Fred Griffiths was born on March 8, 1912 in Ludlow, Shropshire, England as Frederick David Griffiths. He was an actor, known for To Sir, with Love (1967), Steptoe and Son(1972) and The Cruel Sea (1953). He was married to Emily Sadler. He died on August 27, 1994 in London, England.

He was a fireman based in Chelsea during the war and broke into acting by accident. He played a taxi driver in no less than 20 films and appeared in over 100 in total. He died a widower and left one son. Often played taxi drivers and was indeed a qualified London Taxi Driver, who kept his badge and worked as a taxi driver between filming jobs. He appeared in a wartime documentary film, and someone saw his character appeal and started a new career. Appeared in a television commercial on top of Saint Paul's Cathederal in 1973 with Chris Sullivan.