Ralph Tanner

Roobarb
1974
That's What I Call Television
2007
as Self

Marriage Lines
1961
as George Starling
Faces of Jim
1961
as John Frobisher / Lighthouse Assistant / Ricky Groin

A Bucket O' French and Saunders
2007

Roobarb and Custard Too
2005
as Narrator
One-Upmanship
1976
as Stephen Potter
Down to Earth
1995
as Tony Fairfax

All in Good Faith
1985
as Reverend Philip Lambe

Alias the Jester
1985
as Alias

The Norman Conquests
1977
as Reg

Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk
1976
Ben Travers Farces
1970
as Charlie Tutt
Brothers In Law
1962
Birds on the Wing
1971
as Charles Jackson

Goodbye Mr Kent
1982
as Travis Kent

Bird Bath
as Narrator

Little Red Tractor Stories
as Narrator (voice)

Geoff Hamilton: a Man and His Garden
1998
as Narrator
My Appalling School Report
2006

Noddy
1975
as Narrator
Tall Stories
1971
Movies (63)

Peter Pan
2003
as Sam "Smee" Smiegel

Much Ado About Nothing
1993
as Signor Leonato

The Three Musketeers
1973
as Louis XIII (voice)

Spice World
1997
as Bishop

Hamlet
1996
as Polonius

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1994
as Grandfather

Watership Down
1978
as Fiver (voice)

Henry V
1989
as Lieutenant Bardolph

Unconditional Love
2002
as Barry Moore

Cockneys vs Zombies
2012
as Hamish

The Four Musketeers
1974
as Louis XIII (voice) (uncredited)

As You Like It
2006
as Adam

In the Bleak Midwinter
1995
as Henry

Love's Labour's Lost
2000
as Sir Nathaniel

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves
2016
as Acting Role (archive footage) (uncredited)

Murder She Said
1961
as 'Mrs Binster'

Peter's Friends
1992
as Lord Morton

Fathom
1967
as Flight Lt. Timothy Webb

The Bargee
1964
as Tomkins

Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band: The Official BBC Children in Need Medley
2009
as Roobarb/Custard (voice)

Run For Your Wife
2012
as Newspaper Seller

Dad
2005
as Larry James
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
as Self

Girls at Sea
1958
as 'Popeye' Lewis

A Chorus of Disapproval
1989
as Ted Washbrook
Village Wooing
1979
as A

All the Way Up
1970
as Nigel Hadfield

Victoria & Albert
2001
as Joseph Paxton

Doctor in Distress
1963
as Medical Student (uncredited)
Swan Song
1992
as Nikita

Rentadick
1972
as Miles Gannet

Heavy Weather
1995
as The Hon. Galahad Threepwood

The Adventures of Toad
1996
as Rat

The Adventures of Mole
1995
as Rat

The Student Prince
1998
as Dr. Corbitt

Bob the Builder: The Knights of Can-A-Lot
2003
as Robert (voice)

National Theatre Live: London Assurance
2010
as Mr. Adolphus Spanker

Twelfth Night, or What You Will
1988
as Malvolio

Doctor Who: Paradise Towers
1987
as The Chief Caretaker

A Matter of WHO
1961
as Jamieson

The Girl on the Boat
1962
as Eustace Hignett

Great
1975
as Isambard Kingdom Brunel

A Home of Your Own
1964
as The Husband

The Good Life: Inside Out
2025

It's Your Move
1982
as The Husband

Mole's Christmas
1994
as Rat

Bottoms Up!
1960
as Colbourne

P.Q. 17
1981
as Jack Broome
Our Hidden Lives
2005
as Herbert Brush
Arms and the Man
1983
as Bluntschli

The Aerodrome
1983
as The Rector

Our Flesh and Blood
1977
as Mr. Smythe

The Good Life: Secret & Scandals
2022
as (archive footage)

Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time
2013
as Mouse (voice)

Skallagrigg
1994
as Old Arthur/George

All in Good Time
1964
as The Young Husband

All About The Good Life
2010

Roobarb and Custard: The Complete Collection
2017
as Narrator, Roobarb, Custard / lot of characters. (uncredited)

A Small Miracle
1976
as Himself - Commentator
Children's Favourites - Volume 1
1988
as Alias (voice)

French and Saunders' Christmas Carol
1994
as Self

Frances the Firefly
1994
as Narrator (voice)

Horror on the High Rise
2011
About Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor. His fifty-year career encompassed television, stage, film and radio. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines (1961–66), but it was a decade later, when he narrated Roobarb and Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk (1974–76) and when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life (1975–78), that he became a household name. Later, he starred as Martin in Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–89), and he had a leading role as Hector in Monarch of… With 122 credits spanning from 1955 to 2025, Richard Briers has appeared in 63 films and 59 TV shows.
Fans searching for Richard Briers movies, Richard Briers filmography, or the latest projects starring Richard Briers can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Richard Briers Movies
- Peter Pan (2003) — as Sam "Smee" Smiegel
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) — as Signor Leonato
- The Three Musketeers (1973) — as Louis XIII (voice)
- Spice World (1997) — as Bishop
- Hamlet (1996) — as Polonius
Where to Watch Richard Briers Films
Most Richard Briers movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Richard Briers, check our movies catalogue and browse page.