![Leslie Grantham](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/e9mBdIni2QJIviyNY6XDwBMkWnH.jpg)
Leslie Grantham
British actor Leslie Grantham shot to fame in 1985 as Den Watts, the original landlord of the Queen Vic, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The character quickly became a national favourite and gained the nickname Dirty Den mostly because of the way he treated his wife Angie, played by Anita Dobson, and the several affairs and nefarious activities he conducted. At Grantham's request the character was killed off in 1988, gunned down by the gangsters he had betrayed. He returned to the soap in 2003 where it was revealed Den faked his own death to live in exile in Spain. It was widely speculated that Grantham was lured back with a £500,000-a-year contract and some 17 million viewers watched his return - an impressive figure, but not as impressive as the 30 million who tuned in to watch Den divorce Angie on Christmas Day, 1986. Two years later, in 2005, Den Watts was killed off once and for all in an episode that drew in 16.2 million viewers. The reason for Grantham's exit this time was an online sex scandal, revealed by a Sunday newspaper a year earlier. This was not the first time Grantham had courted controversy of course. Not long after finding fame in the soap Grantham's past became front page news; on 3 December 1966, when was serving as a young British soldier in West Germany, he attempted to rob a taxi driver, Felix Reese, in Osnabrück A struggle between Grantham and the driver followed, and Reese died from a gunshot wound to the head.In his statement to the police following his arrest, Grantham said that he did not know the gun was loaded and it had gone off during the struggle, which would have resulted in a conviction for manslaughter if a jury believed this version of events. However, at his trial in 1967 he was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although he had committed the murder in West Germany, he served the entirety of his imprisonment in various British prisons. This was because soldiers and officers convicted of any criminal offence that warrants a sentence of over two years are automatically transferred to Her Majesty's Prison Service, since they are also automatically dishonourably discharged. Grantham was released in 1977, having served 10 years. Whilst in prison, Grantham discovered acting and was encouraged by Labour politician T. Dan Smith and Doctor Who actress Louise Jameson to take up acting upon his release. Away from EastEnders, Grantham enjoyed a high profile career throughout much of the 1990s with the starring role of gangster Danny Kane in the BBC drama The Paradise Club, and maverick undercover cop Mick Raynor in 99-1. Other credits include the sci fi series The Uninvited (which he also produced), Fort Boyard, The Bill and The Stretch, which reunited him with Anita Dobson. He has also appeared in the films The Wedding Tackle, Charlie and Mob Handed, and starred in the titular role of The English Neighbour on Bulgarian TV in 2011. He died on the 15th June, 2018 in hospital following a short illness.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 7.814 |
Birthday | 1947-08-30 |
Place of Birth | Camberwell, London, England, UK |
Also Known As |
![Charlie](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4Jual6qjZHDGMe7JwI7o6atWCaf.jpg)
2004
![Charlie](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4Jual6qjZHDGMe7JwI7o6atWCaf.jpg)
Charlie
3.7/6
Set in Post World War II Britain, chronicles the rise and fall of real life British crime lord Charlie Richardson.
Watch Now
Charlie
![DeadTime](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
2012
![DeadTime](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
DeadTime
2.8/9
A Birmingham-based band are ordered by their unhappy record company to an old warehouse; the goal being to re-start their ailing careers with a kick-a...
Watch Now
DeadTime
![The Wedding Tackle](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7fIvo570wOjym3OEhjb95QXBFF0.jpg)
2000
![The Wedding Tackle](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7fIvo570wOjym3OEhjb95QXBFF0.jpg)
The Wedding Tackle
0/0
The sexual rivalries between a group of friends cause comic chaos during a stag night celebration.
Watch Now
The Wedding Tackle
![Mob Handed](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/43ZNUS4U2rawFGO5WLWqw9pfmpr.jpg)
2016
![Mob Handed](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/43ZNUS4U2rawFGO5WLWqw9pfmpr.jpg)
Mob Handed
4.1/5
A beautiful journalist will stop at nothing to get revenge for her daughter's murder. With no help from corrupt cops she decides to take the law into...
Watch Now
Mob Handed
![The Stretch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vKCiI9yUM8IMeQuHfnNced6GoWF.jpg)
2000
![The Stretch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vKCiI9yUM8IMeQuHfnNced6GoWF.jpg)
The Stretch
0/0
When Terry (Grantham) is sentenced to a twenty-year stretch for a murder he did not commit, his wife Sam (Dobson) discovers that his apparently respec...
Watch Now
The Stretch
![The Nightwatch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/zoUghfYlx0cq4mUQ4Q53oREg5Hd.jpg)
1989
![The Nightwatch](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/zoUghfYlx0cq4mUQ4Q53oREg5Hd.jpg)
The Nightwatch
5/3
Dark and brooding thriller. A group of mercenaries are assembled in Amsterdam by a British intelligence officer. Believing they are awaiting the detai...
Watch Now
The Nightwatch
![Vengeance](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g0N3nkiBEd9qeEZTP845otKl6ow.jpg)
2020
![Vengeance](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g0N3nkiBEd9qeEZTP845otKl6ow.jpg)
Vengeance
3.2/4
Eric Williams has been on the run for 27 years for a murder he didn't commit. When his estranged daughter is brutally attacked in London, the police a...
Watch Now
Vengeance
![The Krays: Dead Man Walking](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/33wnQwgNSQVHf8gyDDxuMFAdVRJ.jpg)
2018
![The Krays: Dead Man Walking](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/33wnQwgNSQVHf8gyDDxuMFAdVRJ.jpg)
The Krays: Dead Man Walking
2.8/5
Inspired by true events, the shocking story of London's most feared and notorious brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray as they break Frank 'The Mad Axeman'...
Watch Now
The Krays: Dead Man Walking
![Leslie](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
2013
![Leslie](https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/video/assets/no-poster.png)
Leslie
0/0
Leslie Grantham and Lucy-Jane Quinlan portray fictionalised versions of themselves in this road trip comedy that examines family, celebrity, friendshi...
Watch Now
Leslie
![The Factory](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/daa5kAAjFGVrMeEOJtpCCgbNliB.jpg)
2013
![The Factory](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/daa5kAAjFGVrMeEOJtpCCgbNliB.jpg)
The Factory
0/0
Gene has the world - he's a successful entrepreneur, beautiful home, beautiful car, everything he could ask for except for one thing. Then he meets Gi...
Watch Now
The Factory
![Morons from Outer Space](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/2C7h2FMGBeMVZNO8IHXd2XjDAx6.jpg)
1985
![Morons from Outer Space](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/2C7h2FMGBeMVZNO8IHXd2XjDAx6.jpg)
Morons from Outer Space
4.65/39
The story begins on a small spaceship docking with a refueling station. On board are a group of four aliens, Bernard, Sandra, Desmond, and Julian. Dur...
Watch Now
Morons from Outer Space
![Search and Destroy](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nSFvFBZ1BAhmil0bjmLOliLyjek.jpg)
2020
![Search and Destroy](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nSFvFBZ1BAhmil0bjmLOliLyjek.jpg)
Search and Destroy
4.3/31
When American Ranger John Cutter fails to save a family being held hostage and loses his entire team in a confrontation with infamous Ukrainian arms d...
Watch Now
Search and Destroy
![Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/aTVtFFRhoBHDr8LhtZUD0DawidM.jpg)
1984
![Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/aTVtFFRhoBHDr8LhtZUD0DawidM.jpg)
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
7.8/6
Captured in a time corridor, the Doctor and his companions are forced to land on 20th century Earth, diverted by the Doctor's oldest enemy - the Dalek...
Watch Now
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
![Shadow Run](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oXEqyEHp1SAtfEq2XoHWBPN3OHU.jpg)
1998
![Shadow Run](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oXEqyEHp1SAtfEq2XoHWBPN3OHU.jpg)
Shadow Run
4.1/10
Haskell is assigned a job by his boss, the aristocratic Landon-Higgins, to highjack a high security van in broad daylight while it's in the shadow run...
Watch Now
Shadow Run
![Knockback: 1](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tWlrOhOGnxr1JBUoXLM9L1lRPXO.jpg)
1985
![Knockback: 1](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tWlrOhOGnxr1JBUoXLM9L1lRPXO.jpg)
Knockback: 1
7.5/1
In 1965, at the age of 25, Alan Ackland is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a business associate. In 1971, Sylvia Barker, lonely and d...
Watch Now
Knockback: 1
![Knockback: 2](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tWlrOhOGnxr1JBUoXLM9L1lRPXO.jpg)
1985
![Knockback: 2](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/tWlrOhOGnxr1JBUoXLM9L1lRPXO.jpg)
Knockback: 2
0/0
Alan and Sylvia fall in love and Alan gains a renewed sense of purpose. He begins to hope for an eventual release on licence. However both he and Sylv...
Watch Now
Knockback: 2
![Jack Southeast](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3Krjm61ApzEgJhim1vSgP7oXgh5.jpg)
2018
![Jack Southeast](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3Krjm61ApzEgJhim1vSgP7oXgh5.jpg)
Jack Southeast
0/0
Jack comes out of prison and gets released early by his boss , but for that he has too do one more job and settle the score but with all this on his h...
Watch Now
Jack Southeast
![Hooligan '96](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/CfKZrFxdVt2AOgo3gLFXskKVB1.jpg)
1996
![Hooligan '96](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/CfKZrFxdVt2AOgo3gLFXskKVB1.jpg)
Hooligan '96
0/0
A controversial study of the phenomenon of football hooliganism, looking at the social context and tribal instincts that lie behind it.
Watch Now
Hooligan '96
![It's Not Unusual](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kuOXsx0CtaYFhOopNuzivVvnVa9.jpg)
1995
![It's Not Unusual](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/kuOXsx0CtaYFhOopNuzivVvnVa9.jpg)
It's Not Unusual
6/1
A taxi driver is driven to distraction by her love of Tom Jones.
Watch Now
It's Not Unusual
![My Brother David](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/zlp4hcfxlCWMFv5UMxjsJyUCAz8.jpg)
1989
![My Brother David](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/zlp4hcfxlCWMFv5UMxjsJyUCAz8.jpg)
My Brother David
0/0
David Scarboro, who played Mark Fowler in EastEnders (1985), fell to his death at Beachy Head in 1988. Simon, his younger brother, presents this tribu...
Watch Now
My Brother David
![Faith](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n9zu6jk1jRXC71kxTcmE15s4HZA.jpg)
1998
![Faith](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/n9zu6jk1jRXC71kxTcmE15s4HZA.jpg)
Faith
0/0
A short film on the subject of an Arsenal fan's protest and based on an original short story by Fever Pitch author Nick Hornby, starring John Sessions...
Watch Now