Richard E. Grant | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Grant in 2018 | |
| Born | Richard Grant Esterhuysen (1957-05-05)5 May 1957 (age 68) |
| Other names | Richard Grant |
| Education | University of Cape Town |
| Occupation(s) | Actor,presenter,perfumer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Website | www |
Richard E. Grant (bornRichard Grant Esterhuysen;[2][3] 5 May 1957) is a Swaziland-born English actor and presenter.[4][5][6][1] He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedyWithnail and I (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock inMarielle Heller's drama filmCan You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), winning various awards including theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He also receivedAcademy Award,BAFTA,Golden Globe, andScreen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Grant is also known for his roles in the feature filmsHow to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989),Warlock (1989),Henry & June (1990),Hudson Hawk (1991),Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992),The Age of Innocence (1993),The Portrait of a Lady (1996),The Little Vampire (2000),Gosford Park (2001),Penelope (2006),The Iron Lady (2011),Jackie (2016),Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), andSaltburn (2023). He is also known for his roles in television, includingDoctor Who (1999, 2003, 2012-13, 2024)Frasier (2004),Dig (2015),Game of Thrones (2016),Hang Ups (2018),A Series of Unfortunate Events (2019), andSuspect (2022).
Grant was born as Richard Grant Esterhuysen on 5 May 1957 inMbabane,Protectorate of Swaziland (nowEswatini). He is the elder child of Henrik Esterhuysen and Leonne Esterhuysen.[7] Henrik Esterhuysen was head of education for the British government administration in theBritish protectorate of Swaziland.[8][9] Grant hasEnglish, Dutch/Afrikaner, andGerman ancestry.[10] He has a younger brother, Stuart, an accountant inJohannesburg, from whom he is estranged; Grant has stated that they "never had any relationship".[9][11]
As a boy, he attendedSt Mark's School, a local government school in Mbabane.
Grant attended secondary school atWaterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, an independent school near Mbabane. In May 1976, he arrived at theUniversity of Cape Town to studyEnglish anddrama.[12] He adopted hisstage name (truncating his Afrikaans surname to a single letter) when he moved to Britain in 1982, a year after his father's death, and registered withEquity.[13]
Grant was a member of theSpace Theatre Company inCape Town before moving to London in 1982. He later stated, "I grew up in Swaziland when it was mired in a 1960s sensibility. The kind of English spoken where I grew up was a period English sound and when I came to England people said, 'how strange'.Charles Sturridge, who directedBrideshead Revisited for TV, said, "you speak English like someone from the 1950s."[14]
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Grant's first film role was the perpetually inebriated title character in thecult classicWithnail and I (1987). Following this, he started appearing in Hollywood films, taking on a range of projects from blockbuster studio movies to small independent projects. Since then, Grant has had supporting roles in the filmsHenry & June,L.A. Story,The Player,Bram Stoker's Dracula,The Age of Innocence,The Portrait of a Lady,Spice World,Gosford Park,Bright Young Things, andPenelope.
While filmingL.A. Story withSteve Martin, the pair communicated byfax. Martin wrote: "I kept these faxes, which grew to a stack more than 2 inches thick, because they entertained me, and because I thought they were valuable aesthetic chunks from a screeching mind, astream-of-consciousness faucet spewing sentences – sometimes a mile long – none of it rewritten, and bearing just the right amount of acid and alkaline."[15]
In 1995, Grant starred as the titular character inPeter Capaldi's short filmFranz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. The film won the 1995Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In 1996, he portrayedSir Andrew Aguecheek inTrevor Nunn'sTwelfth Night. He released a single and accompanying video of "To Be Or Not To Be" with Orpheus in 1997.[16][17]
Grant has twice portrayedthe Doctor fromDoctor Who, both outside the main continuity. In the comedy sketchDoctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, he portrayed a version of theTenth Doctor, referred to as the "Quite Handsome Doctor". He also voiceda version of the Ninth Doctor for the BBC original animated webcastScream of the Shalka. The latter had intended to be the officialNinth Doctor prior to the revival of the TV series. His version of the Doctor also appeared as a projection in "Rogue" (2024), during a sequence in which the faces of theFifteenth Doctor's previous incarnations were shown floating around his head.[18] He made his first officialDoctor Who appearance in the 2012 Christmas special, titled "The Snowmen", in which he plays the villain, Walter Simeon. During the episode, Simeon is erased from his body and it is taken over by theGreat Intelligence, voiced byIan McKellen in the episode until the takeover. Grant reprised the role in "The Bells of Saint John" and in the Series 7 finale, "The Name of the Doctor".
Grant appeared as "The Voice" in2+2+2 atAmerican Nights at theKing's Head Theatre, from 3 to 29 July 2007, and in 2008 co-starred in the London-based comedyFilth and Wisdom. Grant presented the 2008Laurence Olivier Awards.[19] In 2008, he made hismusical theatre debut withOpera Australia, playing the role of Henry Higgins inMy Fair Lady at theTheatre Royal, Sydney, a role he reprised in 2017 at theLyric Opera of Chicago. In 2009, Grant played Alain Reille inYasmina Reza's one-act playGod of Carnage at theTheatre Royal, Bath, and subsequently atCheltenham,Canterbury,Richmond,Brighton, andMilton Keynes.[20]
In 2010 he starred in short filmThe Man Who Married Himself, which won Best Comedy at LA International Shorts Festival andRhode Island Film Festival.[21] Later that year, he made an appearance in a music video, when short-lived Bristol band The Chemists hired him to appear in their video for "This City"; the band split the same year. This appearance followed Grant's involvement with the band the previous year, in which he spoke the lyrics to "This City" to background music as part of the intro and outro tracks on their only album,Theories of Dr Lovelock.
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In March 2013, Grant starred as intelligence analystBrian Jones inDavid Morley'sradio dramaThe Iraq Dossier withPeter Firth,Anton Lesser,David Caves, andLindsay Duncan. It recounted the story of how British Ministry of Defence Intelligence expert Jones had tried to warn that his government'sSeptember Dossier on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction was inaccurate.[22] In 2014, Grant was cast on theHBO seriesGirls after series creatorLena Dunham saw him inSpice World.[23]
In 2015, Grant gave a reading atVE Day 70: A Party to Remember inHorse Guards Parade, London. In 2016 he joined the HBO seriesGame of Thrones inSeason 6 asIzembaro.[24] In 2017, he appeared as the villainous corporate scientistZander Rice inLogan.
Grant's critically lauded performance as Jack Hock inCan You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) earned himAcademy Award,BAFTA,Golden Globe, andScreen Actors Guild Award nominations. The part also won Grant aNew York Film Critics Circle Award and several other critics awards.[25][26][27]
In 2019, Grant appeared inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.[28] Grant playedClassic Loki, an older variant ofLoki, in the 2021Disney+ /Marvel Cinematic Universe seriesLoki. Grant portrayed Sir Walter Elliot inCarrie Cracknell's 2022 adaptation ofJane Austen'sPersuasion, which premiered onNetflix. In 2023 he appeared inEmerald Fennell's psychological thrillerSaltburn oppositeBarry Keoghan,Jacob Elordi, andRosamund Pike.[29]
Grant wrote and directed the 2005 filmWah-Wah, loosely based on his childhood. A screenwriter recommended he write a screenplay after reading Grant's memoirs of the filming ofWithnail and I. The film took him over seven years to complete and starredNicholas Hoult in the lead role, withGabriel Byrne,Miranda Richardson,Julie Walters, andEmily Watson.[30] Grant kept a diary, later published as a book (The Wah-Wah Diaries). The book received positive reviews from critics, many of whom were impressed by the honesty of the tale, especially in regard to his difficult relationship with the "inexperienced" producerMarie-Castille Mention-Schaar.[31][32][33]
Grant stated in subsequent interviews that she was a "control freak out of control", and he would "never see her again as long as [he] live[s]".[30][34] In aBBC interview, he again mentioned his "disastrous" relationship with Mention-Schaar. He related that he had received only five emails from her in the last two months of pre-production, and that she rarely turned up on the set at all. She failed to obtain clearance firstly for song rights and secondly to film in Swaziland. For the last infraction, Grant was eventually forced to meet with theKing of Eswatini to seekclemency. During an interview with an Australian chat show, he mentioned thatWah-Wah was not released in France, and as a result, his producer did not make money out of it.[35]
Grant married voice coachJoan Washington in 1986; they had two daughters. After being diagnosed withstage IVlung cancer,[36] Washington died on 2 September 2021.[37][38]
Grant abstains from drinking alcohol since he has analcohol intolerance.[39][9][40] After casting him as the alcoholic Withnail, directorBruce Robinson made Grant drink a bottle ofchampagne and half a bottle ofvodka during the course of a night so he could experience drunkenness.[35]
Grant is a fan ofBarbra Streisand and has done a tour of Streisand'sNew York, visiting her early home, her high school, and theVillage Vanguard, among other places.[41]
Grant is a dual citizen ofEswatini (formerly Swaziland) and the United Kingdom.[1] He is fluent inSwazi, the national language of the country.[42] He used to wear a watch on each wrist, one of which was given to him by his dying father and set to Swaziland time.[9][43]
In 2008, Grant toldThe Times that he is anatheist.[44] In April 2014, Grant launched his newunisexperfume, JACK, exclusively atLiberty ofRegent Street, London.[45] Grant runs the perfume business in collaboration with his daughter.[46]
In 2022, Grant released a memoir,A Pocketful of Happiness, mostly written in the last year of his wife's life.[47]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Sweet Sixteen | Anton | Episode: "Episode Six" |
| 1985–1989 | Screen Two | Moonee Livingstone/David Dunhill | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Codename: Kyril | Sculby | 4 episodes |
| Diebe in der Nacht | Joseph | Television film | |
| 1993 | Great Performances: Suddenly Last Summer | George Holly | Television special |
| The Legends of Treasure Island | Long John Silver | Voice; 8 episodes | |
| 1994 | Absolutely Fabulous | Justin | Episode: "Hospital" |
| Hard Times | James Harthouse | 3 episodes | |
| 1996 | Karaoke | Nick Balmer | 4 episodes |
| Cold Lazarus | 2 episodes | ||
| 1997 | A Royal Scandal | George IV | Television film |
| 1997–1998 | Captain Star | Captain Jim Star | Voice; 14 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Sir Percy Blakeney / The Scarlet Pimpernel | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death | The Conceited Doctor | Television special |
| Let Them Eat Cake | Monsieur Vigée-Lebrun | Episode: "The Portrait" | |
| Trial & Retribution III | Stephen Warrington | 2 episodes | |
| A Christmas Carol | Bob Cratchit | Television film | |
| 2002 | Sherlock: Case of Evil | Mycroft Holmes | |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Jack Stapleton | ||
| 2003 | Posh Nosh | Simon Marchmont | 8 episodes |
| Doctor Who:Scream of the Shalka | Shalka Doctor | Voice; 6 episodes | |
| 2004 | Frasier | Stephen Moon | Episode: "Goodnight, Seattle" |
| 90 Days in Hollywood | Narrator | Voice; Documentary | |
| The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody | Narrator | ||
| 2005 | Home Farm Twins | Paul Baker | Unknown episodes |
| 2006 | That'll Teach 'Em: Boys Versus Girls | Narrator | Voice; 5 episodes |
| Above and Beyond | Don Bennett | 2 episodes | |
| 2007 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Raymond West | Episode: "Nemesis" |
| Dalziel and Pascoe | Lee Knight | Episode: "Demons on Our Shoulders" | |
| Roald Dahl's Revolting Rule Book | Himself | Television special | |
| 2008 | Mumbai Calling | Benedict T. Harlow | Episode: "Good Sellers" |
| 2009 | Freezing | Richard | Episode #1.1 |
| 2011 | The Crimson Petal and the White | Dr Curlew | 4 episodes |
| Rab C. Nesbitt | Chingford Steel | Episode: "Broke" | |
| Rev. | Marcus | Episode #2.5 | |
| 2012–2014 | Richard E. Grant's Hotel Secrets | Himself (host)[48] | 14 episodes |
| 2012 | Playhouse Presents | Stephen / Tony | Episode: "The Other Woman" |
| The Fear | Seb Whiting | 3 episodes | |
| The History of Safari with Richard E. Grant | Himself (host) | Television documentary | |
| 2012–2013 | Doctor Who | Dr Simeon /The Great Intelligence | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Riviera: A History in Pictures | Himself (host) | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Girls | Jasper | 4 episodes |
| Downton Abbey | Simon Bricker | ||
| Psychobitches | Matthew Hopkins | Episode #2.6 | |
| 2015 | Dig | Ian Margrove | 9 episodes |
| Wellington: The Iron Duke Unmasked | Wellington | Television documentary | |
| Jekyll and Hyde | Sir Roger Bulstrode | 9 episodes | |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones | Izembaro | 3 episodes |
| The Last Dragonslayer | Dragon | Voice; Television film | |
| 2018 | Hang Ups | Leonard Conrad | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | The Man with a Beard but No Hair | 3 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | Tuca & Bertie | Holland | Voice; 9 episodes |
| 2020 | Dispatches from Elsewhere | Octavio Coleman | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Agatha and Poirot: Partners in Crime | Himself (host) | Television documentary[49] |
| Loki | Classic Loki | 2 episodes | |
| Write Around the World | Himself (host) | 3 episodes | |
| Blankety Blank | Himself/panellist | Episode: "Christmas Special"[50] | |
| 2021–2022 | Moley | The Gardener | Voice; 8 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | The Outlaws | The Earl | 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Suspect | Harry | 8 episodes[51] |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World | Himself (Guest judge) | Episode #2.1 |
| Doctor Who | The Doctor | Episode: "Rogue" (uncredited cameo) | |
| The Franchise | Peter Fairchild | 8 episodes | |
| The Simpsons | Julian | Voice; Episode: "Desperately Seeking Lisa" | |
| Nautilus | White Rajah | 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | Too Much | Jonno Ratigan | 6 episodes |
| 2026 | The Other Bennet Sister† | Mr Gardiner | Upcoming series[52] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Vex | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | George's Marvellous Medicine | Narrator | Audiobook | |
| The Pillars of the Earth | ||||
| World Without End | ||||
| 2008 | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | Theatre Royal, Sydney | |
| 2010 | "This City" | Human cyborg | The Chemists music video | |
| 2011 | Conqueror | Narrator | Audiobook | |
| 2013 | Fuck: An Irreverent History of the F-Word | |||
| The Murder at the Vicarage: A Miss Marple Mystery | ||||
| 2017 | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | Lyric Opera of Chicago | |
| 2019 | Tigeropolis | Narrator | Audiobook | |
| 2023 | The Wombles | Narrator | Audiobook (abridged version) |
