Richard E. Grant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard E. Grant
Grant in 2018
Born	Richard Grant Esterhuysen (1957-05-05) 5 May 1957 (age 68) Mbabane, Swaziland (now Eswatini)
Nationality	Swazi British
Other names	Richard Grant
Education	University of Cape Town
Occupation	Actor, presenter, Perfumer
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Joan Washington ​ ​ (m. 1986; died 2021)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is an actor and presenter. He was born in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and is also a British citizen. He became famous for his first film role as Withnail in the comedy Withnail and I (1987).

Grant earned great praise for his role as Jack Hock in the drama film Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018). For this role, he won several awards, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He was also nominated for major awards like the Academy Award and the BAFTA.

He has appeared in many other popular films. These include Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Little Vampire (2000), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Grant has also been in many TV shows. Some of these are Doctor Who (1999, 2003, 2012-13, 2024), Game of Thrones (2016), and A Series of Unfortunate Events (2019).

Early Life and Education

Richard Grant Esterhuysen was born on May 5, 1957. His birthplace was Mbabane, in what was then the Protectorate of Swaziland. This country is now known as Eswatini. His father, Henrik Esterhuysen, worked as the head of education for the British government in Swaziland.

As a child, Grant went to St Mark's School in Mbabane. This school had recently started allowing students of all races. He later attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa. This was an independent school located near Mbabane.

In May 1976, he began studying English and drama at the University of Cape Town. He changed his last name to Grant when he moved to Britain in 1982. This new name became his stage name for his acting career.

Acting Career

Grant started his acting journey with the Space Theatre Company in Cape Town. He then moved to London in 1982 to pursue acting. His first big film role was in the movie Withnail and I (1987). In this film, he played the main character.

Grant at the 2007 BAFTA Awards

After his first film, Grant began appearing in Hollywood movies. He took on many different types of roles. These included big studio films and smaller independent projects. He had supporting roles in films like Henry & June, L.A. Story, The Player, and Spice World.

In 1995, Grant starred in a short film called Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. This film won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1995. He also played Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the 1996 film Twelfth Night.

Doctor Who Roles

Grant has played a version of the Doctor from Doctor Who more than once. These roles were outside the main TV series story. In a comedy sketch called Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, he played a version of the Doctor. He also voiced a version of the Doctor for an animated online series called Scream of the Shalka.

His first official appearance in the main Doctor Who TV series was in 2012. He played the villain, Walter Simeon, in the Christmas special "The Snowmen". He returned to this role in "The Bells of Saint John" and "The Name of the Doctor". In 2024, his version of the Doctor also appeared briefly in the episode "Rogue".

Grant as The Voice for 2+2+2 at Heavy Entertainment, London.

Stage and Other Work

In 2008, Grant presented the Laurence Olivier Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in London theatre. He also made his musical theatre debut in 2008. He played Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady in Sydney, Australia. He played this role again in 2017 in Chicago.

In 2010, he starred in a short film called The Man Who Married Himself. This film won awards at film festivals. He also appeared in a music video for the band The Chemists.

Grant at the premiere of Can You Ever Forgive Me? in 2018

In 2014, Grant was cast in the HBO series Girls. The show's creator, Lena Dunham, chose him after seeing him in Spice World. In 2016, he joined the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 6. He played the character Izembaro. In 2017, he appeared as the villain Zander Rice in the film Logan.

His performance as Jack Hock in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) was highly praised. This role earned him nominations for many top awards. These included the Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe.

In 2019, Grant appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In 2020, he joined the Disney+ series Loki as Classic Loki. This character is an older version of Loki. In 2022, he played Sir Walter Elliot in the film Persuasion, released on Netflix. In 2023, he was in the film Saltburn.

Directing Wah-Wah

Grant wrote and directed the 2005 film Wah-Wah. This movie was based on his own childhood experiences. It took him over seven years to finish the film. The movie starred Nicholas Hoult in the main role. Other actors included Gabriel Byrne and Julie Walters.

Grant kept a diary while making the film. This diary was later published as a book called The Wah-Wah Diaries. The book received good reviews.

Personal Life

Grant at the Nelson Mandela memorial, Westminster Abbey, 2014

Richard E. Grant married voice coach Joan Washington in 1986. They had two daughters, Olivia, and Tiffany, who sadly passed away shortly after birth. He also has a stepson named Tom. Joan Washington passed away on September 2, 2021.

Grant is a big fan of singer Barbra Streisand. He has even taken a tour of places in New York important to her early life.

He holds dual citizenship for both Eswatini and the United Kingdom. He can speak Swazi, which is the national language of Eswatini. He used to wear a watch on each wrist. One of these watches was a gift from his father and was set to Swaziland time.

In 2014, Grant launched his own unisex perfume called JACK. He runs this perfume business with his daughter. In 2022, Grant released a memoir called A Pocketful of Happiness. He wrote most of this book during the last year of his wife's life.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Richard E. Grant para niños