Richard E. Grant

Grant in 2015, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Richard Grant Esterhuysen

Place of Birth: Mbabane, Protectorate of Swaziland (now Eswatini)

Date of Birth: 5 May, 1957

Ethnicity: Afrikaner [Dutch, possibly other], German, English, possibly Hungarian

Richard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born English actor, screenwriter, director, perfumier, and presenter. His roles include Withnail and I, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Warlock, among many other films. He has also been credited as Richard Grant.

Richard was born in Mbabane, Protectorate of Swaziland, now Eswatini. At the time, the African country was a protectorate of the U.K., after the British victory there in the Second Boer War, 1899-1902. Richard is the son of Leonne “Leonie,” a ballet teacher, and Henrik Abraham Esterhuysen, who was head of education in the protectorate, and continued on in the position in the post-Colonial government. His father was of Afrikaner/Dutch descent. His mother is South African, and has German ancestry.

Richard has said that he considers his father to have been English, and also that he has Hungarian ancestry. It is not clear if this is accurate.

Richard took on his stage surname after moving to the U.K. to become an actor.

Richard was married to voice coach Joan Washington, until her death, with whom he has a daughter.

Richard’s childhood in Swaziland is depicted in his book The Wah-Wah Diaries (2006), and in the film Wah-Wah (2005), which he wrote and directed; in the film, a fictionalized version of Richard as a teenager is played by Nicholas Hoult.

Sources: Genealogies of Richard E. Grant – http://www.famechain.com
https://www.myheritage.se

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