Hugh Grant Biography

Actor. Born Hugh John Mungo Grant on September 9, 1960 in London, England. Hugh Grant studied English at Oxford, before pursuing a career in theater. He worked in repertory and as an advertising copywriter before forming his own comedy troupe, the Jockeys of Norfolk.

Hugh Grant's early films include his 1982 screen debut in Privileged and 1992's Bitter Moon. Much of his early work went unnoticed except for the performance as a sexually conflicted Edwardian in Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's Maurice, which won him a Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. It wasn't until the release of the hit comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 that the handsome actor became internationally known. His charming performance as a fool in love earned Hugh Grant a Best Actor Golden Globe.

In 1995, just before the actor's U.S. film debut, Nine Months with Julianne Moore, Hugh Grant was arrested for engaging in a lewd act in a parked car with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown. The scandal and his mug shot instantly circulated through media outlets. It was followed by a contrite apology on The Tonight Show to then-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley.

The public disgrace did little to derail Hugh Grant's career. He appeared in several successful films shortly thereafter, including the Ang Lee-helmed Sense and Sensibility in 1995 and another period piece, Restoration. He was firmly reinstated as one of Hollywood's most charming leading men when he returned to romantic comedy with1999's Notting Hill opposite Julia Roberts.

Subsequent box office hits such as 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary with Renee Zellweger, 2002's About a Boy based on the book by Nick Hornby, and 2003's Love Actually also played to his comedic strengths. His film, 2007's Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore, received mixed reviews.

A consummate bachelor, Hugh Grant has been in a few long-term relationships but never married. He dated model Elizabeth Hurley from 1986 to 2000 (the couple founded Simian Films together) and was recently coupled with socialite heiress Jemima Khan.

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