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Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen on May 5, 1957) is an Anglo-Swazi actor, born in Mbabane, Swaziland, and educated in Waterford Kamhlaba School.

At the age of nine, Grant witnessed an adulterous relationship between his mother and another man which subsequently led to the break-up of his parents' marriage. At this moment, he started keeping a diary and has done so ever since. He studied English and Drama at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to London in 1982. He married Joan Washington in 1986 and has one daughter with her, Olivia, and a step-son, Tom.

Among his best-known roles are the world-weary, drug-crazed Withnail in Withnail and I and the Spice Girls' manager in Spiceworld, their 1997 sole foray into cinema.

Grant is also a successful author, with works such as By Design, calling on his Hollywood experience. He was also for a time the face of the Argos TV commercials.

He has performed as The Doctor from Doctor Who twice. In the comedy sketch Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death he portrayed the Tenth Doctor, referred to as the Handsome Doctor. He voiced a version of the Ninth Doctor for the BBC original animated webcast Scream of the Shalka. He had been previously rumoured as a possible choice for the Doctor as part of the series' regular production.

He wrote and directed the 2005 film, Wah-Wah.

In 2007, Grant will star in the movie adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.

Trivia

Grant is a teetotaler. After casting him as the alcoholic Withnail, director Bruce Robinson made Grant drink a bottle of vodka in one sitting in order to have experienced the sensation.

Selected filmography

Films

• Ecstasy (2007)
• Penelope (2006)
• Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) as Preston (voice)
• Wah-Wah (2005) - writer, director
• Colour Me Kubrick (2005) as Jasper
• Corpse Bride (2005) as Lord Barkis Bittern (voice)
• Bustin' Bonaparte (2004) as Bonaparte Blenkins
• Tooth (2004) as Jarvis Jarvis
• Bright Young Things (2003) as Father Rothschild
• Monsieur N. (2003) as Hudson Lowe
• Gosford Park (2001) as George
• The Little Vampire (2000) as Frederick Sackville-Bagg
• Spiceworld (1997) as Clifford
• Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997) (aka A Merry War) as Gordon Comstock
• The Serpent's Kiss (1997) as James Fitzmaurice
• The Portrait of a Lady (1996) as Lord Warburton
• Jack and Sarah (1995) as Jack
• Prêt-à-Porter (1994) as Cort Romney
• The Age of Innocence (1993) as Larry Lefferts
• Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) as Dr. Jack Seward
• L.A. Story (1991) as Roland Mackey
• Hudson Hawk (1991) as Darwin Mayflower
• Henry and June (1990) as Hugo Guiler
• Mountains of the Moon (1990) as Larry Oliphant
• How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) as Denis Dimbleby Bagley
• Warlock (1989) as Giles Redferne
• Withnail and I (1987) as Withnail

Television

• Above and Beyond (mini series) (2004)
• Home Farm Twins (2005) Paul Baker
• 90 Days in Hollywood (2004) narrator
• Frasier in episode Goodnight, Seattle (2004) as Stephen Moon
• Posh Nosh (2004) as Simon Marchmont
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002) as Jack Stapleton
• Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (1999) as The Conceited Doctor
• Let Them Eat Cake in episode The Portrait (1999) as Monsieur Vigée-Lebrun
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1998) as Sir Percy Blakeney
• Captain Star (1997) as Captain Jim Star

Voice acting

• Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) as Preston (voice)
• Corpse Bride (2005) - a stop-motion feature
• The Legends of Treasure Island (1993) - an animated TV series
• The Miracle Maker - stop-motion story of Jesus Christ
• Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka (online)

Bibliography

• The Wah-Wah Diaries: The Making of a Film: ISBN 0-330-44196-5 (hardcover) - Sept 2006
• With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant: ISBN 0-87951-828-6 (hardcover) ISBN 0-87951-935-5 (paperback)
• By Design: A Hollywood Novel

External links

• The REG Temple - The official website of Richard E. Grant.
• Memories of Mischief - The Guardian, August 6, 2005
  • Interview and profile around the release of his film Wah-Wah.

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