Biography
British actor Leslie Grantham rose to prominence in 1985 as Den Watts, the original landlord of the Queen Vic in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The character quickly became a national favorite, earning the nickname Dirty Den due to his treatment of his wife Angie, played by Anita Dobson, as well as his numerous affairs and shady dealings. At Grantham's request, the character was killed off in 1988, shot by gangsters he had betrayed. However, he returned to the show in 2003, with the storyline revealing that Den had faked his death and was living in exile in Spain. It was widely rumored that Grantham was enticed back with a £500,000-a-year contract, and around 17 million viewers tuned in to watch his comeback—an impressive number, though overshadowed by the 30 million who watched Den divorce Angie on Christmas Day, 1986. Two years later, in 2005, Den Watts was killed off permanently in an episode that attracted 16.2 million viewers. This final exit was linked to an online sex scandal involving Grantham, which had been exposed by a Sunday newspaper the previous year.
This was not Grantham's first brush with controversy. Shortly after achieving fame on the soap, his past became headline news. On 3 December 1966, while serving as a young British soldier in West Germany, Grantham attempted to rob a taxi driver, Felix Reese, in Osnabrück. A struggle ensued during which Reese was fatally shot in the head. Grantham told police that he was unaware the gun was loaded and that it discharged during the struggle—a claim that could have led to a manslaughter conviction if believed. However, at his 1967 trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Although the crime occurred in West Germany, he served his sentence in various British prisons because soldiers and officers convicted of crimes warranting sentences over two years are automatically transferred to Her Majesty's Prison Service and dishonorably discharged. Grantham was released in 1977 after serving 10 years. While incarcerated, he discovered acting and, encouraged by Labour politician T. Dan Smith and Doctor Who actress Louise Jameson, pursued acting upon release.
Outside EastEnders, Grantham maintained a high-profile career throughout much of the 1990s, starring as gangster Danny Kane in the BBC drama The Paradise Club and as maverick undercover cop Mick Raynor in 99-1. His other credits include the sci-fi series The Uninvited—which he also produced—Fort Boyard, The Bill, and The Stretch, the latter reuniting him with Anita Dobson. He also appeared in films such as The Wedding Tackle, Charlie, and Mob Handed, and played the lead role in The English Neighbour on Bulgarian TV in 2011. Leslie Grantham passed away on 15 June 2018 in hospital following a short illness.
