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Raymond William Robert Gravell, rugby player, actor and broadcaster: born Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire 12 September 1951; married 1991 Mari Roberts (two daughters); died 31 October 2007.
Ray Gravell played rugby for Wales on 23 occasions between 1975 and 1982. He was a member of the Welsh team that won the Grand Slam and Triple Crown, and of the British Lions team which toured South Africa in 1980. He was in the Welsh side that beat Australia in 1975 and Fiji in 1985. A powerful centre, he began his career with Llanelli RFC in 1969 and in 1980-82 was the team's captain. He was also in the Scarlets' side that beat the All Blacks in 1972.
As a player he showed great respect for his opponents and made many friendships which continued long after he hung up his boots. His genial personality and exuberant commentaries on radio and television brought him many admirers, though he was more fluent in Welsh than in English. With Huw Llewelyn Davies he broadcast the first Welsh commentary on Welsh-language television in 1982.
His touch-line and half-time observations were witty, knowledgeable and highly partisan, for there was no more patriotic player than Ray Gravell. There was a boyish quality to him that endeared him to thousands. Such was the esteem in which he was held that the road where he lived in the village of Mynydd-y-garreg was renamed "Heol Gravell".
Born in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire in 1951, the son of a collier, but brought up in Mynydd-y-garreg, Ray Gravell was educated at the Queen Elisabeth Grammar School in Carmarthen, where his talent for rugby was soon noticed. For many years he was a youth officer employed by the Manpower Services Commission.
A straight runner and hard tackler, he played his début game with Lampeter in 1970 and his final appearance was with Llandovery on 26 January 1985. After playing 485 games for Llanelli and scoring 120 tries, he decided to retire and thereafter concentrated on his career in broadcasting.
He took the leading role in Bonner in 1985 on S4C and had a walk-on part in Louis Malle's 1992 film Damage, which starred Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche, as well as presenting chat shows on BBC Wales and BBC Cymru. With Frank Hennessy he presented a weekly programme called I'll Show You Mine in which his humour and wealth of anecdote from his rugby days were put to good use.
So wide was his appeal that when he had a small part in the nightly soap Pobol y Cwm, it boosted the programme's ratings overnight. He also played a farmer in Peter O'Toole's production of Dylan Thomas's Rebecca's Daughters (1992).
His catchphrase "Tip top!" (also the name of a programme he compered for BBC Cymru) became the hallmark of his television and radio appearances. Among the memorable moments associated with him was when he tried to teach the words of "Sospan Fach", the Llanelli war-song, to Simon Weston, the Falklands War survivor, on the TV show The Big Welsh Challenge.
In his autobiography, Grav (1986), he described how as a young man he had discovered the body of his father near their home and what effect this suicide had on him. He was nevertheless of a jovial disposition, and even after the amputation of his right leg earlier this year – he suffered from diabetes – he remained cheerful and grateful for the love he had been shown by friends and strangers alike.
Although cast down, he was cheered by messages of support that came in from all over the world. He even appeared on Max Boyce's chat-show on BBC Wales and proudly displayed the artificial limb he had been given. Typically altruistic, he toured Britain giving talks about diabetes and organising fundraising events such as golf tournaments.
His first public appearance after his operation was at the Eisteddfod organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru (the Welsh League of Youth), whose activities were always near his heart. To thunderous applause he presented the BBC Cymru Talent Award.
The amputation of his leg interrupted his appearance as the Grand Sword Bearer in the ceremonies of the Gorsedd of Bards, a role he undertook with great enthusiasm. When the Archdruid cried "A oes Heddwch?" ("Is there Peace?"), Gravell, or Ray o'r Mynydd as he was known in bardic circles, held the enormous weapon aloft with pride and dignity, and always to tremendous dramatic effect. His place was taken by the formidable figure of Robin McBride, the former Lions and Wales star, at this year's Eisteddfod and at the proclamation of next year's festival to be held in Cardiff, where there will be a gap that is hard to fill.
Meic Stephens
Ray Gravell
Welsh rugby star who turned his talents to movies and the media
Paul Rees
Friday November 2, 2007
The Guardian
There have been few Welsh men or women prouder of their heritage than Ray Gravell, the former Llanelli, Wales and British Lions rugby player, who has died after a heart attack, aged 56. Gregarious yet humble, he played during the most successful period in Welsh rugby's history, when he became known for his trademark beard and his powerful charges from midfield.
But his fame became even greater after he retired from playing in 1985 and embarked on an acting and broadcasting career which made him one of the best known faces and voices in the country. No matter how badly the national rugby team was playing, or whatever the latest calamity to beset the domestic game, Gravell was always armed with an infectious optimism. He remained involved in rugby after the end of his 16-year playing career, becoming president of Llanelli RFC and then Llanelli Scarlets, and worked as a reporter during live matches for the Welsh television station S4C. He never harked back to the golden era, arguing that there was nothing to be gained by comparing one generation of players with another. "All that matters is pulling the red jersey over your head," he once said. "Nothing beats playing for your country, for Wales. It is, and always has been, a privilege of the few, something to treasure for life. I have been very fortunate."
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Born in Mynydd-y-garreg, Carmarthenshire, Gravell was educated at Burry
Port secondary modern school and Carmarthen grammar school. Despite winning
23 caps for Wales and playing in all four Tests on the Lions' 1980 tour
of South Africa, Gravell never saw himself as one of the game's greats.
A protege of arguably the most inspired and innovative coach ever seen
in Britain, Carwyn James, who was in charge at Llanelli when Gravell started
his senior career in 1969, he said that James made him feel better than
he was. "Carwyn knew, better than most, that psychology plays a big part
in sport," he reflected two years ago. "I do not think I was that good
a player, but Carwyn made me think I was a world-beater. I was 21 when
Llanelli beat New Zealand in 1972, the youngest player in the side. I was
terrified before the game, but listening to Delme Thomas (the captain)
and Carwyn speaking before we went on to the field made me forget my nerves.
Even all this time later, I can remember exactly what they said, the goose
pimples their words provoked and how tall they made me feel."
Gravell helped redefine centre play with his ability to take the ball up the middle, drawing in defenders and using his strength to forge ahead and hold on to the ball to provide a target for his forwards. A pejorative term, crash-ball centre, was coined as other sides sought to emulate Llanelli and Wales, and critics pined for centres who passed. But Gravell was no stereotype. James made the Llanelli players pass from the scrum-half to the wing, left and right, at every training session, and the Welsh wings were not starved of the ball when Gravell was in midfield. The subtle side to his game was disguised by the macho image cultivated by the media, as was a surprising sensitivity.
He made his debut for Wales against France in Paris in 1975. The night before the match, his roommate JJ Williams woke with a start at 3am to find Gravell pacing around, packed and ready to go home, saying he was so nervous that international rugby could not be for him. He went on to take part in two grand slam campaigns, 1976 and 1978, and would have toured New Zealand with the 1977 Lions but for a shoulder injury. He retired from international rugby in 1982.
At the end of his playing days, he joined the BBC in Cardiff and took the leading role in a BBC Cymru film for S4C, Bonner. In 1991, he played an impoverished 19th-century farmer in a big-screen adaptation of Dylan Thomas's Rebecca's Daughters, starring Peter O'Toole, and the following year played Jeremy Irons' chauffeur in the Louis Malle film Damage. Up until his death, he hosted radio programmes and was due to present the shirts to the Wales players before the November 24 international against South Africa in Cardiff.
In 2003, the street where he lived in Mynydd-y-garreg was named after him: Heol Ray Gravell (Ray Gravell Road). He had been diagnosed with diabetes in 2000 and campaigned to help raise funds for research into the disorder. Even when his right leg was amputated below the knee last summer because of a condition brought on by diabetes, his renowned humour did not desert him, and the man who as a player once said: "Get your first tackle in early, even if it's late," was cracking jokes about how he was never a kicking centre anyway.
His first marriage ended in divorce; he is survived by his second wife, Mari, and their daughters, Manon and Gwennan.
· Raymond William Robert Gravell, rugby player, actor and broadcaster, born September 12 1951; died October 31 2007
Ray Gravell
Gravell: a fine ambassador
Telegraph
Ray Gravell, who died on Wednesday aged 56, was one of the most admired figures in the world of Welsh rugby; he was capped 23 times for his country and played in all four Tests during the 1980 British Lions tour of South Africa.
Gravell's playing record, however, told only half the story and spoke little of his dedication, commitment, humour and skills. After retiring from the sport he forged a successful second career as a bilingual actor and broadcaster for the BBC.
He was fiercely patriotic, and when he first turned out for Wales, in 1975, tears streamed down his face as he took the field. His passion for the game was accompanied by an impeccable sense of sportsmanship; in the tunnel he would make a point of greeting both friend and foe with a handshake and a hug.
He brought the same commitment to his work as a BBC and S4C commentator, during which he would enjoy exchanging banter with the players he was interviewing.
During a lengthy career, the bearded Gravell became Wales's senior player, but it was the remarkable match between his club, Llanelli, and the touring All Blacks in October 1972 that remained one of his most memorable.
Llanelli beat the New Zealanders 9-3 at Stradey Park, and Peter West recalled in The Daily Telegraph: "That encounter, and the supercharged atmosphere in which it was contested, will be etched forever in the memories of all concerned."
Raymond William Robert Gravell was born on September 12 1951 at Mynydd-y-Garreg,
near Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, and educated at Burry Port secondary modern
and Carmarthen grammar schools.
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He made his name in rugby as a hard-running centre for Llanelli, the club he joined in 1970 and which he captained for two seasons in the early 1980s. Known throughout the game as "Grav", he was first capped for Wales in 1975 when they won 25-10 against France in Paris, a match that Gravell himself considered the stuff of fairy tales.
Gravell became a key member of the Welsh sides of the late 1970s and early 1980s which dominated the Five Nations championship, winning two Grand Slams, four titles and four Triple Crowns. Although a shoulder injury kept him out of the 1977 Lions tour of New Zealand, he did make the tour to South Africa three years later.
He played his last club match for Llanelli in 1985, the year he joined the BBC.
Making his debut as an actor, Gravell starred in Bonner, a BBC Wales film for the Welsh language channel S4C. An assortment of roles followed, and Gravell's appearance in the film Filipina Dreamgirls (1991) led to his being cast as Jeremy Irons's chauffeur in Louis Malle's Damage (1992).
He was cast in a film adaptation of Dylan Thomas's book Rebecca's Daughters (1992), starring Peter O'Toole, and in 1996 appeared with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Tony Curtis in Valley Girls.
During the 1990s Gravell was a regular presenter for both BBC Radio Wales and the Welsh language BBC Radio Cymru.
He became a member of the BBC's Welsh language rugby commentary team, and worked as an interviewer during Celtic League, Powergen and Heineken Cup games.
Gravell also hosted a breakfast show on Radio Cymru in south-west Wales, co-presented I'll Show You Mine on Radio Wales, and on television fronted two series of Tip Top, a popular amateur talent competition series produced by BBC Wales for S4C.
He was particularly proud of his membership of the Gorsedd of Bards, and was keeper of the ceremonial sword at the National Eisteddfod until earlier this year, when illness forced him to relinquish the post.
He was widely regarded as a fine ambassador, not only for the game of rugby but also for Wales, its language, history and culture.
In later life Gravell was plagued by ill-health, and in 2000 was diagnosed with diabetes, which resulted in the loss of two of his toes. Last April he was readmitted to hospital to have his right leg amputated below the knee.
His fellow countryman Gareth Edwards regarded Gravell as the most passionate player he had ever seen; while the prop forward Barry Llewellyn once recalled: "Half an hour before the kick-off at an international in Cardiff 'Grav' was sitting on the loo singing Welsh songs at the top of his voice."
It was typical of Gravell's indomitable style that he had Llanelli's livery proudly emblazoned on his artifical leg.
Ray Gravell is survived by his wife, Mari, and their two young daughters.
Flags at half mast for rugby legend Gravell
Nov 2 2007 by Steffan Rhys, Western Mail
IN Ray Gravell’s whisky cabinet there is an unopened bottle of Penderyn whisky which he had intended to open on his eldest daughter’s wedding day.
It is one of several artefacts that decorated his timbered lounge over the years, revealing what was perhaps his strongest and most defining characteristic – his Welshness.
A collier’s lamp, a Welsh Not sign, and an oak beam from the National Stadium demolished in 1997 are all symbols of his past, his family and his country.
But, of course, even if none of these had been dotted around the home where he has lived since childhood, there would still have been no doubting the passion and patriotism he wore on his sleeve.
In his roles as rugby great and media stalwart, he travelled the globe but, as he said in 2003, it was only in Mynydd-y-Garreg, near Kidwelly, where he felt truly at home.
Today, after his sudden and unexpected death, aged 56, while on holiday in Majorca with wife Mari and daughters Manon, 11, and Gwenan, eight, flags in his beloved Carmarthenshire are flying at half mast in his honour.
Ray Gravell was born in Mynydd-y-Garreg on September 12, 1951 and said many times since – often through the phrase that became his motto, “West is best” – that he never wanted to live anywhere else.
His father Jack, a collier and back-row forward for Pontyberem, had carried the furniture up the steep hill to the family’s home so they could enjoy sweeping views of Carmarthen Bay.
But when Ray was just 14, his father died and Ray turned his attention to fulfilling what had been his father’s dream for his son – to play rugby for Wales. Nine years later, he was at the Parc des Princes alongside his heroes Gareth Edwards and Gerald Davies.
Ray first played for Llanelli in 1969, when, Phil Bennett recalls, the red-bearded new recruit executed a tackle on Bennett in training that knocked him back five yards before apologising to the legendary outside half and helping him to his feet.
Ray played for Llanelli until 1985, scoring 120 tries and captaining the side between 1980 and 1982. He was, of course, part of the team that beat New Zealand 9-3 at Stradey Park on October 31, 1972, 35 years, to the day, before his death.
He was capped 23 times between 1975 and 1982 in the Welsh side which dominated the Five Nations, winning two Grand Slams, four titles and four Triple Crowns.
His pre-match ritual involved stroking his jersey’s Three Feathers crest and singing Dafydd Iwan songs.
He also toured South Africa with the British Lions in 1980, playing in all four Tests.
But despite his fearsome appearance, which has been likened to that of a warrior of the Glyndr era, the crash-ball specialist often revealed an insecure side to his character.
Delme Thomas, Scarlets captain on the day they beat the All Blacks, once recalled having to place a reassuring arm around him on the bus to Stradey Park.
“Don’t worry, Grav,” he told him. “It’ll be all right.”
JJ Williams yesterday recalled how he was once woken up in a Paris hotel, to find the young centre, with whom he was sharing a room, about to dash out the door, suitcase in hand, gripped with nerves about his impending Parc des Princes debut.
“I can’t take the pressure, JJ, I’m not cut out for international rugby, I’m going home,” Williams recalled him saying.
“He was a bag of nerves but whenever he stepped onto the field he exploded,” said Williams.
The late Western Mail rugby writer JBG Thomas used to recount how Ray would seek him out after matches to ask how he thought he had performed during a match.
When his playing days ended in 1985, Ray joined the BBC and took the leading role in the S4C film, Bonner.
He also appeared in the big-screen adaptation of Dylan Thomas’s Rebecca’s Daughters alongside Peter O’Toole and played the role of Jeremy Irons’s chauffeur in Damage.
He presented two series of S4C’s amateur talent competition series Tip Top and presented regular chat and entertainment series for both BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, including I’ll Show You Mine with Frank Hennessy.
Donning headphones and a microphone, he was a familiar figure in recent years pacing the touchlines and snatching quick interviews with coaches during televised rugby matches in domestic and European competitions.
One of his proudest moments as a Welshman was when he became a member of the Gorsedd of the Bards. At this August’s National Eisteddfod, he vowed to resume the ceremonial sword-bearing activities which illness had forced him to forgo this year.
In 2002, he was diagnosed with diabetes and in April 2007 was forced to have his right leg amputated. His family said at the time they had been overwhelmed by the level of public support.
He made his first public appearance after the operation at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Carmarthen, where he received a standing ovation.
In 2003, the small street where he lived was named Heol Ray Gravell in his honour after a five-year campaign by his friend John Jenkins.
“I’m very, very proud,” he said at the time, something he always seemed to be.
He leaves a wife, Mari, and two daughters, Manon and Gwenan.
The Times - Rugby player who won two grand slams with Wales in the
1970s and later became a commentator
Ray Gravell
Little more than ten weeks ago, Ray Gravell was invited by the Welsh Rugby Union to announce the names of the players who would represent Wales at the 2007 World Cup
in France. It was at once a tribute
to his status as a broadcaster but, much more, to his standing as a passionate Welshman whose affection for his country informed everything he did.
He had the ability to impart his enthusiasm, for his sport and his nationality, in a manner that swept any listener along. In return he generated an enormous regard from friends outside Wales and from the Welsh public, never better reflected than earlier this year when a diabetes-related illness forced the amputation of his lower right leg, and he was fortified by the overwhelming amount of support he received.
He played rugby in the most exuberant and abrasive manner yet was a mass of nerves before the big games. Team-mates discovered his constant need for reassurance but, once on the field, that pent-up energy translated into a physical display which helped Wales to grand slams in the Five Nations Championships of 1976 and 1978.
Two nights before the first of his 23 internationals, against France in 1975, he woke his room-mate, the wing, J.J. Williams, by packing his bag. “I can't take the pressure,” he told Williams. “I'm not cut out for international rugby, I'm going home.” Gravell was talked out of so drastic a step and showed such good form for Wales that he appeared in all four internationals for the Lions on their tour to South Africa in 1980.
Raymond William Robert Gravell was born in Mynyddygarreg — where four years ago a street was named in his honour — and learnt his rugby at Burry Port Secondary Modern and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Carmarthen. But his name will always be associated with Llanelli, for whom he made a postwar record number of 485 appearances between 1970-85, nearly all at centre.
He was a member of the Llanelli XV “the day the pubs ran dry” in the town, according to the Max Boyce song. That was the day when the club beat the touring New Zealand team 9-3 at Stradey Park. When he had finished playing, Gravell liked nothing more than to welcome visiting teams on to the pitch at that ground, as broadcaster and then as president of Llanelli and, latterly, Llanelli Scarlets when regional rugby came to Wales.
He trained as an electricity lineman before becoming a sales representative. He made his international debut alongside another newcomer, Steve Fenwick, with whom he formed a formidable partnership; if Gravell scored only one try for Wales, it is testament to his skills that his wings benefited from playing outside him.
“He was renowned as a crash-ball merchant but in fact his handling ability was far better than the average centre,” John Dawes, then the national coach, said.
“He was an unselfish player, a catalyst for all the good things you expect from a team player.” But Gravell's personality also carried him into the media, as a Welsh language broadcaster, and into acting. He joined the BBC in 1985 and was a regular radio commentator on the game, and also presented chat shows, most recently the Sunday night show I'll Show You Mine with Frank Hennessy.
He took the lead role in the BBC Cymru film for S4C, Bonner, and enjoyed a variety of other roles, including a cameo appearance in the 1992 Louis Malle film, Damage. His love of the Welsh language made him a regular attendee at the National Eisteddfod and he was delighted to accept an invitation to become a member of the Gorsedd of Bards.
In 2000 he had diabetes diagnosed and worked hard subsequently to overcome ill-health, which affected the flow of blood through the arteries. Eventually, he had to have two toes removed in April, then required a second operation for the removal of his leg, yet still required his artificial limb to be decorated in Llanelli colours.
He was due to present the match jerseys on November 24 to the Wales team that will play South Africa in Cardiff but died, 35 years to the day after Llanelli's win over New Zealand, from a heart attack while on holiday in Majorca with Mari, his wife, and his two daughters.
Ray Gravell, rugby player and broadcaster, was born on September 12, 1951. He died on October 31, 2007, aged 56
The Herald
Rugby player; Born September 12, 1933; Died October 31, 2007.
Ray Gravell, who has died aged 56 of a suspected heart attack, played rugby for Wales during that country's golden period of success in the 1970s.
Gravell, who also played at centre for Llanelli, and the British and Irish Lions, went on to become an actor after his playing career ended in 1985.
Born in Mynydd-y-garreg, Carmarthenshire, Gravell first played for Llanelli
in 1970, and went on to captain the club for two seasons from 1980 until
1982, the same year he retired from the international game.
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Gravell, a powerful player regarded as a crash-ball specialist, made his debut for Wales against France in 1975, three years after helping Llanelli to a famous win over New Zealand. He made 23 appearances for Wales, winning Grand Slams in 1976 and 1978, and played all four Tests on the Lions' tour of South Africa in 1980.
After retiring as a player, he became president of Llanelli RFC and the Llanelli Scarlets. He forged a career as an actor and a respected rugby broadcaster, for S4C and the BBC.
In 1985 he joined the BBC taking the leading role in Bonner, a film for Welsh language broadcaster S4C. He appeared also in the BBC TV movie Filipina Dreamgirls which led to a role as Jeremy Irons's chauffeur in the 1992 Louis Malle film Damage. He also presented regular chat and entertainment shows for both BBC Radio Wales and the Welsh language BBC Radio Cymru.
Earlier this year, Gravell had his right leg amputated below the knee following complications linked with diabetes but had been recovering well. In August he was invited to announce the Wales World Cup squad and he had been due to present jerseys to the players ahead of the Test against South Africa on November 24.
Welsh Rugby Union chairman David Pickering, who was captained by Gravell at Llanelli, said: "Ray was an inspiration both on and off the field and he will never be forgotten by anyone who truly loves this game of ours. He set an example which should be followed by any youngster who wants to play rugby in a way which will make them a better and stronger human being.
"He epitomised all the best elements of the game of rugby and he will be sadly missed, not just in the world of rugby but by everyone who knew him."
In 2003, the road where Gravell lived in Mynydd-y-garreg was named after
him. It became Heol Ray Gravell (Ray Gravell Road).