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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Ellie Kemp

ITV Saturday Night Takeaway: Richard E Grant's real life

Richard E. Grant is a British-Swazi actor who has appeared in Marvel and Star Wars films - and tonight he's the guest announcer on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

He's been nominated for a host of accolades, including BAFTAs, Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

So what else has Grant been in how did he become an actor?

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The 64-year-old was born in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a country in southern Africa, to parents Henrik and Leonne Esterhuysen.

His father was the head of education for the British government administration in Swaziland, while his mother was a ballet teacher.

Richard E Grant and wife Joan Washington (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

He grew up in Africa, going on to gain a degree in English and drama from the University of Cape Town.

Grant moved to London in 1982, where he worked as a waiter and hustled before landing his first role in television.

He starred in a satire about advertising, Honest, Decent and True, which led to him being cast in Bruce Robinson's cult classic Withnail And I in 1986.

The actor achieved recognition for his role of John Seward in the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula.

He played Dr Zander Rice is Marvel's Logan film and featured in other films including Spice World, Gosford Park, The Iron Lady and Jackie.

Richard was also considered to play the role of Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter. However, Jason Isaacs was cast instead.

His TV roles include Izembaro in Game of Thrones, Simon Bricker in Downton Abbey and Stephen Moon in sitcom Frasier.

Stepping into the shoes of the director, Richard wrote and directed Wah-Wah, the 2005 movie that incorporates his childhood experiences, reports MyLondon.

More recently, he played The Earl in BBC comedy-thriller The Outlaws.

Grant has also hosted the BBC documentaries Write Around the World and Hotel Secrets.

Tragically, his wife Joan Washington, a voice coach, died in September last year following a lung cancer diagnosis.

The couple had been married for 35 years and share daughter Olivia, 33.

The pair met after Grant had asked Washington for private voice lessons. They started dating in a year later, in 1983.

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