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Richard Briers (born January 14, 1934) is a British actor, chiefly associated with sitcom. Born in Surrey, he first came to public attention in comedy series such as Brothers in Law (1962) and Marriage Lines (1963) (in which he played the male half of a newly-wed couple, opposite a young Prunella Scales). From then on, he was a great favourite with the television-viewing public, his image being that of a nice clean-cut young man.
In the long-running The Good Life (1975), one of the most successful British sitcoms of all time, Briers played Tom Good, a businessman who decides to opt out of the rat race and go in for self-sufficiency, with the support of his long-suffering wife (Felicity Kendal). It was difficult for him to follow the great success of the series, but to some extent he managed this with Ever Decreasing Circles (1984), in which he showed himself to have some versatility by playing a less likeable character.
Subsequently, Briers branched out into serious acting and has appeared in films such as Henry V (1989) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993). His most recent success was in the semi-comic role of Sir Hector in the BBC One drama series, Monarch of the Glen.
Briers is a familiar voiceover actor, with numerous commercials, and the animated children's series Roobarb to his credit. He also provided the voice of Fiver in the 1978 film adaptation of Watership Down.
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