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Leslie Grantham‌

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1947-08-30

Popularity

star3.7

Leslie Grantham

Camberwell, London, England, UK

Leslie Grantham

Camberwell, London, England, UK

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1947-08-30

Popularity

star3.7

Biography

British actor Leslie Grantham shot to fame in 1985 as Den Watts, the original landlord of the Queen Vic, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The character quickly became a national favourite and gained the nickname Dirty Den mostly because of the way he treated his wife Angie, played by Anita Dobson, and the several affairs and nefarious activities he conducted. At Grantham's request the character was killed off in 1988, gunned down by the gangsters he had betrayed. He returned to the soap in 2003 where it was revealed Den faked his own death to live in exile in Spain. It was widely speculated that Grantham was lured back with a £500,000-a-year contract and some 17 million viewers watched his return - an impressive figure, but not as impressive as the 30 million who tuned in to watch Den divorce Angie on Christmas Day, 1986. Two years later, in 2005, Den Watts was killed off once and for all in an episode that drew in 16.2 million viewers. The reason for Grantham's exit this time was an online sex scandal, revealed by a Sunday newspaper a year earlier. This was not the first time Grantham had courted controversy of course. Not long after finding fame in the soap Grantham's past became front page news; on 3 December 1966, when was serving as a young British soldier in West Germany, he attempted to rob a taxi driver, Felix Reese, in Osnabrück A struggle between Grantham and the driver followed, and Reese died from a gunshot wound to the head.In his statement to the police following his arrest, Grantham said that he did not know the gun was loaded and it had gone off during the struggle, which would have resulted in a conviction for manslaughter if a jury believed this version of events. However, at his trial in 1967 he was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although he had committed the murder in West Germany, he served the entirety of his imprisonment in various British prisons. This was because soldiers and officers convicted of any criminal offence that warrants a sentence of over two years are automatically transferred to Her Majesty's Prison Service, since they are also automatically dishonourably discharged. Grantham was released in 1977, having served 10 years. Whilst in prison, Grantham discovered acting and was encouraged by Labour politician T. Dan Smith and Doctor Who actress Louise Jameson to take up acting upon his release. Away from EastEnders, Grantham enjoyed a high profile career throughout much of the 1990s with the starring role of gangster Danny Kane in the BBC drama The Paradise Club, and maverick undercover cop Mick Raynor in 99-1. Other credits include the sci fi series The Uninvited (which he also produced), Fort Boyard, The Bill and The Stretch, which reunited him with Anita Dobson. He has also appeared in the films The Wedding Tackle, Charlie and Mob Handed, and starred in the titular role of The English Neighbour on Bulgarian TV in 2011. He died on the 15th June, 2018 in hospital following a short illness.

Movie Credits

Knockback: 1

Knockback: 1‌
star7.5
calendar 1985

Knockback: 2

Knockback: 2‌
star0.0
calendar 1985

Hooligan '96

Hooligan '96‌
star0.0
calendar 1996

It's Not Unusual

It's Not Unusual‌
star6.0
calendar 1995

Jack Southeast

Jack Southeast‌
star0.0
calendar 2018

My Brother David

My Brother David‌
star0.0
calendar 1989

DeadTime

DeadTime‌
star2.8
calendar 2012

Charlie

Charlie‌
star3.7
calendar 2004

Mob Handed

Mob Handed‌
star4.1
calendar 2016

The Wedding Tackle

The Wedding Tackle‌
star0.0
calendar 2000

Faith

Faith‌
star0.0
calendar 1998

The Stretch

The Stretch‌
star0.0
calendar 2000

The Nightwatch

The Nightwatch‌
star5.0
calendar 1989

Vengeance

Vengeance‌
star3.2
calendar 2020

The Krays: Dead Man Walking

The Krays: Dead Man Walking‌
star2.8
calendar 2018

Leslie

Leslie‌
star0.0
calendar 2013

The Factory

The Factory‌
star0.0
calendar 2013

Morons from Outer Space

Morons from Outer Space‌
star4.7
calendar 1985

Search and Destroy

Search and Destroy‌
star4.3
calendar 2020

Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks

Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks‌
star7.8
calendar 1984

Shadow Run

Shadow Run‌
star4.1
calendar 1998

Jake's End

Jake's End‌
star0.0
calendar 1982

Tv Credits

The Uninvited

The Uninvited‌
star6.0
calendar 1997

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross‌
star5.8
calendar 2001

EastEnders

EastEnders‌
star4.1
calendar 1985

The Bill

The Bill‌
star6.6
calendar 1984

Doctor Who

Doctor Who‌
star7.9
calendar 1963

Heartbeat

Heartbeat‌
star7.0
calendar 1992

The Ant & Dec Show

The Ant & Dec Show‌
star0.0
calendar 1995

It's Only TV But I Like It

It's Only TV But I Like It‌
star6.0
calendar 1999

The Paradise Club

The Paradise Club‌
star5.8
calendar 1989

The Detectives

The Detectives‌
star6.7
calendar 1993

The English Neighbour

The English Neighbour‌
star10.0
calendar 2011

Cluedo

Cluedo‌
star6.4
calendar 1990

Cluedo

Cluedo‌
star6.4
calendar 1990

Loose Women

Loose Women‌
star3.4
calendar 1999

99-1

99-1‌
star0.0
calendar 1994