birth name	Hugh John Mungo Grant
birth date	September 09, 1960
birth place	Hammersmith, London, England
occupation	Actor, film producer
years active	1982–present
partner	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 earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's sleeper hit ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994). 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. Since the 2000s, Grant has expanded his oeuvre with critically acclaimed turns as a cad in ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' (2001), ''About A Boy'' (2002), ''Love Actually'' (2003), and ''American Dreamz'' (2006).

Within the film industry, Grant is cited as an anti-movie star who approaches his roles like a character actor, with the ability to make acting look effortless. 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. The entertainment media's coverage of Grant's life off the big screen has often overshadowed his work as a thespian. He has been vocal about his disrespect for the profession of acting, his disdain towards the culture of celebrity, and hostility towards the media. In a career spanning 30 years, Grant has repeatedly claimed that acting is not a true calling but just a job he fell into.

Early life and ancestry

Grant was born at Hammersmith Hospital in Hammersmith, London, England, the second son of Fynvola Susan (née MacLean; b. Wickham, Hampshire, 11 October 1933; m. Boxgrove, Sussex, 6 July 1957; d. Hounslow, London, July 2001) and Captain James Murray Grant (b. 1929). Grant has an older brother, James Grant, who is a banker. Genealogist Antony Adolph described Grant's family history as "a colourful Anglo-Scottish tapestry of warriors, empire-builders and aristocracy," including William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan and Dr. James Stewart. John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl (his uncle through William Murray, 2nd Baron Nairne), Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Rt. Hon. Sir Evan Nepean, and a sister of former British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, are a few of his notable maternal antecedents. Grant's grandfather, Major James Murray Grant, DSO, a native of Inverness in Scotland, was decorated for bravery and leadership at Dunkirk during World War II.

Grant's father, Capt. Grant, was trained at Sandhurst and served with the Seaforth Highlanders for eight years in Malaya, Germany and Scotland. Capt. Grant gained the rank of Officer in the service of the Seaforth Highlanders and lived at Findhorn, Morayshire in 1957, and at Sutton, London in 1974. 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. 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." His mother, Fynvola, 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. She worked as a schoolteacher and taught Latin, French and music for more than 30 years in the state schools of west London. She died at the age of 65, 18 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Grant's 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." Both his parents were children of military families, but, despite his parents' backgrounds, Grant has stated that his family was not always affluent while he was growing up. Grant spent his childhood summers shooting and hunting with his grandfather in Scotland. 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.

Education

Grant started his education at Hogarth Primary School in Chiswick but then moved to St Peters Primary School in Hammersmith. 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. He also represented Latymer on the popular quiz show, ''Top of the Form'', an academic competition between two teams of four secondary school students each. 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." In 1979, he won the Galsworthy scholarship to New College, Oxford where he starred in his first film, ''Privileged'', produced by the Oxford University Film Foundation, OUFF. He studied English literature and graduated with 2:1 honours. Actress Anna Chancellor, who knew Grant at Oxford, has recalled, "I first met Hugh at a party at Oxford. There was something magical about him. He was a star even then, without having done anything." Viewing acting as nothing more than a creative outlet, he joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society and starred in a successful touring production of ''Twelfth Night''. Hugh Grant funds The Fynvola Grant Scholarship at Latymer Upper School in memory of his mother who was a teacher in West London.

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, worked as assistant groundsman at Fulham Football Club, tried his hand at tutoring, wrote comedy sketches for TV shows, and was hired by Talkback Productions to write and produce radio commercials for products such as Mighty White bread and Red Stripe lager. To obtain his Equity card, he joined the repertory theatre Nottingham Playhouse and lived for a year at Park Terrace in The Park Estate, Nottingham. 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. 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''. During this time, Grant also appeared in theatre productions of plays such as ''An Inspector Calls'', ''Lady Windermere's Fan'', and ''Coriolanus.

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 other 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 a 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 a 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''. 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) went 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."

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''). "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. Released in 1994, ''FWAAF'' became the highest-grossing British film to date with a worldwide box office in excess of $244 million, 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. Grant later expressed:

left|thumb|Grant in his breakthrough performance as Richard Curtis's alter ego, Charles, in ''Four Weddings and a Funeral''. }}

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. 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. The company closed its U.S. office in 2002 and Grant resigned as director in December 2005.

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." The same year, he played leading roles 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 performed in the Academy Award-winning ''Restoration''.

Grant then reunited with the director of ''FWAAF'', Mike Newell, for the tragicomedy ''An Awfully Big Adventure'' that was labelled a "determinedly offbeat film" by ''The New York Times''. 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," but the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' disapproved on grounds that the film "plays like a vanity production for Grant." 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." 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. 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." Reactions to Grant's Golden Globe-nominated performance were varied, with Salon.com's Stephanie Zacharek criticising 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." The movie provided both its stars a chance to satirise 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." 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," 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."

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.” In 2000, Grant also joined the Supervisory Board of IM Internationalmedia AG, the powerful Munich-based film and media company. ''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." 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." 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." The movie, adapted from Helen Fielding's novel of the same name, was an international hit, earning $281 million worldwide. 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."

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. 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 fetishised coupledom, and honesty over typical Hollywood endings." ''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," 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." 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. 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. "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." ''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 womanising 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." ''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.

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. ''The Village Voice'' concluded that Grant's creation of a spoiled billionaire fronting a real estate business was "little more than a Britishism machine."

''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. It marked the directorial debut of Richard Curtis, who told the ''New York Times'' that Grant adamantly tempered the characterisation of the role to make his character more authoritative and less haplessly charming than earlier Curtis incarnations. 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." 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."

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. 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."

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. 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." ''American Dreamz'' failed financially but Grant was generously praised. He played his self-aggrandising 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," and critic Carina Chocano said, "He is twice as enjoyable as the preening bad guy as he was as the bumbling good guy."

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." Though he neither listens to music nor owns any CDs, 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. ''The Star-Ledger'' dismissed the performance, writing that "paper dolls have more depth." 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." 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.

In 2011, Grant reportedly turned down the starring role in Chuck Lorre's ''Two and a Half Men'' reboot, replacing Charlie Sheen's vacated role. He turned down the role due to creative differences.

Work ethic

Grant is well known for having a very strong work ethic. He himself 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. He pins his 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; and secondly, because he believes to have already given the one remarkable comic performance he had hoped to create on screen. A self-confessed "committed and passionate" perfectionist on a film set, 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. Richard Curtis, a frequent collaborator, revealed that Grant is not fluid about the filmmaking process and tends to be unrelaxed while filming because he does not feel as though he's in the director's hands and prefers instead to take responsibility for giving a definitive performance. Grant is noted by co-workers for demanding endless takes until he achieves the desired shot according to his own standard.

A 2007 ''Vogue'' profile of Grant referred to him as a man with a "professionally misanthropic mystique." The observation followed published facts such as that Grant conducts his interviews alone (without any publicists), and has derided focus groups, market research and overriding emphasis on the opening weekend. Grant decided to let go of his agent in 2006, ending a 10-year relationship with CAA. 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. 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."

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." A majority of Grant's popular movies in the 1990s followed a similar plot that captured an optimistic 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 satirise his characters as he summed them up and played against the type simultaneously. These performances were sometimes 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." 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." 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.

Grant's screen persona of later films, in the new millennium, gradually developed into a cynical, self-loathing cad. Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' celebrated this transformation with 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." Using his facial contortions and an affected stammer for varied comic purposes, 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. His preference for levity over dramatic range has been a controversial topic in establishment circles, prompting him to say:

In the media

Grant has repeatedly spoken about his boredom with playing the celebrity in the press and is known in popular media for his guarded privacy, 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." On probing of his personal life, he has remained incredibly steadfast in "offering a dead bat to any question he feels is not general enough." Meanwhile, acquaintances portray him as a complicated man with an anarchic and sharp constitution. "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." Filmmaker Paul Weitz, calling Grant funny, observed that "he perceives flaws in himself and other people, and then he cares about their humanity nonetheless." British newspapers regularly refer to him as grumpy.

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''.

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." 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."

Arrests

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

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." The interview was a career-making hit for Leno and Grant was singled out for not making excuses for the incident. He famously said:

}}

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." He told the host: "I don't have excuses." Grant was appreciated for "his refreshing honesty" as he "faced the music and handled it with tongue [in] cheek."

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

Phone hacking exposé

In April 2011 Grant published an article in the ''New Statesman'' entitled "The Bugger, Bugged" about a conversation following a chance encounter with Paul McMullan, former journalist and paparazzo for ''News of the World''. In unguarded comments which were secretly taped by Grant, McMullan alleged that editors at the ''Daily Mail'' and ''News of the World'', particularly Andy Coulson, had ordered journalists to engage in illegal phone tapping and had done so with the full knowledge of senior British politicians. McMullan also said that every British Prime Minister from Margaret Thatcher onwards had cultivated a close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and his senior executives. He stressed the friendship between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks (née Wade), agreeing when asked that both of them must have been aware of illegal phone tapping, and asserting that Cameron's inaction could be explained by self-interest:

"Cameron is very much in debt to Rebekah Wade for helping him not quite win the election ... So that was my submission to parliament – that Cameron's either a liar or an idiot."

When asked by Grant whether Cameron had encouraged the Metropolitan Police to "drag their feet" on investigating illegal phone tapping by Murdoch's journalists, McMullan agreed that this had happened, but also stated that the police themselves had taken bribes from tabloid journalists, so had a motive to comply:

"20 per cent of the Met has taken backhanders from tabloid hacks. So why would they want to open up that can of worms?... And what's wrong with that, anyway? It doesn't hurt anyone particularly."

Grant's article attracted considerable interest, due to both the revelatory content of the taped conversation, and the novelty of Grant himself "turning the tables" on a tabloid journalist.

Whilst the allegations regarding the News of the World continued to receive coverage in the broadsheets and similar media (Grant appeared for example on BBC Radio 4) it was only with the revelation that the voicemail of the then missing and subsequently murdered Millie Dowler had been hacked, and evidence in her murder enquiry had been deleted, that the coverage turned from media interest to widespread public (and eventually political) outrage. Grant became something of a spokesman against Murdoch's News Corporation, culminating in a bravura performance on BBC television's ''Question Time'' in July 2011.

Personal life

In 1987, while playing Lord Byron in a Spanish production called ''Remando Al Viento'' (1988), Grant met actress Elizabeth Hurley, who was cast in a supporting role as Byron's former lover Claire Clairmont. Grant started dating the aspiring model while shooting and their relationship was subsequently the subject of much media attention. After 13 years together, the two made "a mutual and amicable decision" to split in May 2000. In 2004, he began dating socialite Jemima Khan under the intense scrutiny of British tabloids. Three years later, in February 2007, Grant's publicist announced that the couple had "decided to split amicably." The spokesman added, "Hugh has nothing but positive things to say about Jemima."

A famous "golfing addict", 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. Highly competitive, he reportedly plays with a lot of money at stake. As a young boy, 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. 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." Grant's other interests include snooker and tennis.

Charity work

Grant is a Patron of The DIPEx Charity a charity that publishes the websites Healthtalkonline and Youthhealthtalk; and a Patron of the Fynvola Foundation, named after his late mother, a charity which provides nursing and care for older learning disabled people.. He is also a supporter of Marie Curie Cancer Care, whose Great Daffodil Appeal he promoted in March 2008.

Filmography

Awards and honours

References

External links

, and in NYT Movies

Category:Alumni of New College, Oxford Category:Anglo-Scots Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:César Award winners Category:English film actors Category:English film producers Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English television actors Category:Old Latymerians Category:People from Chiswick Category:People from Hammersmith Category:1960 births Category:Living people

als:Hugh Grant ar:هيو غرانت zh-min-nan:Hugh Grant bg:Хю Грант ca:Hugh Grant cs:Hugh Grant cy:Hugh Grant da:Hugh Grant de:Hugh Grant et:Hugh Grant es:Hugh Grant eo:Hugh Grant eu:Hugh Grant fa:هیو گرانت fr:Hugh Grant ga:Hugh Grant gv:Hugh Grant ko:휴 그랜트 hr:Hugh Grant id:Hugh Grant it:Hugh Grant he:יו גרנט la:Hugo Grant lv:Hjū Grānts lt:Hugh Grant hu:Hugh Grant mn:Хью Грант nah:Hugh Grant nl:Hugh Grant ja:ヒュー・グラント no:Hugh Grant pl:Hugh Grant pt:Hugh Grant ro:Hugh Grant ru:Грант, Хью simple:Hugh Grant sr:Хју Грант sh:Hugh Grant fi:Hugh Grant sv:Hugh Grant th:ฮิว แกรนต์ tr:Hugh Grant uk:Г'ю Грант zh:休·格兰特

name	Graham Norton
birth name	Graham William Walker
birth date	April 04, 1963
birth place	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
medium	Television, radio, stand-up
nationality	Irish
active	1992–present
genre	Observational comedy
subject	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
awards
notable work	''So Graham Norton''''V Graham Norton''''The Graham Norton Effect''''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''''The Graham Norton Show'' }}

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963) is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme ''The Graham Norton Show'' on BBC One in the UK. ''Hot Press'' has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Early life and career

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland to a Protestant family. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show ''Loose Ends'', when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called ''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series ''Father Ted''. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including ''So Graham Norton'' and ''V Graham Norton''. As a performer who is not only openly gay, but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.)

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. ''The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.

BBC

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series ''Strictly Dance Fever'' on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, ''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of ''Bedtime Hour''.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''The Sound of Music''. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: ''Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; ''I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's ''Oliver!''; and ''Over the Rainbow'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a ''Wizard of Oz'' West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including ''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), ''The One and Only'' (2008) and ''Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?''.

Norton's chat show, ''The Graham Norton Show'', began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show ''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision

Norton hosted the first annual ''Eurovision Dance Contest'' alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and the EBU's ''Eurovision Song Contest''. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the ''Eurovision Song Contest'', in a show to be called ''Your Country Needs You''.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. ''The Guardian'' noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain.He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures.He never responded.

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

Other

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Drury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv.

Norton currently writes an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.

Norton is openly gay.

TV appearances

Main presenting credits

''Carnal Knowledge'' (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)

''Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment''

''So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002)

''V Graham Norton'' (2002–2003)

''NY Graham Norton'' (2004)

''The Graham Norton Effect'' (2004–2005)

''Graham Norton's Bigger Picture'' (2005–2006)

''Strictly Dance Fever'' (2005–2006)

BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)

* ''How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?'' (2006)

* ''Any Dream Will Do'' (2007)

* ''I'd Do Anything'' (2008)

* ''Over the Rainbow'' (2010)

''The Big Finish'' (2006–)

''When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007)

''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present)

''The British Academy Television Awards'' (2007)

''Live Earth'' (2007)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2007)

''The One and Only'' (2008)

''Eurovision Dance Contest'' (2008)

''Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'' (2009–present)

''Eurovision Song Contest'' (UK commentator, 2009–present)

''Totally Saturday'' (2009)

''Most Popular'' (2009–present)

''Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits

''Rex the Runt'': A Crap Day Out ''Absolutely Fabulous'': Gay ''Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Broadcaster
1996–98	''Father Ted'':	* Hell	* Flight into Terror	* The Mainland	Father Noel Furlong	Channel 4
rowspan=3	2001	|	The Plants voice	BBC
''Rex the Runt'': Patio	Osvalde Halitosis voice
''The Kumars at No. 42''	Himself
2002	|	Himself	BBC
rowspan=4	2007	Who Do You Think You Are?'' ||	Himself	BBC
''Saving Planet Earth''	*Saving Wolves	Himself	BBC
''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List''
''Robbie the Reindeer'' in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind	Computer voice

Radio

''Just a Minute''

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography

''Stargay'' ''Another Gay Movie'' ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''

!Year!!Title!!Character!!Production
1999	|	Graham Solex	Canal+
2006	|	Mr. Puckov	Luna Pictures
2007	|	Taylor	The Weinstein Company

Stand-Up videos

''Live At The Roundhouse'' (19 November 2001)

Awards

1999 : Gaytime Award for ''Gay Entertainer of the Year''

2000, 2001, 2002 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter - ''So Graham Norton''

2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year

2011 : BAFTA Award for Best Entertainment Performance - ''The Graham Norton Show''

References

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters Category:Gay actors Category:Irish columnists Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Irish male comedians Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish television talk show hosts Category:LGBT comedians Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:LGBT people from Ireland Category:People from County Cork Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Survivors of stabbing Category:United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest Category:LGBT broadcasters

cy:Graham Norton da:Graham Norton de:Graham Norton es:Graham Norton fy:Graham Norton ga:Graham Norton nl:Graham Norton no:Graham Norton pl:Graham Norton ro:Graham Norton ru:Нортон, Грэм sv:Graham Norton

name	Joanna Louise Page
birth date	March 23, 1978
birth place	Treboeth, Swansea, Wales
death date
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1999–present
nationality	British
spouse	James Thornton (2003–present)
website	}}

Joanna Louise Page (born 23 March 1978) is a Welsh actress, best known for playing Stacey in the television series, ''Gavin and Stacey''.

Early and personal life

Page was born in Treboeth, Swansea, Wales, the only child of Susan Angela (née Foster) and Nigel Leslie Page. She attended Mynyddbach Comprehensive School, where she was head girl. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1998.

Page is married to English actor James Thornton. The couple live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.They appeared alongside each other in the 1999 BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel ''David Copperfield''; Page as Dora Spenlow and Thornton as Ham Peggotty.

Career

Joanna Page has appeared in ''From Hell'', ''Mine All Mine'', ''Love Actually'' and ''Miss Julie'' and in several productions at the Royal National Theatre and at other theatres. She starred as Mark Owen's love interest in his music video for "Makin' Out".

Joanna Page starred in the BBC Three comedy ''Gavin & Stacey'', playing the main part of Stacey. On 23 November 2007, she turned on the Christmas lights in Barry, the town where ''Gavin & Stacey'' is partly set and filmed. She also had a leading role in the 2001 BBC drama production, ''The Cazalets'', about a disparate well to do English family during the Second World War.

In 2009, Joanna Page provided the voice-overs for a series of Kingsmill bread TV & Radio advertisements and the Christmas TV advertising campaign for the Carphone Warehouse.

In December 2009, she was the cover star of FHM .

During Christmas 2009, Joanna Page played the role of Cinderella in pantomime in Woking, a role she played a year earlier in Wimbledon.

In 2010 she hosted Sky 1 show My Pet Shame.

In October 2010 she became the new face of Superdrug.

From May 2011, Joanna will be providing the voice of the lead character in Nick Jr UK's new pre-school animation, ''Poppy Cat''.

Recognition and awards

Joanna Page was nominated for ''Best Female Comedy Newcomer'' at the 2007 British Comedy Awards.

Films

''Miss Julie'' (1999) as a servant

''David Copperfield'' (1999) (TV film) as Dora Spenlow

''Very Annie Mary'' (2001) as Bethan Bevan

''From Hell'' (2001) as Ann Crook

''The Lost World'' (2001) as Gladys

''Love Actually'' (2003) as Judy

Television

''The Cazalets'' (2001) as Zoe

''Ready When You Are, Mr McGill'' (2003) (TV) as Babs Carter

''Mine All Mine'' (2004) as Candy Vivaldi

''Making Waves'' (2004) as OM Rosie Bowen

''To the Ends of the Earth'' (2005) as Marion Chumley

''Gideon's Daughter'' (2005) as Diane

''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010) as Stacey West/Shipman

''Would I Lie To You?'' as Herself

''Marple: The Blue Geranium'' (2010)

''Bedlam'' (2011) as Maria

''White Van Man'' (2011) as Kat (2nd episode)

References

External links

Joanna Page Interview

Category:People from Swansea Category:Welsh film actors Category:Welsh television actors Category:Welsh stage actors Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:1978 births Category:Living people

cy:Joanna Page de:Joanna Page fr:Joanna Page it:Joanna Page

{{infobox comedian | name

Jo Brand | image Jo Brand Award.jpg | caption Jo Brand at the BBC Magazines Awards for Excellence. | birth_name Josephine Grace Brand | birth_place London, United Kingdom | birth_date July 23, 1957 | nationality British | spouse Bernie Bourke(1997–present) | medium Stand-up, television, film | active 1986–present | genre Observational comedy | subject Marriage, satire | notable_work ''Getting On'' }}

Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand (born 23 July 1957) is a BAFTA winning British comedienne, writer, and actress.

Early life

Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers. When she was about four, the family moved to the village of St Mary's Platt near Sevenoaks in Kent, and a year later to Benenden. Brand was educated at Helenswood School, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and Bexhill College. She worked as a psychiatric nurse for ten years, at the South London Bethlem, Cefn Coed Hospital in Swansea and Maudsley Hospital in South London.

Comedy career

Brand was persuaded by agent Malcolm Hardee to begin a career in stand-up comedy, where she acquired the stage name "The Sea Monster". She was part of the British alternative comedy movement, working in London alternative comedy clubs, and appearing initially on the ''Saturday Live'' television show.

Brand's early style involved her delivering jokes in a bored monotone, one line at a time, with pauses in between. It drew heavily from pop culture and the media, with many jokes containing references to well-known celebrities and public figures. With her Doc Marten boots, her large size, and her short hair, her image (and comedic material) remained the same for most of the 1980s and 1990s, inspired at least in part by radicalised feminism. Her appearance and material led to false rumours that she was a lesbian.

In 1993 she became a resident panellist, along with Tony Hawks, on BBC monologue show ''The Brain Drain''. Her transition into mainstream television continued when she obtained her own series on Channel 4, ''Jo Brand Through the Cakehole'', co-written with comedy writer Jim Miller, who was already her main stand-up writer. She has had several solo television series, and presented shows such as ''Jo Brand's Commercial Breakdown''. She had a cameo appearance in the 1994 episode of ''Absolutely Fabulous'', "New Best Friend", and also appeared on ''Star Spell'', a spin off from ''Hard Spell'' in 2004. Her television success continued with guest appearances on shows such as ''Have I Got News For You'' and ''QI''. As a fan of ''Countdown'', she achieved an ambition when she was invited to appear in the show's "Dictionary Corner" as the celebrity guest. She later became a friend of the host, Richard Whiteley, and after his death in 2005 attended his memorial service at York Minster. She has since appeared on ''Countdown'' several more times.

In 2007, Brand narrated ''Laughter & Tears: The Les Dawson Story'', a documentary tribute to Les Dawson, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October 2007.

Brand took part in the first celebrity version of ''Comic Relief does Fame Academy''. In 2007, she appeared as a celebrity contestant on ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'', again to raise money for Comic Relief. In 2009 she participated in ''Let's Dance for Comic Relief'', another Comic Relief fundraiser, dancing as Britney Spears, reaching the final. She has more recently been a judge on the show.

Brand appeared as a judge in the BBC2 series ''The Speaker'' in April 2009. She offered advice, along with John Amaechi and Jeremy Stockwell, in the eight-part series charting the search for "Britain's Best Young Speaker".

Brand co-wrote and starred in the BBC Four sitcom ''Getting On'' alongside Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine, for which she won the 2011 Best TV Comedy Actress BAFTA award. The series was directed by Peter Capaldi and is a gritty and realistic satire on the current state of the NHS, set in an old person's ward.

In 2010, Brand took part in ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

She will be playing the Demon Dinner Lady in the 2011 British live-action 3D family comedy film ''Horrid Henry: The Movie''.

Other work

In 2003, she was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2004, Brand appeared in a special episode of ''What Not to Wear'', where fashion gurus Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine gave her a makeover. In March 2006, Jo appeared on ''Parkinson'' with Daniel Day-Lewis and Jane Fonda. Brand is known to be a big fan of Crystal Palace Football Club, and has sponsored the match ball for games in the past.

Brand appeared on the 25 March 2007 episode of ''Play It Again'' where she was required to learn how to play the organ in just four months. This was in preparation to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for an audience of 8,000 people at London's Royal Albert Hall on the second largest pipe organ in the United Kingdom. In order to practise her performance, she played at a church wedding, and accompanied dancers at Blackpool Tower. Prior to this, her only experiences with musical instruments had been childhood piano and violin lessons.

Books

Brand has written a number of commercially successful books:

''A Load of Old Balls: Men in History'' (London: Simon & Schuster, 1994). ISBN 067171385X

''A Load of Old Ball Crunchers: Women in History'' (London: Simon & Schuster, 1996). ISBN 0684816954

''Mental'' (with Helen Griffin. HTV Sherman Plays series. Cardiff: Drama Association of Wales, 1996). ISBN 1898740410

''Sorting Out Billie'' (novel. London: Review, 2004). ISBN 075532336x

''It's Different for Girls'' (novel. London: Headline Review, 2005). ISBN 0755322290

''The More You Ignore Me'' (novel. London: Headline Review, 2009). ISBN 0755322312

''Look Back in Hunger. The Autobiography'' (London: Headline Review, 2010). ISBN 0755355253

''Can't Stand Up For Sitting Down. The Autobiography – Part 2'' (London: Headline Review, 2010). ISBN 9780755355266

''Sorting Out Billie'' and ''The More You Ignore Me'' deal with socially dysfunctional behaviour and draw on her experience in psychiatric nursing. ''It's Different for Girls'' looks at growing up in a one-horse seaside town.

Personal life

Brand married Bernie Bourke, a psychiatric nurse, in 1997 in Shropshire.

Brand delivered a guest lecture on the subject of psychiatric nursing for the University of Derby Psychology Society in 1997 in return for a donation to Derby Rape Crisis. Also in 1997 she opened, at Lambeth Hospital in South London, the first major exhibition of The Adamson Collection since the death of Edward Adamson, the pioneer of Art Therapy, in 1996.

On July 17, 2007, Brand was awarded an honorary doctorate for her former work as a psychiatric nurse from the University of Glamorgan. Professor Donna Mead, Dean of the School of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan who read Brand up for the award commented, “Jo incorporates much of her experience working in the field of mental health into her current work as a comedian. This has increased awareness of the work done by nurses in the mental health field. She has also used her experiences of working with individuals with conditions such as Alzheimer’s to promote awareness of and raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.”

In February 2009, Brand was among a group of British entertainers who wrote an open letter to ''The Times'' of London in support of the Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.

Politics

Brand is a staunch supporter of the Labour Party. She is still a contributor to and supporter of the party in 2010. She is a patron of International Animal Rescue and the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association, as well as the National Self Harm Network, otherwise known as NSHN, and London Nightline. She is the president of The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust. Brand introduced and spoke at the celebration of Michael Foot's life at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, on 8 November 2010.. She is also a Republican.

Awards and nominations

British Comedy Award 2011: Best TV Comedy Actress

BAFTA: Best Female Performance in a Comedy Role.

Stand-up DVDs

''Barely Live'' (24 November 2003)

References

External links

Jo Brand: Me? Singing? I couldn't get arrested? Interview by Jasper Rees, ''The Telegraph'', 30 January 2008.

Keep on running: Jo Brand Interview by Tarquin Cooper, ''The Telegraph'', 9 April 2005.

Article about Brand's career for TV show ''The Speaker'', BBC website

BBC Interview by Matt Stadlen – Five Minutes With: Jo Brand (2009–08–14)

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:21st-century women writers Category:Alumni of Brunel University Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:English comedians Category:English feminists Category:English nurses Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television actors Category:English television presenters Category:English television writers Category:Fame Academy participants Category:Feminist artists Category:People from Hastings Category:Women comedians Category:People educated at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School

cy:Jo Brand nl:Jo Brand sv:Jo Brand

Name	David Guetta
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Pierre David Guetta
Birth date	November 07, 1967
Birth place	Paris, France
Genre	House, electro house, hip house
Occupation	DJ, record producer, songwriter
Years active	1984–present
Label	EMI Music France, Virgin, Positiva, Astralwerks
Website	}}

Pierre David Guetta (7 November 1967), known professionally as David Guetta (), is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, ''Just a Little More Love'', in 2002. Later, he released ''Guetta Blaster'' (2004) and ''Pop Life'' (2007). His 2009 album ''One Love'' included the hit singles "When Love Takes Over" (featuring Kelly Rowland), "Gettin' Over You" (featuring Chris Willis, Fergie & LMFAO) and "Sexy Bitch" (featuring Akon), the last becoming a top five hit in the United States and all three reaching #1 in the United Kingdom, as well as another internationally known single called "Memories" featuring Kid Cudi which became a top five hit in many countries. Guetta has sold over three million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. He is currently one of the most sought-after music producers. As of 2012, David Guetta is the world's most popular DJ, claiming the #1 poll position of the DJ Mag 100 popularity poll.

Biography

1984–2000: Early life and career

At age 17, Guetta began DJing at the Broad Club in Paris. He first played popular songs, and he discovered house music when he heard a Farley master Funk track on French radio in 1987. The next year, he began hosting his own club nights. In 1990, he released "Nation Rap", a hip-hop collaboration with French rapper Sidney Duteil.

In the mid 1990s Guetta played in clubs including Le Centrale, the Rex, Le Boy, and Folies Pigalle. Released in 1994 Guetta's second single, a collaboration with American house vocalist Robert Owens titled "Up & Away", was a minor club hit. In 1994, David Guetta became the manager of ''Le Palace'' nightclub and he continued to organise parties there and in other clubs, such as the "Scream" parties in ''Les Bains Douches''.

2001–2006: ''Just a Little More Love'' and ''Guetta Blaster''

In 2001, David Guetta along with Joachim Garraud founded Gum Productions, and in the same year Guetta's first hit single, "Just a Little More Love", featuring American singer Chris Willis was released. Willis was vacationing in France when he met Guetta. Guetta's debut album ''Just a Little More Love'' was released in 2002 on Virgin Records and sold over 300,000 copies. The follow-up singles, ("Love Don't Let Me Go", "People Come People Go" and "Give Me Something"), were released in 2002. Guetta released a compilation, ''Fuck Me I'm Famous'', in 2003, named after his party in Ibiza. It included "Just for One Day (Heroes)", a remix of David Bowie's song "Heroes". Later in his career, Guetta continued recording compilations under that title.

Guetta's second album, ''Guetta Blaster'', was released in 2004. It released four singles: "Money" and "Stay" featuring Chris Willis and "The World Is Mine" and "In Love With Myself" featuring JD Davis. In 2006 the ''Just a Little More Love'' single "Love Don't Let Me Go" was re-released as a mash-up with the Tocadisco remix of "Walking Away" by The Egg. The mash-up single entitled "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" was charted higher than the original release of the song.

2007–2008: ''Pop Life''

In 2007, Guetta's third album ''Pop Life'' was released. The album was successful in the UK and Ireland as well as in mainland Europe. According to EMI in 2010, the album has sold a total of 530,000 copies worldwide. The lead single "Love Is Gone" reached Number 1 on the American Dance Chart and charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

He played in many countries around the world to promote the album. He played in Mauritius in January 2008, accompanied by French rapper JoeyStarr. In the same year, he and his wife Cathy also planned a new event which took place in the Stade de France on 5 July 2008. The event was called "UNIGHTED", he performed with Tiësto, Carl Cox, Joachim Garraud and Martin Solveig in front of a crowd of 40,000.

In 2009, he was placed third in the "Top 100 DJs" poll by ''DJ Magazine'', and was elected "Best House DJ" by DJ Awards in 2008. Since April 2009, Guetta had his own radio show on the internet radio station RauteMusik on Saturday evening. The show was afterwards moved into Radio 538, being aired every Friday evening after ''Tiësto's Club Life''. Its name is ''DJ Mix''. Guetta performs a one-hour set of house music, presenting mainly new talents inside.

2009–2010: ''One Love'' and international breakthrough

David Guetta's fourth studio album, ''One Love'', was released in August 2009. Its first single "When Love Takes Over", which featured Kelly Rowland, peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart and topped many other countries worldwide. His second single from the album, "Sexy Bitch" featuring Akon, became his second #1 in the UK. "One Love" featuring Estelle, "Memories" featuring Kid Cudi and "Gettin' Over You" featuring Chris Willis, Fergie and LMFAO followed. As of May 2011 the album had sold three million copies worldwide. Guetta's fourth studio album ''One Love'' was nominated as "Best Electronic/Dance Album" at the 52nd Grammy Awards. His song "When Love Takes Over" featuring American R&B; singer Kelly Rowland received two nominations; Best Dance Recording and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, and won the latter. After conflicts over whether or not an album re-issue should go ahead, ''One More Love'' was released on 29 November 2010. First single, titled "Who's That Chick?" featuring Rihanna was released a few weeks prior.

On 16 June 2009, The Black Eyed Peas released the David Guetta-produced "I Gotta Feeling" as their second single from their fifth studio album, ''The E.N.D.''. It became a worldwide hit topping the charts in seventeen countries. It became the most downloaded song of all-time in the United States with almost 7.5 million downloads and in the United Kingdom selling more than 1 million copies. He was nominated twice for his work with The Black Eyed Peas at the 52nd Grammy Awards; in the category Record of the Year for "I Gotta Feeling" and Album of the Year for their album ''The E.N.D.''. In 2010, David Guetta co-wrote and produced Kelly Rowland's "Commander" from her third album ''Here I Am''. It peaked at number one on ''Billboard'''s Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the United States, and reached top ten positions in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Guetta has also co-produced "Forever and a Day", which was Kelly's next UK single from that album. Guetta also produced the singles "Acapella" and "Scream" for American singer-songwriter Kelis's fifth studio album, ''Flesh Tone'', released on 14 May 2010. "Acapella" was released as the lead single on 23 February 2010 and topped the dance charts in the United Kingdom and United States. On 28 June 2010 American rapper Flo Rida released the single "Club Can't Handle Me" featuring David Guetta. The song is included on the soundtrack album to the American 3D dance film ''Step Up 3D''.

2011–present: ''Nothing But the Beat''

Guetta's fifth studio album, ''Nothing But the Beat'' was released on August 30, 2011. It was released as a double-disc album; one disc being vocal and the other being electronic. The French DJ was inspired by rock bands such as Kings of Leon and Coldplay to add rock influences to his dance productions. "Where Them Girls At" featuring Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida, the first single off the album, was released worldwide on May 2, 2011. "Little Bad Girl" featuring Ludacris and Taio Cruz, was released as the second single on June 28, 2011. The third single "Without You" featuring Usher was released on September 27, 2011. Guetta also released three promotional singles for ''Nothing But the Beat'', "Titanium" featuring Sia, "Lunar" with Afrojack and "Night of Your Life" featuring Jennifer Hudson. The album also features the hit single "Sweat" with Snoop Dogg.

Guetta is also scheduled to perform alongside Nicky Romero and Nervo at London's Alexandra Palace on June 1, 2012.

Personal life

His father was a restaurateur of Moroccan Jewish descent, and his mother is of Belgian descent. He is married to socialite and night club manager Cathy Guetta; they have two children, Tim Elvis Eric (born 2004) and Angie (born 2007).

Discography

''Just a Little More Love'' (2002)

''Guetta Blaster'' (2004)

''Pop Life'' (2007)

''One Love'' (2009)

''Nothing but the Beat'' (2011)

Awards and nominations

{| class=wikitable |- !Year !Award !Category !Nominated work !Result |- ||2006 |rowspan="3"|DJ Awards |Best House DJ | | |- |rowspan="4"|2007 |Best International DJ | | |- |Best Ibiza Night | | |- |World Music Awards |World's Best Selling DJ | | |- |TMF Awards |Best Dance Act | | |- |rowspan="2"|2008 |DJ Awards |Best House DJ | | |- |MTV Europe Music Awards |Best French Act | | |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |DJ Awards |Best House DJ | | |- |DJ Magazine |Top 100 DJs | |bgcolor="tan"|3rd Place |- |rowspan="9"|2010 |rowspan="4"|Grammy Awards |Record of the Year |"I Gotta Feeling"(with The Black Eyed Peas) | |- |Best Dance Recording |rowspan="2"|"When Love Takes Over"(with Kelly Rowland) | |- |Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical | |- |Best Electronic/Dance Album |''One Love'' | |- |rowspan="3"|World Music Awards |Best DJ | | |- |Best Producer | | |- |Best Selling French artist | | |- ||NRJ Music Awards | International Album of the Year |''One Love'' | |- |DJ Magazine |Top 100 DJs | |bgcolor="silver"|2nd Place |- |rowspan="4"|2011 ||Grammy Awards |Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical |"|"Revolver"(with Madonna) | |- |rowspan="2"|MTV Europe Music Awards |Best Male | | |- |Best French Act | | |- |DJ Magazine |Top 100 DJs (#1 Position) | | |- |rowspan="3"|2012 |rowspan="1"|Brit Awards |International Male Solo Artist |Himself | |- |rowspan="2"|Grammy Awards |Best Dance Recording |"Sunshine" (w/ Avicii) | |- |Best Dance/Electronica Album |Nothing but the Beat | |}

References

External links

David Guetta official store

David Guetta information at Ultra Records

Review of 'Memories' on the Daily Music Guide

|title=David Guetta biography|publisher=Allmusic|author=David Jeffries|accessdate=2008-09-22}}

David Guetta in PACHA NEWS

David Guetta at Billboard.com

Review of 'Gettin Over you' on the Daily Music Guide

Category:1967 births Category:Astralwerks artists Category:Club DJs Category:French dance musicians Category:French DJs Category:French people of Belgian descent Category:French people of Jewish descent Category:French people of Moroccan descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Paris Category:World Music Awards winners

ar:دفيد جتا bg:Давид Гета bar:David Guetta bs:David Guetta br:David Guetta ca:David Guetta cs:David Guetta da:David Guetta de:David Guetta et:David Guetta el:Νταβίντ Γκετά es:David Guetta eo:David Guetta eu:David Guetta fa:داوید گتا fr:David Guetta ga:David Guetta gl:David Guetta ko:데이비드 게타 hr:David Guetta id:David Guetta is:David Guetta it:David Guetta he:דייוויד גואטה ka:დავიდ გეტა kk:Дэвид Гетта lv:Dāvids Geta lt:David Guetta hu:David Guetta mk:Дејвид Гета mn:Дэвид Гетта nl:David Guetta ja:デヴィッド・ゲッタ no:David Guetta pl:David Guetta pt:David Guetta ro:David Guetta ru:Гетта, Дэвид sq:David Guetta simple:David Guetta sk:David Guetta sl:David Guetta sr:Давид Гета fi:David Guetta sv:David Guetta tl:David Guetta th:เดวิด เกตตา tr:David Guetta uk:Давід Ґета vi:David Guetta zh:大衛·庫塔 (DJ)