Amr Diab (Egypt)

Background information
Birth name Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab
Also known as Father of Mediterranean music,(Hadaba)
Born October 11, 1961 (1961-10-11) (age 48)
Origin Port Said, Egypt
Genres Mediterranean
Occupations Singer, composer, arranger, actor
Instruments Vocal
Years active 1983 - present
Website www.amrdiab.net/

Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab (Arabic: عمرو عبد الباسط عبد العزيز دياب‎; born October 11, 1961)[1] is an Egyptian singer and composer of jeel music; the contemporary face of Egyptian al-jeel pop music, according to World Music. Diab is the best-selling Arab recording artist of all time, according to Let's Go Egypt. He was awarded the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist three times: 1998, 2002 and 2007.He has also sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

Amr Diab is known as the Father of Mediterranean Music. He has created his own style which is often termed "Mediterranean Music" or "Mediterranean Sound", a blend of Western and Arabic rhythms.[2]

In The Mediterranean in Music, David Cooper and Kevin Dawe referred to his music as "the new breed of Mediterranean music".[3]

According to author Michael Frishkopf, Amr Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially in his international hit, "Nour El Ain".[2]

In his analysis of The Very Best of Amr Diab album, Victor W. Valdivia of Allmusic said: "His music melded traditional Arabic sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instruments. The mesh was dubbed Mediterranean music, and The Very Best of Amr Diab displays Diab's superb skill in creating it."[4]

According to the BBC, Diab "has ruled the Arab music world, especially Egypt and the Middle East, since the mid '80s, continually breaking sales records".[5]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early life
* 2 Musical career
* 3 Influences and contributions
* 4 The world's perspective
* 5 Albums
o 5.1 Nour El Ain
o 5.2 Awedooni
o 5.3 Amarain
o 5.4 Tamally Ma'ak
o 5.5 Aktar Wahed
o 5.6 Allem Albi
o 5.7 Leily Nahary
o 5.8 Kammel Kalamak
o 5.9 El Leila De (Tonight)
o 5.10 Wayah (2009)
* 6 Music videos
o 6.1 El Helm/The Dream
* 7 Film career
* 8 Endorsements
* 9 Local record labels
* 10 International record labels
* 11 Collaboration with international musicians
* 12 Amr Diab in academic studies
* 13 Amr Diab in movies
* 14 Further reading
* 15 Discography
* 16 References
* 17 External links

[edit] Early life

Amr Diab was born in Port Said, Egypt to a highly educated middle class family. His mother, was a French teacher in the Lycee Francais school of Port Said. Abdel Basset Diab, Amr’s Father, graduated from the faculty of commerce at the University of Alexandria in 1958. He joined the Suez Canal Corporation as an accountant and was promoted to top financial controller (from 1985 until 1989) for the maritime sector in the corporation. He encouraged young Diab to sing for the first time on Al-gala national day (evacuation of British forces from the Suez Canal area & Egypt) on June 18, 1968. Diab was only six years old, and that was Amr's first singing appearance to public. His first performance the National Anthem: Belady, Belady, was broadcast to the Egyptian radio audience from the local broadcasting station. That day Amr was awarded by his Excellency Hassan Rushdie the Governor of Port Said, who also awarded him a guitar as a present after that concert.
[edit] Musical career

In 1983, Diab released his first studio album, Ya Tareeq. Diab released three more albums between 1984 and 1987. 1988's "Mayaal" garnered huge success all around the Middle East. It was produced, arranged and remixed by German musicians, Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg and Jörg Evers, with various releases. More success followed in the following years including the albums Shawakkna, Matkhafesh, and We Yloumouni.

Amr Diab quickly developed fame for his new style of "Pan-Mediterranean" Arabic music, fusing touches of flamenco and raï with western pop with traditional Arabic rhythms. By 1992, he became the first Arabic artist to start making high-tech music videos."[2]

"Habibi" from Diab's 1996 album, Nour El Ain became a hit worldwide, and was remixed by many of the world's top DJs at the time. A special CD named Habibi: The Remix Album was released later with all of these remixes. Since then, Diab has remained at the top of the Arabic music scene, expanding reach to all parts of the Mediterranean with his 1999 release, Amarain, that featured duets with Algeria's king of rai Khaled in a song called "Qalbi" and Greece's Angela Dimitriou in "Ana Bahibak Aktar" and "Eleos". "Tamally Maak" from Diab's 2000 album became a huge success. Leily Nahari, Diab's first album with Rotana Records, was released in 2004. The album became Rotana's highest selling album of all time and topped charts throughout the Arab World.[6] Diab's album El Leila De was released in the summer of 2007 and topped the Arabic music charts for 22 weeks. Diab received a World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist for the album. In 2008, Diab renewed his contract with Rotana for five more years. In 2009, Diab released a new album Wayah. Diab was the best Artist Selling in the Middle East. he sold 22 million copies worldwide.
[edit] Influences and contributions

Diab revolutionized Egyptian show business in several respects, and some of his biographers have referred to him as rebellious, because he challenged everything in Middle Eastern show business, starting from the hairstyle and appearance and ending with the music style, presentation, and financial scale of his projects.

Diab’s blending of Western rhythms with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music styles created a new music style, referred to as Mediterranean music. His song “Tamalli Ma’ak”/“Always With You,” wherein he introduced Spanish guitar, is a good example of the genre.

He became the first Arab singer to make a video to accompany his songs. Diab’s project Nur al-Ayn was the most expensive project in the music industry of the Middle East. The video for this song was the most lavish and expensive project in the Arab music production field and it set a new standard of video-making for his contemporaries.
[edit] The world's perspective

Diab is one of the most popular and acclaimed Arab pop singers of the modern age. In 1997 he won three awards at the Annual Arabic Festival: one for Best Video, for Best Song, and for Best Artist of the Year. The following year Diab received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of Nour El Ain and also received a World Music Award in Monaco.
[edit] Albums
[edit] Nour El Ain

In 1996, Nour El Ain (Light of The Eye – Sight) was released, becoming a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The song was composed by Nasser el-Mizdawi, lyrics were written by Ahmed Sheta and it was arranged by Hameed Elshaery. The title track, and its English version "Habibi", was an international phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka (performed by Sangeeth Wickremasinghe) and(Malay version sung by Datuk Sharifah Aini). The song was copied and remade with Malayalam lyrics, a south Indian language, in the Malayalam movie Chandralekha staring the South Indian actor Mohanlal. In a style reminiscent of the Aldo (musician) Franco-Arabic style, the song was remixed by several top European arrangers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in the field of Egyptian song, and set a new standard for his contemporaries to aspire to. this album sold 3 million copies. In 1997, Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of Nour El Ain, and received a World Music Award in Monaco on 6 May 1998, under the patronage of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and attended by Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Steven Seagal and others. This award was the first of its kind for an Egyptian artist, emphasizing that his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of his contemporaries.
[edit] Awedooni

His follow-up studio album entitled Awedooni(they made me used to...) was released in July 1998, and as with Nour El Ain (the light of the eye) it was produced with Hamid El Shaery and recorded in Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedooni"(they made me used to...), was shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its predecessor, this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his popularity in the Arab world and abroad.
[edit] Amarain

Diab released his July 1999 new studio album Amarain, (two moons) which is hailed as the best work of his career to date.[citation needed] Amr is working on eagerly anticipated duets with the France-based international Rai superstar, Khaled of "Didi" fame, and with the Greek singer, Angela Dimitrou, whose crossover smash "Marguerites" was a huge hit across the Middle East in 1998. The title track "Amarain" was the first video to be broadcast.
[edit] Tamally Ma'ak

In 2000, Diab revolutionized Arab music when he issued Tamally Ma'ak (I'm Always With You). The song was composed by Sherif Tag, a modern Egyptian Composer. He introduced the Spanish guitar in his song "Tammaly Ma'ak" and in other songs. The clip of this song was made in the Czech Republic with much success. The album contained songs like "El Allem Alla" (Only God Knows), "Ba'terf" (I Confess), "Sa'ban Alaea"(It Makes Me Feel Sorry) and "We Heya Amla Eih" (And How Is She?). The song "Tamally Ma'ak" was even copied in the hit Bollywood song "Kaho Na Kaho" from the film Murder.
[edit] Aktar Wahed

Aktar Wahed was released on August 1, 2001. The album's name is short for one of the songs, "Aktar Wahed Beyhebbak" (One loves you the most). It contains 10 tracks and received the World Music Award for the best selling album in the Middle East for 2001.
[edit] Allem Albi

In February 2003, Diab released Allem Alby (Teach My Heart). The album's release date was arranged to be with the debut broadcast of Alam El Phan's (Allem Alby's production company, owned by Mohsen Gaber) music channel "Mazzika".

The album was a great success, with the release of the video "Ana Ayesh" (I'm Alive) which was directed by Stuart Gosling. The video was intensely broadcast on Mazzika . The album contains other songs, like the R&B-influenced hit, "Allem Albi". Others that tend to be more oriental like "Kolohom" (All of Them), "Law Ash'any"(If You Adore Me) and "Alli El Wadaa'" (Goodbye To Me).
[edit] Leily Nahary

In late summer 2004, Diab's first album with Rotana was released, titled Leily Nahary (My Nights, My Days). The album's cover was from the promotional photo shoot of Pepsi. The video "Leily Nahari" directed by Cameron Casey provided aid to give Diab his space in the record-exclusive music channels. It was criticized because of its similarity to his previously unreleased video for "El Alem Allah" from the album Tamally Ma'ak.this album sold over 1,5 million copies.
[edit] Kammel Kalamak

Diab's album Kammel Kalamak, released on December 14, 2005, was the follow up to Leily Nahary. The album cost a reported $4 million to record, and was Rotana's biggest album of 2005. The love ballad "We Malo" was released as the single of the album, Kammel Kalamak. The music video was shot in London and was released on a late notice after the release of the album. Rumors surfaced in late 2005 and early 2006 stated that Amr is considering terminating his contract with Rotana due to the poor promotion of his latest album, Kammel Kalamak.
[edit] El Leila De (Tonight)

The album El Leila De was originally set to be released after Ramadan 2006. However, it was pushed back several times due to Diab's repeated changes in the musical producers he was dealing with. Diab attributes the changes to the producer's lack of new and strong styles. In early 2006, Music Arranger Fahd was supposed to work on this album; however, later that year Tarek Madkour joined Amr Diab, and they started together to work on it. On March 25, 2007, Madkour's official website announced that Amr Diab and Madkour had decided jointly to skip the collaboration on the album due to the lack of time and conflicting working schedules. Fahd and a new producer called Hasan Al Shafei are elected to produce the music in the album, which is supposed to hit the markets in July 2007. The title of the album was changed from Khaleek Ma'aya to El Leila De. After the release Amr, shot a new Pepsi advertisement in Europe. On June 21, 2007, two of the biggest sites (AmrDiabWorld.com & AmrDiab.info) for Amr Diab announced that the album, now entitled El Lilady, would hit the market on July 7, 2007. The album would contain 10 tracks; AL Shafei and Fahd shared the production Al Shaei 7 songs & Fahd 3 Songs. Before releasing his album, Diab traveled to Portugal to shoot the new Pepsi ad choosing "Inta El Ghaly" song from his upcoming album El Leila De as the ad music. Amr then traveled to the USA to film the music video for his upcoming album.

The album master copy was given to Rotana, Amr Diab's CD production company, on the last week of June to meet the July 7, 2007 release date he had planned earlier. Rotana, however, has delayed the release of the new CD for a couple of days for unknown reasons. The album has also been leaked. The album was officially released on July 11, 2007. The album has already become a huge hit in Egypt and all over the Middle East. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies in only 5 days of release. The video clip has been slated for a July 27 release. The song that Diab chose to film was "N'eoul Eih", which is in the new style of House Music mixed with oriental Arabic music. The video clip was filmed in Santa Monica and Malibu, and also near Hollywood.

On July 27, Rotana News announced that El Leila De had sold over 5 million copies in less than two weeks in the Middle East, which gives the album a good chance to surpass Kammel Kalamak's 3 million copies only. On October 30, 2007, the management of the World Music Awards announced that Amr Diab was to receive an award for best selling artist in the Middle East for this album. Amr Diab received the award in the festival that was held in Monaco, Monte-Carlo, on the November 4, 2007.k
[edit] Wayah (2009)

Wayah was released for sale on the internet on June 27; however, the album was leaked online and was downloaded illegally amid complaints of slow download speed on the official site. Diab's fans initiated a massive boycott of the sites with the illegal copies[7] and by July 3, 2009 Wayah had sold more than 1.5 million copies in the first week.[8] Months after the release of the album, Rotana, the official producing company, announced that the album has become the highest selling album in the companies history, passing Diab's previous hit, Leily Nahari. Later on Amr Diab's administration announced that the album has become the highest selling album in Diab's career, thus becoming the biggest hit in the history of Middle Eastern music. This album sold over 4.5 million copies.[citation needed]

On October 18, 2009 Amr Diab won four 2009 African Music Awards in the following categories: best artist, best album, best vocalist and best song for "Wayah"and Amr Diab has been nominated by the Big Apple Music Awards[9]
[edit] Music videos

Diab is one of the first singers to popularize music videos in the Arabs World and the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos.[2] With the exception of his very early albums, all of his albums have had at least one song shot as music videos. Diab has collaborated with a variety of music video directors in the Middle East, including Tarek El-Erian and Sherif Sabri.

The most anticipated video clip of 2007, "N'eoul Eih", was released on August 14, 2007. Released on Rotana TV for the first time, the video was a great success. It was released minutes later on an Egyptian program named "El Beit Betak", on EGYPT TV.

August 6, 2009 saw the release of Amr Diab's latest video clip for his smashing hit Wayah. Working alongside Cameron Casey [Leily Nahari] for a second time, Amr Diab presented a fresh video clip that stunned all his fans worldwide. The video clip was filmed mostly on Green Screen and in Amr Diab's personal villa in Cairo, Egypt. The biggest surprise was the appearance of Amr Diab's children alongside his niece, whom represented the younger generation of children who are still inspired by the music of Amr Diab.

Diab also filmed "Ba2dem Alby" which is set to be released on Valentine's Day.
[edit] El Helm/The Dream

The Dream or El Helm is a TV production produced by Amr Afefy that gives viewers the story of Amr Diab's life. The show consists of 12 episodes and began airing on December 24, 2008. El Helm is narrated by actor Ezzat Abou El Ouf and includes interviews with Diab and people he worked with throughout the span of his career. The show, which aired on Rotana TV, saw great success and was preceded by one of the biggest advertising campaigns in the history of Middle Eastern music.
[edit] Film career

Diab's fame in the music industry has led him to experiment with other forms of media, such as film. Amr played himself in his first film, El Afareet, which was released in 1989. The film also starred Madiha Kamel. His second film Ice Cream in Gleam (Ays Krim fi Glym), the 1992 movie in which Diab starred, was chosen as one of the best five Egyptian musical films by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The film was also featured in the UCLA Film and Television Archive's new program "Music on the Nile: Fifty Years of Egyptian Musical Films" at James Bridges Theater, UCLA, April 6, 8 and 10. David Chute of the Los Angeles Weekly termed the film "observant" and "a big leap".[10] His third movie was released in 1993, and was named Deahk We La'ab (Laughter and Fun). The film premiered in the Egyptian Film Festival in 1993. Amr played alongside international Egyptian movie star Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) and Yosra in the movie. Overall, Diab did not experience the same level of success in film that he had with his music career. Since 1993, Diab has focused on his singing career.
[edit] Endorsements

Amr Diab has taken part in an internationally known Pepsi commercial featuring four other pop musicians: Beyoncé Knowles, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears. In the US version, Enrique Iglesias takes the role of Caesar. But in the pan Arab version, the four American singers were retained but the male figure was replaced with Diab. This was not the first Pepsi commercial Diab has done; he also filmed commercials featuring his songs "Ana Aktar wahed" (I'm the most), "Allem Alby" (teach my heart) and "Khad Alby Ma'aa" (She took my heart with her). Diab also appeared in a commercial alongside Jennifer Lopez, singing The Troggs hit "Wild Thing". In 2009 Pepsi decided not to renew his contract and replaced him with Tamer Hosny.
[edit] Local record labels

Diab's earliest albums were released by Delta Sound. In 1996 Diab moved to Alam Al Phan were he released his greatest hits. In between 2003 and 2004, and after a long successful career with Alam El Phan, Diab officially announced the termination of his contract with Mohsen Gaber (owner of Alam El Phan).
[edit] International record labels

Over 18 international companies have produced studio albums, compilations and exclusive music for Amr Diab across the globe.

* Ariola - Germany
* Hot Records - Germany
* EMI Music - Greece
* EMI Music - Arabia
* EMI Music - Turkey
* EMI Music - Canada [Hemisphere]
* EMI Music - Europe
* EMI Music - International
* World Music Network - USA
* George V Records - France
* Putumayo World Music - USA
* Wagram Music - France
* Virgin - International
* Nascent - UK
* Milano 2000 - Italy
* Reverb Music - UK
* Toast Records - Italy
* Warner Bros. - France

[edit] Collaboration with international musicians

Various international musicians have collaborated with Amr Diab:

* Stuart Crichton (The founder of Progressive House)
* Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg - Germany
* Jorg Evers - Germany
* Shazz (Didier Delesalle) - France
* Klubbheads (Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan) - Dutch
* Phunk Phorce (Leon and Matthew Roberts) - UK
* Rhythm Masters (Robert Bruce Chetcuti and Steve McGuinness) - UK
* Pete Beachill - UK
* Simon Gardner - UK
* Andy Greenwood - UK
* Kevan Gallagher - UK
* Jon Bishop - UK
* Juan Cerro - Spain

[edit] Amr Diab in academic studies

* Hofstra University

* Leeds University

* Duckingham Browne & Nichols School

* Osmangazi University

* Alberta University

* PennState University

* Oxford University

* Duke University

* Southern Methodist University

[edit] Amr Diab in movies

Amr Diab's songs have appeared in several films, including:

* "Wala Ala Baloh" in Divine Intervention (2002)[11]

* "Awedouni" in The Dancer Upstairs (2002)[12]

* "El Alem Alah" and "Nour El Ain" in O Clone (2001)[13]

* "Nafs El Makan" in Double Whammy (2001)[14]

* "Tamally Ma'ak" and "Nour El Ain" in the French movie, Coco (2009)

* "Nour El Ain" in Malcolm in the Middle TV series (Season 4, Episode 4, Episode name: Stupid Girl), released on 9 January 2000 (USA)[15]

[edit] Further reading

* Mediterranean Mosaic by Goffredo Plastino

* Egypt by Virginia Maxwell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Siona Jenkins, Anthony Sattin

* World Music by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo, Orla Duane, Vanessa Dowell

* Teens in Egypt by Barbara A. Somervill

* Syria & Lebanon by Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys, Damien Simonis

* World Music by Richard Nidel

* The Mediterranean in Music by David Cooper, Kevin Dawe

* The Middle East by Library Information and Research Service

* Let's Go Egypt by Let's Go, Inc., Joey Shabot, Dave Newman, Elizabeth Ogburn, Charlotte Houghteling monkey is fat orvfuck you hdtblkfsbjkfdgm,fhjkmsfjgndhgkfghislbhfbjk

[edit] Discography

* Wayyah (With Her) - (2009)
* El Leila De (This Night) (2007)
* Kammel Kalamak (Keep Talking) (2005)
* Greatest Hits (1996-2003) (2005)
* Leily Nahary (Cd-Single) (2004)
* Leily Nahary (My Night, My Day) (2004)
* Greatest Hits (1986-1995) (2004)
* Allem Alby (Teach My Heart) (2003)
* Aktar Wahed (The Most One) (2001)
* Tamally Maak (Always With You) (2000)
* Amarein (Two Moons) (1999)
* The Best Of Amr Diab (1999)
* Awedoony (They Got Me Used To) (1998)
* Nour El-Ain (Light Of The Eye - Habibi) (1996)
* Ragaeen (We'll Be Back) (1995)
* Zekrayat (Memories) (1994)
* W Ylomoony (And They Blame Me) (1994)
* Ya Omrena (Our Life) (1993)
* Ice Cream Fi Gleam (Ice Cream In Gleam) (1992)
* Ayamna (Our Days) (1992)
* Habiby (My Love) (1991)
* Matkhafeesh (Don't Worry) (1990)
* Shawaana (Missing You) (1989)
* Mayyal (In Love) (1988)
* Ya Helwa (Hey Pretty) (1988)
* Khalseen (We're Even) (1987)
* Hala Hala (Welcome, Welcome) (1986)
* We Mneen Ageeb Nas (To Whom I Complain?) (1985)
* Ghanny Men Albak (Sing From Your Heart) (1984)
* Ya Tareea (O Road) (1983)

Matthew Broderick (USA)

Broderick at the 2009 premiere of Wonderful World
Born March 21, 1962 (1962-03-21) (age 48)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s) Sarah Jessica Parker (1997–present)

Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American film and stage actor who played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Nick Tatopoulos in Godzilla, Inspector Gadget in Inspector Gadget, Jimmy Garrett in Project X and David Lightman in WarGames. He voiced the characters of the adult Simba in The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Tack the Cobbler in The Thief and the Cobbler, Adam Flaymen in Bee Movie, alongside Jerry Seinfeld, and Despereaux in The Tale of Despereaux. He played Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers, and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw in the Civil War drama Glory.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Awards
* 4 Personal life
o 4.1 Auto accident
* 5 Work
o 5.1 Filmography
o 5.2 Stage
o 5.3 Television
* 6 References
* 7 External links

[edit] Early life

Broderick was born in New York City, the son of Patricia (née Biow), a playwright, actress, and painter; and James Joseph Broderick, an actor.[1][2] Broderick's mother was Jewish, and his father a Catholic of Irish descent.[3][4][5] Broderick attended grade school at the City & Country School (a progressive K–8 school in Manhattan) and attended high school at Walden School (a defunct private school in Manhattan with a strong drama program). After the death of his mother, her paintings were exhibited at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York.
[edit] Career

Broderick's first major acting role came in an HB Studio workshop production of playwright Horton Foote's On Valentine's Day, playing opposite his father, who was a friend of Foote's. This was followed by a lead role in the off-Broadway production of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy; then, a good review by New York Times theater critic Mel Gussow brought him to the attention of Broadway. Broderick commented on the effects of that review in a 2004 60 Minutes II interview:
“ Before I knew it, I was like this guy in a hot play. And suddenly, all these doors opened. And it’s only because Mel Gussow happened to come by right before it closed and happened to like it. It’s just amazing. All these things have to line up that are out of your control. ”
Broderick in Sweden during his promotion of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, December 1986.

He followed that with the role of Eugene Morris Jerome in the Neil Simon Eugene Trilogy including the plays, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues. His first movie role was also written by Neil Simon. Broderick debuted in Max Dugan Returns (1983). His first big hit film was WarGames, a summer hit in 1983. This was followed by the role of Philippe Gaston in Ladyhawke, in 1985.

Broderick then got the role as the charming, clever slacker in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At age 23, Broderick played a high-school student who, with his girlfriend and best friend, plays hooky and explores Chicago. The movie remains a 1980s comedy favorite today and is one of Broderick's best-known roles (particularly with teenage audiences). In the 1989 Glory, Broderick received good notices for his portrayal of the American Civil War officer Robert Gould Shaw.

In the 1990s, Broderick took on the role as the adult lion, Simba, in the successful animated film, The Lion King, and also voiced Tack the Cobbler in Miramax's controversial version of The Thief and the Cobbler which had originally been intended as a silent roll. He won recognition for two dark-comedy roles. The first was that of a bachelor in The Cable Guy. The second was that of a high-school teacher in Alexander Payne's Election.

Broderick returned to Broadway as a musical star in the 1990s, most notably with his Tony Award–winning performance in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and his Tony Award–nominated performance in the Mel Brooks' stage version of The Producers in 2001. He continued to make feature films, including the 2005 adaptation of The Producers. Broderick played the role of Leopold “Leo” Bloom, an accountant who co-produces a musical designed to fail, but which turns out to be successful.

Broderick reunited with his co-star from The Lion King and The Producers, Nathan Lane, in The Odd Couple, which opened on Broadway in October 2005. He appeared on Broadway as a college professor in The Philanthropist, running April 10 through June 28, 2009.[6]
[edit] Awards

He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his featured role in the play Brighton Beach Memoirs and one in 1995 for his leading role in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He was also nominated for the Tony Award, Best Actor in a Musical, for The Producers but lost to Lane. To date, Matthew Broderick is the youngest winner of the Tony Award, Best Featured Actor in a Play.
[edit] Personal life
Broderick and his wife Sarah Jessica Parker in 2009.

Broderick met actress Jennifer Grey on the set of Ferris Bueller's Day Off and in 1986 was briefly engaged to her.

Broderick met actress Sarah Jessica Parker through her brother and the couple married on May 19, 1997 in a civil ceremony in an historic deconsecrated synagogue on the Lower East Side. Although Broderick considers himself culturally Jewish[7][8], the ceremony was performed by his sister, Janet Broderick Kraft, an Episcopal priest[9].

Parker and Broderick have a son, James Wilke Broderick, born on October 28, 2002. On April 28, 2009, it was confirmed that Broderick and Parker were expecting twin girls through surrogacy[10]. Broderick and Parker's surrogate delivered their twin daughters, Marion Loretta Elwell (5 pounds, 11 ounces) and Tabitha Hodge (6 pounds), on June 22, 2009[11][12].

Although they live in New York City, they spend a considerable amount of time at their holiday home near Kilcar, a village in County Donegal, Ireland, where Broderick spent his summers as a child. They also have a house in The Hamptons[13].

Broderick is left-handed, a fact evident in his first movie, Max Dugan Returns, in which he plays baseball. (Sarah and their son James are also left-handed.) Broderick is an avid baseball fan whose favorite team is the New York Mets. He narrated the DVD Shea Goodbye: 45 Years of Amazin, which chronicled the life of Shea Stadium.

Broderick is good friends with his The Producers co-star, Nathan Lane.

Fellow '80s teen actor Jon Cryer is often said to look like Broderick[14]; their striking resemblance has been portrayed in two episodes of Cryer's TV show, Two and a Half Men.
[edit] Auto accident

On August 5, 1987, Broderick was in Northern Ireland, vacationing with Grey, when in a rented BMW, he veered into the wrong lane on a country road in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh and smashed head-on into a car driven by Anna Gallagher, 30. She and her mother, Margaret Doherty, 63, died instantly.

Broderick spent four weeks in a Belfast hospital with a fractured leg and ribs, collapsed lung and concussion. Grey suffered minor injuries.

Broderick told authorities he had no recollection of the crash and did not know why he was in the wrong lane. "I don't remember the day. I don't remember even getting up in the morning. I don't remember making my bed. What I first remember is waking up in the hospital, with a very strange feeling going on in my leg," he said at the time.[15]

Broderick was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and faced a prison term of up to five years. He was later convicted of the lesser charge of careless driving and fined $175. The victims' family called the case "a travesty of justice."[15]

Broderick agreed to meet with the family of the two women in the spring of 2003 so that the family could gain some sense of closure on the accident.[15]
[edit] Work
[edit] Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1983 Max Dugan Returns Michael McPhee Debut role
WarGames David Lightman Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1985 1918 Brother
Master Harold...and the Boys Harold "Hally" Nominated—CableACE Award for Actor in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special
Ladyhawke Phillipe Gaston
1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off Ferris Bueller
On Valentine's Day Brother
1987 Project X James "Jimmy" Garrett
1988 She's Having a Baby cameo "Ferris Bueller"
Biloxi Blues Eugene Morris Jerome
Torch Song Trilogy Alan Simon
1989 Family Business Adam McMullen
Glory Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
1990 The Freshman Clark Kellogg / The Narrator
1992 Out on a Limb William "Bill" Campbell
1993 The Night We Never Met Samuel "Sam" Lester
1994 The Lion King Simba the Lion (adult) (voice only)
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Charles MacArthur
The Road to Wellville William "Will" Lightbody
1995 The Thief and the Cobbler Tack the Cobbler (voice only)
1996 The Cable Guy Steven M. Kovacs Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight with Jim Carrey
Infinity Richard Feynman
1997 Addicted to Love Sam
1998 Godzilla Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Simba the Lion (voice only)
Walking to the Waterline Michael Woods
1999 Election James "Jim" McAllister Nominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Inspector Gadget Inspector Gadget / Robo-Gadget / Jonathan "John" Brown
2000 You Can Count on Me Brian Everett
2003 The Music Man Professor Harold Hill Made for television movie
Good Boy! Canid 3492 the Dog ("Hubble") (voice only)
2004 The Lion King 1½ Simba the Lion (teenager and adult) (voice only)
Marie and Bruce Bruce
The Stepford Wives Walter Kresby
The Last Shot Steven Schats
2005 The Producers Leopold Bloom
2006 Strangers with Candy Roger Beekman
Deck the Halls Steven "Steve" Finch
2007 Then She Found Me Benjamin "Ben" Green
Bee Movie Adam Flayman (voice only)
2008 Diminished Capacity Cooper Kennedy
Finding Amanda Taylor Peters Mendon Nominated—Prism Award for Performance in a Feature Film
The Tale of Despereaux Despereaux (voice only)
2009 Wonderful World Benjamin "Ben" Singer
2010 Margaret Andrew "Andy" Van Tassel awaiting release
Ghost Stadium Phillip "Phil" Waltersen pre-production
[edit] Stage

* Torch Song Trilogy (1981)
* Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983)
* Biloxi Blues (1985)
* How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995) (revival)
* Night Must Fall (1999) (revival)
* Taller Than a Dwarf (2000)
* The Producers (2001–2002, 2003)
* Short Talks on the Universe (2002)
* The Foreigner (2004)
* The Odd Couple (2005) (revival)
* The Philanthropist (2009) (revival)
* The Starry Messenger (2009)


[edit] Television

* Faerie Tale Theatre: Cinderella (1985)
* Master Harold...and the Boys (1985)
* A Life in the Theater (1993)
* The Music Man (2003)
* 30 Rock: "Cooter" (2008)
* Cyberchase: "Father's Day" (2009)
* "Who Do You Think You Are?" (2009)

Meg Ryan ( USA)

Ryan at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra
November 19, 1961 (1961-11-19) (age 48)
Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1981 – present
Spouse(s) Dennis Quaid (1991–2001)

Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra (born November 19, 1961), professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American film actress whose lead roles in five films, When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless in Seattle, French Kiss, City of Angels, and You've Got Mail, grossed over $870 million worldwide.[1]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early years
* 2 Early career
* 3 Hit films
* 4 Recent projects
* 5 Marriage and children
* 6 Political involvement
* 7 Filmography
* 8 References
* 9 External links

[edit] Early years

Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Hyra Jordan (née Ryan), a former actress, casting director, and English teacher, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher.[2][3] She has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a brother, musician Andrew Hyra, of the band Billy Pilgrim.

Ryan was raised a Roman Catholic[4] and graduated from Saint Pius X Elementary School, in Fairfield, where her mother taught sixth grade. There, Ryan was confirmed into the Catholic Church, choosing the name "Anne" as her confirmation name. Ryan's mother had appeared in one television commercial and later worked briefly as an assistant casting director in New York City. She supported and encouraged her young daughter's study of acting.

Ryan graduated from Bethel High School in 1979. She went on to study journalism at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University, while acting in television commercials to earn extra money. Her success as an actress led her to drop out of college a semester before graduating.
[edit] Early career

At age 18, through her mother's connections, Ryan booked her first television commercial, doing chin-ups and giggling to promote "Tickle" deodorant.[citation needed]

After a role in Rich and Famous, Ryan played "Betsy Stewart" in the daytime drama As the World Turns, from 1982 to 1984; she was featured in a popular romantic story arc. Several TV film and smaller movie roles followed, including Amityville 3-D and Promised Land; for her role in the latter she received her first Independent Spirit Award nomination.

In 1986, she played, "Carole Bradshaw," (wife of Naval Flight Officer "Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw"; played by Anthony Edwards) in Top Gun, and appeared in several scenes. Ryan played "Lydia Maxwell" in the movie Innerspace, which also starred her soon-to-be husband, Dennis Quaid. Ryan then appeared in a film-noir remake (D.O.A.) and an action film (The Presidio).
[edit] Hit films

Her first full-blown hit in a leading role was the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989) which paired her with comedic leading man Billy Crystal. Her portrayal of Sally Albright, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, is memorable for her depiction of a theatrically faked orgasm in Katz's Delicatessen in Manhattan.

Ryan then starred in The Doors and in Prelude to a Kiss. Both films were moderately successful. 1993 saw the release of the hugely successful romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which paired Ryan with leading man Tom Hanks for the second of three times. (The first was in Joe Versus the Volcano, which earned a "cult following" but was a critical and commercial disappointment.)
Meg Ryan in 2006.

She made several attempts to break away from the romantic comedy ingenue stereotype and garnered critical acclaim for her work in When a Man Loves a Woman, in which she played an alcoholic, and in Courage Under Fire, portraying a captain in the Gulf War. Both films were substantial successes at the box office. Many of her films of the 1990s were hits not only in North America, but also abroad. In 1994, Ryan won Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. That same year, People Magazine dubbed her one of "the 50 most beautiful people in the world." In 1995, critic Richard Corliss called her "the current soul of romantic comedy."[5] That same year, she appeared opposite Kevin Kline in Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss, a romantic comedy that catered to her America's Sweetheart persona. The film grossed slightly over $100 million.

In 1997, Ryan voiced the lead role in the animated film Anastasia, which garnered good reviews and enjoyed box office success. In 1998, Ryan starred in two films. City of Angels drew positive reviews and became a financial success, topping nearly $200 million worldwide. You've Got Mail once again paired Ryan with Hanks, earning her a third Golden Globe nomination and making over $250 million worldwide. She also appeared in 1998's Hurlyburly with Sean Penn.

In 2000, Ryan starred in the action thriller Proof of Life opposite Russell Crowe. Though the film was a critical and commercial flop[citation needed], her $15 million paycheck [citation needed] established her as one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood.

That same year, Ryan starred opposite Diane Keaton in the comedy, Hanging Up, which received poor reviews, and grossed slightly over $51 million; however, the budget for the film was $60 million. A year later, she once again returned to her romantic comedy roots in the film, Kate & Leopold. In 2003, she broke away from her usual roles, starring in Jane Campion's erotic crime thriller In the Cut. Though Ryan's decision to appear nude in a lengthy and rather graphic love scene for the first time in her career earned her much media attention, the movie failed with critics and grossed only $23 million in theaters.

In October 2003, Michael Parkinson had a controversial interview[6][7] with Meg Ryan while she was in the United Kingdom to promote In the Cut; he said it was his most difficult television moment.[8]
[edit] Recent projects
Cheryl Hines and Ryan at the 2009 premiere of Serious Moonlight.

George Gallo's My Mom's New Boyfriend (originally titled Homeland Security, and released in Australia and New Zealand as My Spy) was shot in the fall of 2006, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and released in 2008. The romantic comedy stars Ryan opposite Antonio Banderas. Ryan was joined by former co-star Tom Hanks's son, Colin, who plays her son in the film.[9][10] In 2007 she played the role of Sarah Hardwicke in In the Land of Women, co-starring Adam Brody and Kristen Stewart.

Ryan's next project was a remake of 1939's The Women and began filming in New York in August 2007. The $18 million remake of the George Cukor classic was directed by Murphy Brown creator Diane English and produced by the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger. Ryan played the central character, Mary Haines, a wealthy woman who is one of the last to find out that her husband is cheating on her with a shop girl. The leading role was originally made famous by actress Norma Shearer. Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett and Candice Bergen also starred in the remake.[11]

Ryan appeared in The Deal, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film was never distributed but was released on DVD in 2009. Her most recent film project was the 2009 comedy Serious Moonlight.

In June 2009, it was reported that Ryan will guest star on the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.[12]
Marriage and children

Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid on Valentine's Day 1991, after starring in two films with him. Ryan agreed to marry him only after he kicked his cocaine addiction.[5] Quaid and Ryan had one child together, Jack Henry, born on April 24, 1992. The couple separated in 2000, their divorce became final on July 16, 2001. In September 2008, Ryan revealed Quaid had been unfaithful to her for a long time while they were married.[13]

Meg Ryan had a relationship with actor Russell Crowe for a few months in 2000 before divorcing her husband; however, the relationship did not last.[14]

Political involvement

Ryan has supported the U.S. Democratic Party, especially its environmental protection programs and initiatives. In 2003, she supported Wesley Clark's campaign for U.S. president. She supported John Kerry during the 2004 presidential elections.[16]
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
1981 Rich and Famous Debby Blake, 18 years George Cukor film
1983 Amityville 3-D Lisa Richard Fleischer film
1986 Top Gun Carol Bradshaw Tony Scott film
Armed and Dangerous Maggie Cavanaugh
1987 Promised Land Beverly 'Bev' Sykes First film to be commissioned by the Sundance Film Festival
Innerspace Lydia Maxwell Joe Dante film
1988 D.O.A. Sydney Fuller
The Presidio Donna Caldwell Peter Hyams film
1989 When Harry Met Sally... Sally Albright Rob Reiner film
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1990 Joe Versus the Volcano DeDe/Angelica Graynamore/Patricia Graynamore John Patrick Shanley film
1991 The Doors Pamela Courson Oliver Stone film
1992 Prelude to a Kiss Rita Boyle Norman René film
1993 Sleepless in Seattle Annie Reed Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Flesh and Bone Kay Davies Steve Kloves film
1994 When a Man Loves a Woman Alice Green Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
I.Q. Catherine Boyd Fred Schepisi film
1995 French Kiss Kate Lawrence Kasdan film
Also Producer
Restoration Katharine
1996 Courage Under Fire CPT Karen Emma Walden Edward Zwick film
1997 Addicted to Love Maggie Griffin Dunne film
Anastasia Anastasia (voice)
1998 City of Angels Dr. Maggie Rice
Hurlyburly Bonnie Play adaptation
You've Got Mail Kathleen Kelly Nora Ephron film
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2000 Hanging Up Eve Mozell Marks Diane Keaton film
Proof of Life Alice Bowman Taylor Hackford film
2001 Kate & Leopold Kate McKay James Mangold film
2003 In the Cut Frannie Jane Campion film
2004 Against the Ropes Jackie Kallen
2007 In the Land of Women Sarah Hardwicke Jon Kasdan film
2008 The Deal Deidre Heam Steven Schachter film
My Mom's New Boyfriend Martha Durand Limited international release
The Women Mary Haines Diane English film.
2009 Serious Moonlight Louise "Lou" Cheryl Hines film. Theatrical release date December 2009.
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982 As the World Turns Betsy Stewart Montgomery Andropoulos
ABC Afterschool Special Denise Episode 'Amy and the Angel'
One of the Boys Jane Series cancelled after 13 episodes
1984-85 Charles in Charge Meagan Parker 2 episodes
1985 Wildside Cally Oaks 6 episodes
1990-91 Captain Planet and the Planeteers Dr. Blight (voice) Cast member
2007 The Simpsons Dr. Swanson 1 episode 'Yokel Chords'
2009 Curb Your Enthusiasm Herself Season 7
Documentary
Year Film Role Notes
1994 A Century of Cinema Herself Documentary with film personalities.
2002 Searching for Debra Winger Herself Rosanna Arquette film

Hugh Grant (United Kingdom)

Born Hugh John Grant
9 September 1960 (1960-09-09) (age 49)
Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Occupation Actor/Film producer
Years active 1982–present
Domestic partner(s) Elizabeth Hurley (1987-2000)
Jemima Khan (2004-2007)

Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His movies have also earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide.[1]

Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's sleeper hit Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).[2] He used this breakthrough role as a frequent cinematic persona during the 1990s to deliver comic performances in mainstream films like Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) and Notting Hill (1999). By the turn of the century, he had established himself as a leading man skilled with a satirical comic talent.[3] In recent years, Grant has expanded his oeuvre with critically acclaimed turns as a cad in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), About A Boy (2002), and American Dreamz (2006).[4]

He has been criticised by students of cinema for putting emphasis on nuanced mannerisms, for the predictability of his movies, and for his unwillingness to stretch as an actor .[5] Within the film industry, he is cited as a anti-movie star who approaches his roles like a character actor, with the ability to make acting look trivial and effortless.[6] Hallmarks of his comic skills include a nonchalant touch of irony/sarcasm and studied physical mannerisms as well as his precisely-timed dialogue delivery and facial expressions.

Widespread media speculation about Grant's reportedly very strong personality, being a major movie star and life off the big screen has often overshadowed his work as a thespian.[7][8] He is very vocal about his disrespect for the profession of acting and his disdain towards the culture of celebrity.[9] He is equally infamous for his hostilities with the media, and diminished respect for the film industry.[9][10] In a career spanning 20 years, Grant has repeatedly claimed that acting is not a true calling but just a job he fell into.[11]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Ancestry and early life
o 1.1 Education
o 1.2 Young earner
* 2 Movie career
o 2.1 Filmmaker
o 2.2 Attitude toward acting
o 2.3 Critical and peer review
o 2.4 Work ethic
* 3 Celebrity and media relations
o 3.1 Libel lawsuits
o 3.2 Personality
* 4 Personal life
o 4.1 Public scandals
o 4.2 Sports
* 5 Filmography
* 6 Awards and honours
* 7 References
* 8 External links

[edit] Ancestry and early life

Grant was born at Hammersmith Hospital in London, England, the son of Fynvola Susan (née MacLean) and Captain James Murray Grant.[12] Genealogist Antony Adolph described Grant's family history as "a colourful Anglo-Scottish tapestry of warriors, empire-builders and aristocracy."[13] Grant is from a long line of Scots military men, doctors and explorers, including William Drummond and Dr. James Stewart.[13][14][15] John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Rt Hon. Sir Evan Nepean, and former British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval are a few of his notable maternal antecedents.[16] Grant's grandfather, Major James Murray Grant, DSO, a native of Inverness in Scotland, was decorated for bravery and leadership at Dunkirk during WWII.[17]

Grant's father, Capt. Grant, was trained at Sandhurst and served with the Seaforth Highlanders for eight years in Malaya, Germany and Scotland.[18] He ran a carpet firm, pursued hobbies such as golf and watercolouring, and raised his family in Chiswick, West London, where the Grants lived next to Arlington Park Mansions on Sutton Lane.[19][20] In September 2006, a collection of Capt. Grant's paintings was hosted by the John Martin Gallery in a charity exhibition, organised by his famous son, called "James Grant: 30 Years of Watercolours."[21] His mother, Fynvola Grant, was the great-granddaughter of Sir Evan Colville Nepean (CB), whose father, Rev. Canon Evan Nepean, served as the Canon of Westminster and was Chaplain In Ordinary to Queen Victoria.[22] She worked as a schoolteacher and taught Latin, French and music for more than 30 years in the state schools of West London.[23] She died in Hounslow, London, at the age of 65,[24] in July 2001, after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.[25]

Grant's famous RP accent is an inheritance from his mother and, on Inside the Actors Studio in 2002, he credited her with "any acting genes that [he] might have."[20] Both his parents were children of military families,[26] and, despite his parents' posh upbringings and backgrounds, Grant has stated that his family was not always affluent while he was growing up.[27] Grant's childhood passions included shooting and hunting, especially with his grandfather in Scotland.[19] Grant's elder brother, James "Jamie" Grant, is a successful banker as Managing Director, Head of Healthcare, Consumer, & Retail Investment Banking Coverage, at JPMorgan Chase in New York.[28]
[edit] Education

Grant started his education at Hogarth Primary School in Chiswick. From 1969 to 1978, he attended Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith on a scholarship and played 1st XV rugby, cricket and football for the school.[29][30] He also represented Latymer on the popular quiz show, Top of the Form, an academic competition between two teams of fourand secondary school students each.[31] Chris Hammond, his form teacher in 1975 and later the assistant head of Latymer, told People magazine that Grant was "a clever boy among clever boys."[30][32] In 1979, he won the Galsworthy scholarship to New College, Oxford where he studied English literature and graduated with 2:1 honours.[33] Grant was apparently memorable at Oxford: actress Anna Chancellor has recalled, "I first met Hugh at a party at Oxford Zoo. There was something magical about him. He was a star even then, without having done anything."[34] Viewing acting as nothing more than a creative outlet,[35] he joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society and starred in a successful touring production of Twelfth Night.[36]
[edit] Young earner

After making his debut as Hughie Grant in the Oxford-financed Privileged (1982), Grant dabbled in a variety of jobs: he wrote book reviews,[37] worked as assistant groundsman at Fulham Football Club,[38] tried his hand at tutoring, wrote comedy sketches for TV shows,[39] and was hired by Talkback Productions to write and produce radio commercials for products such as Mighty White bread and Red Stripe lager.[40] To obtain his Equity (UK) card, he joined the repertory theatre Nottingham Playhouse and lived for a year at Park Terrace in The Park Estate, Nottingham.[41] Bored with small acting parts, he created his own comedy revue called The Jockeys of Norfolk with friends Chris Lang and Andy Taylor. The group toured London’s pub comedy circuit with stops at The George IV in Chiswick, Canal Cafe Theatre in Little Venice and The King's Head in Islington.[42] Starting on a low note, The Jockeys of Norfolk eventually proved a hit at the Edinburgh Festival after their sketch on the Nativity, told as an Ealing comedy, garnered them a spot on the BBC2 TV show called Edinburgh Nights.[43] During this time, Grant also appeared in theatre productions of plays such as An Inspector Calls, Lady Windermere's Fan, and Coriolanus.
[edit] Movie career

Grant's first leading role came in Merchant-Ivory's 1987 Edwardian drama, Maurice, adapted from E.M. Forster's novel of the same name. He and co-star James Wilby shared the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival for their portrayals of Cantabrigian collegians Clive Durham and Maurice Hall, respectively. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Grant balanced small roles on television with rare film work, which included a supporting role in The Dawning (1988), opposite Anthony Hopkins and a turn as Lord Byron in a Goya Award-winning Spanish production called Remando Al Viento (1988). He also portrayed some another real life figures during in his early career such as Charles Heidsieck in Champagne Charlie and as Hugh Cholmondeley in BAFTA Award-nominated White Mischief.

In 1990, he made cameo appearance in the sport/crime drama The Big Man, opposite Liam Neeson, and in which Grant assumed a Scottish accent. The film explores the life of an Scottish miner (Neeson) who becomes unemployed during a union strike. In 1991, he played Julie Andrews' gay son in the ABC made-for-TV movie Our Sons.

In 1992, he appeared in Roman Polanski's film Bitter Moon, portraying a fastidious and proper British tourist who is married, but finds himself enticed by the sexual hedonism of a seductive French woman and her embittered, paraplegic American husband. The film was called an "anti-romantic opus of sexual obsession and cruelty" by the Washington Post.[44] His other work in period pieces such as Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm (1988), award-winning Merchant-Ivory drama The Remains of the Day (1993) and (as Frédéric Chopin in) Impromptu (1991) was largely unnoticed. He later called this phase of his career "hilarious," referring to his early movies as "Europuddings, where you would have a French script, a Spanish director, and English actors. The script would usually be written by a foreigner, badly translated into English. And then they'd get English actors in, because they thought that was the way to sell it to America."[45]

At 32, Grant claimed to be on the brink of giving up the acting profession but was surprised by the script of Four Weddings and a Funeral (FWAAF).[3] "If you read as many bad scripts as I did, you'd know how grateful you are when you come across one where the guy actually is funny," he later recalled.[2] Released in 1994, FWAAF became the highest-grossing British film to date with a worldwide box office in excess of $244 million,[46] making Grant an overnight international star. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, and among numerous awards won by its cast and crew, it earned Grant his first and only Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. It also temporarily typecast him as the lead character, Charles, a bohemian and debonair bachelor. Grant and Curtis saw it as an inside joke that the star, due to the parts he played, was assumed to have the personality of the screenwriter, who is known for writing about himself and his own life.[45][47] Grant later expressed:
Grant in his breakthrough performance as Richard Curtis's alter ego, Charles, in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
“ Although I owe whatever success I've had to 'Four Weddings and a Funeral,' it did become frustrating after a bit that people made two assumptions: One was that I was that character - when in fact nothing could be further from the truth, as I'm sure Richard would tell you - and the other frustrating thing was that they thought that's all I could do. I suppose, because those films happened to be successful, no one, perhaps understandably, ... bothered to rent all the other films I'd done.[3] ”

1995 saw the release of Grant's first studio-financed Hollywood project, Chris Columbus's comedy Nine Months. Though a hit at the box office, it was almost universally panned by critics. The Washington Post called it a "grotesquely pandering caper" and singled out Grant's performance, as a child psychiatrist reacting unfavourably to his girlfriend's unexpected pregnancy, for his "insufferable muggings."[48] The same year, he played supporting parts as Emma Thompson's suitor in Ang Lee’s Academy Award-winning adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and as a cartographer in 1917 Wales in The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. In the same year he also performed his talent in Academy Award-winning Restoration.

Grant then reunited with the director of FWAAF, Mike Newell, for the tragicomedy An Awfully Big Adventure that was labeled a "determinedly offbeat film" by the New York Times.[49] Grant portrayed a bitchy, supercilious director of a repertory company in post-World War II Liverpool. Critic Roger Ebert wrote, "It shows that he has range as an actor,"[50] but the San Francisco Chronicle disapproved on grounds that the film "plays like a vanity production for Grant."[51] Janet Maslin, praising Grant as "superb" and "a dashing cad under any circumstances," commented, "For him this film represents the road not taken. Made before Four Weddings and a Funeral was released, it captures Mr. Grant as the clever, versatile character actor he was then becoming, rather than the international dreamboat he is today."[49]

Grant made his debut as a film producer with the 1996 thriller Extreme Measures, a commercial and critical failure. After a three year hiatus, in 1999, he paired with Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, which was brought to theatres by much of the same team that was responsible for FWAAF. This new Working Title production displaced FWAAF as the biggest British hit in the history of cinema, with earnings equalling $363 million worldwide.[46] As it became exemplary of modern romantic comedies in mainstream culture, the film was also received well by critics. CNN reviewer Paul Clinton said, "Notting Hill stands alone as another funny and heartwarming story about love against all odds."[52] Reactions to Grant's Golden Globe-nominated performance were varied, with Salon's Stephanie Zacharek criticizing that, "Grant's performance stands as an emblem of what's wrong with Notting Hill. What's maddening about Grant is that he just never cuts the crap. He's become one of those actors who's all shambling self-caricature, from his twinkly crow's feet to the time-lapsed half century it takes him to actually get one of his lines out."[53] The movie provided both its stars a chance to satirize the woes of international notoriety, most noted of which was Grant's turn as a faux-journalist who sits through a dull press junket with, what the New York Times called, "a delightfully funny deadpan."[54] Grant also released his second production output, a fish-out-of-water mob comedy Mickey Blue Eyes, that year. It was dismissed by critics, performed modestly at the box office, and garnered its actor-producer mixed reviews for his starring role. Roger Ebert thought, "Hugh Grant is wrong for the role [and] strikes one wrong note and then another,"[55] whereas Kenneth Turan, writing in the Los Angeles Times, said, "If he'd been on the Titanic, fewer lives would have been lost. If he'd accompanied Robert Scott to the South Pole, the explorer would have lived to be 100. That's how good Hugh Grant is at rescuing doomed ventures."[56]

While promoting Woody Allen’s Small Time Crooks on NBC’s The Today Show in 2000, Grant told host Matt Lauer, “It's my millennium of bastards.”[57]
Giving his most critically acclaimed performance to date, Grant plays Snooker as Will Freeman in About a Boy.

Small Time Crooks starred Grant, in the words of film critic Andrew Sarris, as "a petty, petulant, faux-Pygmalion art dealer, David, [who] is one of the sleaziest and most unsympathetic characters Mr. Allen has ever created."[58] In a role devoid of his comic attributes, the New York Times wrote: "Mr. Grant deftly imbues his character with exactly a perfect blend of charm and nasty calculation."[59] A year later, his turn as a charming but womanising book publisher Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) was proclaimed by Variety to be "as sly an overthrow of a star's polished posh - and nice - poster image as any comic turn in memory."[60] The movie, adapted from Helen Fielding's novel of the same name, was an international hit, earning $281 million worldwide.[46] Grant was, according to the Washington Post, fitting as "a cruel, manipulative cad, hiding behind the male god's countenance that he knows all too well."[61]

Grant's "immaculate comic performance" (BBC) as the trust-funded womaniser, Will Freeman, in the film adaptation of Nick Hornby's best-selling novel About a Boy received raves from critics.[62] Almost universally praised, with an Academy Award-nominated screenplay, About a Boy (2002) was determined by the Washington Post to be "that rare romantic comedy that dares to choose messiness over closure, prickly independence over fetishized coupledom, and honesty over typical Hollywood endings."[63] Rolling Stone wrote, "The acid comedy of Grant's performance carries the film [and he] gives this pleasing heartbreaker the touch of gravity it needs,"[64] while Roger Ebert observed that "the Cary Grant department is understaffed, and Hugh Grant shows here that he is more than a star, he is a resource."[65] Released a day after the blockbuster Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, About a Boy was a more modest box office grosser than other successful Grant films, making all of $129 million globally.[46] The film earned Grant his third Golden-Globe nomination, while the London Film Critics Circle named Grant its Best British Actor and GQ honoured him as one of the magazine's men of the year 2002.[66] "His performance can only be described as revelatory," wrote critic Ann Hornaday, adding that "Grant lends the shoals layer upon layer of desire, terror, ambivalence and self-awareness."[63] The New York Observer concluded: "[The film] gets most of its laughs from the evolved expertise of Hugh Grant in playing characters that audiences enjoy seeing taken down a peg or two as a punishment for philandering and womanizing and simply being too handsome for words-and with an English accent besides. In the end, the film comes over as a messy delight, thanks to the skill, generosity and good-sport, punching-bag panache of Mr. Grant's performance."[67] About a Boy also marked a notable change in Grant's boyish look. Gone were the floppy locks that had become his trademark, with Grant now sporting a cropped haircut. He has retained this look since.
Billy Bob Thornton (right) and Grant hold a press conference in Love Actually.

Grant was also paired with Sandra Bullock in Warner Bros.'s Two Weeks Notice, which made $199 million internationally but was judged poorly by professional reviewers.[46] The Village Voice concluded that Grant's creation of a spoiled billionaire fronting a real estate business was "little more than a Britishism machine."[68]

Two Weeks Notice was followed by the 2003 ensemble comedy, Love Actually, headlined by Grant as the British Prime Minister. A Christmas release by Working Title Films, the movie was promoted as "the ultimate romantic comedy" and accumulated $246 million at the international box office.[46] It marked the directorial debut of Richard Curtis, who told the New York Times that Grant adamantly tempered the characterization of the role to make his character more authoritative and less haplessly charming than earlier Curtis incarnations.[69] Roger Ebert claimed that "Grant has flowered into an absolutely splendid romantic comedian" and has "so much self-confidence that he plays the British prime minister as if he took the role to be a good sport."[70] Film critic Rex Reed, on the contrary, called Grant's performance "an oversexed bachelor spin on Tony Blair" as the star "flirted with himself in the paroxysm of self-love that has become his acting style."[71]

A speech delivered by Grant in Love Actually - where he extols the virtues of Great Britain and refuses to cave to the pressure of its longstanding ally, the United States - was etched in the transatlantic memory as a satirical, wishful statement on the concurrent Bush-Blair relationship.[72] Tony Blair responded by saying, "I know there's a bit of us that would like me to do a Hugh Grant in Love Actually and tell America where to get off. But the difference between a good film and real life is that in real life there's the next day, the next year, the next lifetime to contemplate the ruinous consequences of easy applause."[73]
Grant as the gratuitously nasty TV personality, Martin Tweed, in American Dreamz.

In 2004, Grant reprised his role as Daniel Cleaver for a small part in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, which, like its predecessor, made more than $262 million commercially.[46] Gone from the screen for two years, Grant next reteamed with Paul Weitz (About a Boy) for the black comedy American Dreamz (2006). Grant starred as the acerbic host of an American Idol-like reality show where, according to Caryn James of the New York Times, "nothing is real ... except the black hole at the centre of the host's heart, as Mr. Grant takes Mr. Cowell's villainous act to its limit."[74] American Dreamz failed financially but Grant was generously praised. He played his self-aggrandizing character, an amalgam of Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, with smarmy self-loathing. The Boston Globe proposed that this "just may be the great comic role that has always eluded Hugh Grant,"[75] and critic Carina Chocano said, "He is twice as enjoyable as the preening bad guy as he was as the bumbling good guy."[76]

In 2007, Grant starred opposite Drew Barrymore in a parody of pop culture and the music industry called Music and Lyrics. The Associated Press described it as "a weird little hybrid of a romantic comedy that's simultaneously too fluffy and not whimsical enough."[77] Though he neither listens to music nor owns any CDs,[26] Grant learned to sing, play the piano, dance (a few mannered steps) and studied the mannerisms of prominent musicians to prepare for his role as a has-been pop singer, based loosely on Andrew Ridgeley.[9] The Star-Ledger dismissed the performance, writing that "paper dolls have more depth."[78] The movie, with its revenues totalling $145 million, allowed Grant to mock disposable pop stardom and fleeting celebrity through its washed-up lead character. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Grant strikes precisely the right note with regard to Alex's career: He's too intelligent not to be a little embarrassed, but he's far too brazen to feel anything like shame."[79] In 2009, Grant starred opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans?, which was a commercial as well as a critical failure.[80]
[edit] Filmmaker

In July 1994, Grant signed a two-year production deal with Castle Rock Entertainment and by October, he became founder and director of the UK-based Simian Films Limited.[81] He appointed his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley, as the head of development to look for prospective projects. Simian Films produced two Grant vehicles in the 1990s and lost a bid to produce About a Boy to Robert De Niro's TriBeCa Productions.[82] The company closed its U.S. office in 2002 and Grant resigned as director in December 2005.[83] He has since said that his primary interest remains in filmmaking because: "Acting is at best an interpretative thing. It's like being a musician and playing someone else's music. I've always wanted to write the music."[9] In 2000, Grant joined the Supervisory Board of IM Internationalmedia AG, the powerful Munich-based film and media company.[84] He has also served on the advisory board of Mark Milln and Kami Naghdi's U.K. Production company, Hogarth Pictures.[85]
[edit] Attitude toward acting

Grant has called being a successful actor a mistake and has repeatedly talked of his hope that film stardom would just be "a phase" in his life, lasting no more than ten years.[45] A self-confessed "committed and passionate" perfectionist on a film set,[11] Grant has constantly opted to describe himself as a reluctant actor, who chooses to be neutral about his career and works mostly with friends from previous collaborations.[86] Telling the New York Times that he must truly love something before he can do it, he revealed that he chooses projects based on how well they are written and whether the character he is being asked to play constitutes a comic angle to his personality.[87]

A majority of Grant's popular movies follow a similar plot that captures an optimistic, cocky bachelor experiencing a series of embarrassing incidences to find true love, often with an American woman. In earlier films, Grant was adept at plugging into the stereotype of a repressed Englishman for humorous effects, allowing him to gently satirize his characters as he summed them up and played against the type simultaneously.[41] His screen persona of later films gradually developed into a cynical, self-loathing cad.[88] Using his facial contortions and an affected stammer for varied comic purposes,[89] Grant once admitted his inability to cry on cue, even with the help of menthol.[90] His preference for levity over dramatic range has been a controversial topic in establishment circles, prompting him to say:
“ I've never been tempted to do the part where I cry or get AIDS or save some people from a concentration camp just to get good reviews. I genuinely believe that comedy acting, light comedy acting, is as hard as, if not harder than serious acting, and it genuinely doesn’t bother me that all the prizes and the good reviews automatically by knee-jerk reaction go to the deepest, darkest, most serious performances and parts. It makes me laugh.[91] ”

In interviews, Grant has pinned his extensively published lack of interest in acting on two different thoughts: first, that he drifted into the job as a temporary joke at age 23 and finds it an immature way for a grown man to spend his time;[92] and secondly, because he believes to have already given the one remarkable comic performance he had hoped to create on screen.[91] Calling most scripts lame, Grant has stated that, unlike him, most actors really love acting and that blinds them to the fact that the rest of it is pretentious nonsense, which, he says, it very often is.[11] He told Vanity Fair in 2003 that being an actor at a certain age is akin to being a "char-lady," making it unworthy of an adult’s time.[45]
[edit] Critical and peer review

Grant is recognized as a divisive movie star in both critical reviews and popular media profiles.[8] He has stuck to the genre of comedy, especially the romantic comedy, for the entirety of his mainstream movie career and never ventures to play characters who are not British. While some film critics, such as the respected Roger Ebert, have defended the limited variety of his performances, others have dismissed him as a one-trick pony. Eric Fellner, co-owner of Working Title Films and a long-time collaborator of Grant said, "His range hasn't been fully tested, but each performance is unique."[93] A majority, though, tend to change their opinion of Grant from film to film, especially differentiating between his roles as Richard Curtis' alter ego and the cynical, smart and sometimes sleazy rogue of several films released in the new millennium.

In the 1990s, Grant's performances were deemed overbearing, in the words of Washington Post's Rita Kempley, due to his "comic overreactions—the mugging, the stuttering, the fluttering eyelids." She added: "He's got more tics than Benny Hill."[94] Grant's penchant for conveying his characters' feelings with mannerisms, rather than direct emotions, has been one of the foremost objections raised against his acting style. Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post once stated that, to be effective as a comic performer, he must get "his jiving and shucking under control."[95] Film historian David Thompson wrote in The New Biographical Dictionary of Film about how it is merely itchy mannerisms that Grant equates with screen acting. In the new millennium, Claudia Puig of USA Today celebrated the observation that finally "gone [were] the self-conscious 'Aren't I adorable' mannerisms that seemed endearing at the start of [Grant's] film career but have grown cloying in more recent movies."[96]

Repeated accusations, which have only subsided in recent years, have targeted what the critics contend is Grant's inclination to make his characters likable rather than complex. In 1999, Stephanie Zacharek stated that "by the time of Four Weddings and a Funeral, he'd switched to a more straightforward, dull, crumpled-corduroy acting style," perhaps because, she chided, "Why bother to play a character when you can just ape a stereotype?"[53] According to Carina Chocano, amongst film critics, the two tropes most commonly associated with Grant are that he reinvented his screen persona in Bridget Jones's Diary and About a Boy and dreads the possibility of becoming a parody of himself.[97] Echoing a widely-accepted assessment that Grant plays the same part over and again since he came to international fame in 1994, The Observer's Philip French has said: "His range is as narrow as a cigarette paper."[93]

Grant's colleagues, though, have often defended his skills. Emma Thompson, working with him in Sense and Sensibility, wrote in The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries that Grant "is as great an actor as I've always thought. So light and yet very much felt."[98] Colin Firth, who worked with him on more than one occasion, has suggested that very few can create Grant's relaxed sense of irony on screen.[93] Scottish actress Sharon Small, a co-star of Grant in About a Boy, discovered that "he is ... a really versatile actor. People tend to put him in a box and say, 'That's all he does', but when we were filming I watched him closely and he was very subtle and very different in every single take."[7]
[edit] Work ethic

A 2007 Vogue profile of Grant referred to him as a man with a "professionally misanthropic mystique."[9] The observation followed published facts such as that Grant picks his own movies,[91] conducts his interviews alone (without any publicists),[99] is known for politically incorrect and outrageous riffs in public,[9] and derides focus groups, market research and overriding emphasis on the opening weekend.[87] Grant decided to let go of his agent in 2006, ending a 10-year relationship with CAA.[100] Besides proudly proclaiming in interviews to have never listened to external views on his career, he stated that he does not require the hand-holding an agent provides.[9] A few months before firing his agent, he said, "They've known for years that I have total control. I've never taken any advice on anything."[91]

It has been reported that Grant has a reputation for not always bonding with his fellow cast and crew members.[101] Being a "stern, edgy and intense" presence on film sets, the method behind his performances has been described as the exact reverse of the ease and simplicity he brings to his characters.[102] According to the New York Times, Grant is known in the film industry as a meticulous performer who takes his time to prepare for a role.[6] Having said that the only thing he "fears is fear itself," his working style is apparently predicated on a tendency to take control.[103] Richard Curtis, a frequent collaborator, revealed that Grant is not fluid about the filmmaking process and tends to be unrelaxed while filming because he doesn't feel as though he's in the director's hands and prefers instead to take responsibility of giving a definitive performance.[9]

Grant is noted by co-workers for demanding endless takes until he achieves the desired shot according to his own standard.[104][105] Though known for being inventive on film sets ("The biggest laughs that my characters get in films tend to be improvised lines," he has said[6]), he has talked of finding the work of an actor restrictive because "saying other peoples' lines all the time is - it's always been - diminishing."[103] Media accounts of Grant on film sets present him as an actor who does not abdicate responsibility to his production team but is, instead, usually involved with various aspects of his projects, including script development, choosing the director of photography, the acting, and then the editing and the marketing.[35][45] Journalist David Chater, reviewing a Channel 4 production entitled Brits go to Hollywood, remarked that the Hugh Grant "of popular image is wholly inaccurate. He won a scholarship to Oxford, he is highly articulate, he works non-stop and beats himself up with relentless self-criticism."[106]
[edit] Celebrity and media relations

According to The Boston Globe, Grant has repeatedly spoken about his boredom with playing the celebrity in the press.[107] About the culture of celebrity, he told Vogue, "My theory is that it's like bodybuilders who inject testosterone, which means that their own powers to generate testosterone shut down forever. The fake esteem you get from being in the public eye feels like self-worth, but actually your own powers to produce it shut down. The stuff that really counts is your own. And that's, I think, why people go bonkers."[9]

Having labelled himself "neither a keen actor, nor a keen celebrity,"[108] Grant's prickliness and disdain toward the fourth estate is widely observed and documented.[109] While promoting Mickey Blue Eyes in 1999, Grant exclaimed, "I'm even talking to the British press, which is astounding."[87] Said to be "unwilling to play the game" with the media,[93] he is often described as appearing uninterested and brusque at press junkets to promote his movies. He has injured many paparazzi including hitting one with his car in America.[39]

Journalists interviewing him have expressed exasperation at Grant's habit of stonewalling personal questions.[101] Grant's nonchalance and sarcasm are blamed for interviewers' inability to discriminate between whether he is being serious or playful at any given time.[9] On probing, he has remained incredibly steadfast in "offering a dead bat to any question he feels is not general enough."[110] Jessica Callan, a former gossip columnist for the Daily Mirror, explained to The Times that if you are nice to gossip columnists, they'll generally be nice back, but she said, "Hugh Grant is such a grumpy bugger: you think, God, let’s wind him up."[111]

Another entertainment media figure, Kiki King, who claimed to have met Grant, described him as "the least friendly and most unappealing celebrity I've ever met."[93] Showbiz media personalities in his homeland use him as a referential model for the epitome of a reluctant, unobliging celebrity. Former editor of British tabloid newspapers the News of the World and the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, has written about his advice for Grant to stop making movies if he does not appreciate the spotlight.[112]

Grant's attitude at the London premiere of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), with him reportedly "refusing to chat to journalists or pose with his girlfriend Jemima Khan, and choosing instead to stand around scowling,"[113] was subject to much criticism by the press who had waited long to talk to him.[114][115][116] He decided to ban all British press from the New York launch of his film American Dreamz in 2006.[117] The movie was also denied a London premiere[118] and Grant gave only "a handful of newspaper interviews in connection with Dreamz," a move that was held responsible by exhibitors for the movie's poor box office showing.[119] In February 2007, Grant had a controversial interview on BBC Breakfast where he was irked by the interviewer's inquiry about the status of his relationship with his girlfriend.[120] His response to the host, "I thought this was a classy show. I am ashamed of you," resulted in increased editorial disapproval of his gruff behaviour in England.[121][122][123]
[edit] Libel lawsuits

In 1996, Grant won substantial damages from News (UK) Ltd over what his lawyers called a "highly defamatory" article published in January 1995. The company's now-defunct newspaper, Today, had falsely claimed that Grant verbally abused a young extra with a "foul-mouthed tongue lashing" on the set of The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.[124]

On 27 April 2007, Grant accepted undisclosed damages from the Associated Newspapers over claims made about his relationships with his former girlfriends in three separate tabloid articles, which were published in the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday on 18, 21 and 24 February. His lawyer stated that all of the articles' "allegations and factual assertions are false."[125] Grant said, in a written statement, that he took the action because: "I was tired of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday papers publishing almost entirely fictional articles about my private life for their own financial gain." He went on to take the opportunity to stress, "I'm also hoping that this statement in court might remind people that the so-called 'close friends' or 'close sources' on which these stories claim to be based almost never exist."[126]

Deriding British newspapers for having become a "little tittle-tattle industry," Grant has, on various occasions, claimed that the tabloids are keen to fabricate scandal on the slightest pretext and his own words are filtered through various media outlets before being misquoted numerous times.[41][110]
[edit] Personality

Grant, once called the "unofficial mayor of London,"[127] is frequently referred in the press with phrases that describe him as a "human straight line"[128] who is "bursting with charisma."[129] He has been portrayed by acquaintances as a complicated man with an anarchic and sharp constitution.[9][41] Grant is noted for his tendency of teasingly insulting everyone, which has earned him the public reputation of someone who can "put you down, put you on and put you off in the same sentence."[101][130] "There is at least as much of Hugh that is charismatic, intellectual, and whose tongue," according to Mike Newell, "is maybe too clever for its own good as there is of him that's gorgeous and kind of woolly and flubsy."[131]

Grant's interview with Oprah Winfrey on 22 October 2004, was highly discussed in the media for his outspoken wit, which produced extemporaneous quips that included his description of Julia Roberts as "very big-mouthed." He said: "Literally, physically, she has a very big mouth. ... when I was kissing her, I was aware of a faint echo." When Winfrey defended Roberts as "one of the nicest people I ever met," Grant deadpanned, "No, well, I wouldn't go that far."[132] Such incidents have been accompanied by stories of Grant's purported insensitivity.[9] Filmmaker Paul Weitz, calling Grant truly funny, observed that "he perceives flaws in himself and other people, and then he cares about their humanity nonetheless."[133]

It is frequently written that Grant employs an impulsive habit of “cocky self-deprecation” in public relations.[9] Grant has also been presented in the press as occasionally being "very disengaged" at social events,[134] with British newspapers regularly referring to him as bad-tempered, arrogant, rude, and grumpy.[115][116][121][122][135] According to his colleagues and public appearances, Grant is not worried about how his grumpiness is publicly perceived, with his moodiness unabashedly on display in televised and published interviews.[136]
[edit] Personal life

Grant is known in popular media for his guarded privacy,[137] as he rarely discusses his life in public and chooses instead to fend off personal questions with humour.[19] Grant is a supporter of Marie Curie Cancer Care, whose Great Daffodil Appeal he promoted in March 2008.[138]

In 1987, while playing Lord Byron in a Spanish production called Remando Al Viento (1988), Grant met little-known actress Elizabeth Hurley, who was cast in a supporting role as Byron's former lover Claire Clairmont.[45] Grant started dating the aspiring model while shooting, and due to his rising fame, the latter half of their relationship was spent in the global media spotlight. After 13 years together, the two made "a mutual and amicable decision" to split in May 2000.[139] With Grant a single man, according to Vogue, "by all accounts the women of London were practically stabbing one another with forks at social events to get close to him."[9] In 2004, he began dating socialite Jemima Khan under the intense scrutiny of British tabloids.[9] Three years later, in February 2007, Grant's publicist announced that the couple had "decided to split amicably."[140] The spokesman added, "Hugh has nothing but positive things to say about Jemima."
[edit] Public scandals

On 27 June 1995, Grant was arrested in an L.A. Vice sting operation not far from Sunset Boulevard for misdemeanour lewd conduct in a public place with Hollywood prostitute Divine Brown.[141] He pleaded no contest and was fined $1,180, placed on two years' summary probation, and was ordered to complete an AIDS education program.[142][143]

The arrest occurred about two weeks before the release of Grant's first major studio film, Nine Months, which he was scheduled to promote on several American television shows. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno had him booked for the same week and, as recalled in former employee Don Sweeney's memoirs, "despite his arrest, Hugh Grant kept his appointment to appear on Jay's show."[144] The interview was a career-making hit for Leno and Grant was singled out for not making excuses for the incident.[145][146] He famously said:
“ I think you know in life what's a good thing to do and what's a bad thing, and I did a bad thing. And there you have it.[147] ”

On Larry King Live, Grant declined the host Larry King's repeated invitations to probe his psyche, saying that psychoanalysis was "more of an American syndrome" and he himself was "a bit old fashioned."[148] He told the host: "I don't have excuses."[149] Grant's management of the scandal was deemed unusual for a celebrity. He was appreciated for "his refreshing honesty" as he "faced the music and handled it with tongue [in] cheek."[150] The incident registered strongly in the global cultural conscience and tarnished Grant's wholesome image. In the 2006 CBS TV series Love Monkey, the character called Shooter (Larenz Tate) explained the phenomenon of male discontent as "Grant's Law." Referring to Hugh Grant, he said that the star "had the hottest, sexiest and most beautiful woman waiting for him at home. And what does Hugh do? He picks up a cut-rate whore on Hollywood Boulevard." This, he believed, showed that, "We, as men, can never be satisfied."[151]

In April 2007, Grant was arrested on allegations of assault made by paparazzo Ian Whittaker.[152] Grant made no official statement and did not comment on the incident.[153] Charges were dropped on 1 June by the Crown Prosecution Service on the grounds of "insufficient evidence."[154]
[edit] Sports

Grant's athletic passions have often been profiled by newspapers and television media. A famous "golfing addict",[155] Grant is a scratch golfer and is a regular at pro-am tournaments with membership at the Sunningdale Golf Club. He is also frequently pictured by the paparazzi at the famed Scottish golf courses in St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.[156] Highly competitive,[157] he reportedly plays with a lot of money at stake.[158] As a young boy, Grant was known as "a real killer, very fast, very competitive" on the sports field; he played rugby union on his school's first XV team at centre and played football as an avid fan of Fulham F.C.. He is also a fan of Scottish side Rangers F.C.[159] thanks to his grandfather who was Scottish. He continued to play in a Sunday-morning football league in south-west London after college and remains an "impassioned Fulham supporter."[29] On the set of About a Boy, Nicholas Hoult recalled being taught cricket and snooker by Grant. Hoult said, "when we weren't acting we'd all play cricket. ... We had a big match at the end of filming and Hugh was pretty good."[160] Actress Alicia Witt (Two Weeks Notice) has also described Grant as "a really good tennis player, shockingly good."[161] He used to play football as a child with John Isaacs, Jeremy Isaac's son.