2001

Denise tells me that she was doing some research on her computer and typed “grant” into the search engine of Encarta, and lo and behold this is what she found:

“Grant, Richard E. (1957- ), British actor, born in Mbabane, Swaziland, who studied drama at the University of Cape Town and moved to Britain in 1982. His acting career took off with his second film, Withnail and I (1987) in which, as one of a pair of unemployed actors at the end of the 1960s, he postured among the cultivated squalor of their flat in Camden Town, London. His performances in subsequent films – including L.A. Story (1991), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, directed by Francis Ford Coppola), The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese), as the eligible Lord Warburton in Portrait of a Lady (1996, Jane Campion), in the Franco-German production, Le Baiser du Serpent (1997; The Serpent’s Kiss, Philippe Rousselot), and as Gordon Comstock in Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997) – have been variable.

His characterizations, when given their head, as in such films as The Player (1992, Robert Altman), display a self-consciously controlled but manic presence. His affected articulation and mannered gestures are both comic and threatening; his manner both seductive and dangerous. A hardworking actor with a star personality, he has reached out into writing diaries of films with which he is associated, and has also done memorable television work. He made a notable guest appearance in the comedy series Absolutely Fabulous (1992), appeared as Harthouse in Hard Times (1994), as the Prince of Wales in A Royal Scandal (1996), and in the final pair of dramas by Dennis Potter, Karaoke and Cold Lazarus (both 1996).

Contributed By:
Kevin Gough-Yates”

I’m not sure which version of Encarta Denise was using, but if you have a copy somewhere on your computer you might want to give it a try.

It’s also interesting to note that Cary is present but not Hugh.