Cary Grant Biography

Born Archibald Alexander Leach to a poor family, his mother was institutionalised when he was nine years old.

Young Archie soon discovered a love for the theatre and had odd jobs at the Hippodrome and the Empire. Aged 14, he joined the Bob Pender comedy troupe, where he danced, performed as an acrobat and a stilt-walker, and acted in pantomime.

The troupe toured small towns in England, before embarking on a successful tour of America. At the end of the two-year tour, Archibald Leach decided to stay behind in the US and try his hand at acting.

He spent five years doing odd jobs, including acting as a society escort, before he got his first break in a stage production of the musical 'Golden Dawn'. This was followed by other theatre roles.

In 1931, Archibald successfully auditioned for Paramount studios and was signed to a five-year contract. He was also advised to change his name, and it was at this point that Archie became Cary Grant.

Grant's first feature film, 'This Is The Night', was released in 1932, and the actor went on to perform with leading ladies such as Mae West and Marlene Dietrich.

In 1934, he married his first wife Virginia Cherrill but the pair divorced a year later.

Cary Grant found his form in 1935, when he was loaned out to RKO to perform in 'Sylvia Scarlett', opposite Katharine Hepburn. In this, he played a Cockney entertainer in a travelling troupe.

When his contract with Paramount ended in 1937, Grant decided to go it alone, choosing his own scripts and producers.

His first hit film was 'The Awful Truth' in 1937, and he went on to have great success with comedy films such as 'Bringing Up Baby', 'Holiday' and 'His Girl Friday'.

Arguably the most memorable films were those produced by Alfred Hitchcock in the latter days of the actor's career: 'To Catch A Thief' and 'North By North-West'. The director stated that Grant was the "only actor I have ever loved".

Grant starred opposite Grace Kelly in 'To Catch a Thief' and they were allowed to improvise some of the dialogue as they knew what the director liked. They added some double entrendre into the film that made it past the censors. His biggest box office hit was 'North by North-West'.

In 1942, Grant married one of the wealthiest women in the world - Barbara Hutton - and the couple signed a pre-nuptial agreement with Grant refusing money if they divorced, which they did in 1945. They remained life-long friends.

He then married Betsy Drake in 1949, with whom he had starred in two films, which would prove to be his longest marriage ending in 1962. The actress introduced Grant to LSD, which was legal at that time.

The same year, he turned down the part of James Bond stating he was too old at the age of 58.

In 1965 he eloped with Dylan Cannon and had his first child, a daughter called Jennifer, who was born prematurely on 26 February 1966. He claimed she was "his best production" and wished he had had children earlier in life. The couple went through a bitter divorce in 1968.

Cary Grant retired from the screen in 1966 to focus on his daughter. He spent his time on the board of Faberge and played an active role. In the last years of his life, he went on tours of the US in a one-man show called 'A Conversation with Cary Grant'.

Despite being nominated for two Academy Awards for 'Penny Serenade' in 1941 and 'None But The Lonely Heart' in 1944, he did not receive an Oscar until 1970 when he was awarded a Special Lifetime Achievement Academy Award.

Grant suffered a major stroke on 29 November 1986 on the eve of performing his one-man show in Iowa and died later that night.

He had married lifelong companion Barbara Harris, who was 47 years his junior, in 1981 and they renewed their vows on their fifth wedding anniversary just before his death.

Discover the man behind the movies - Cary Grant: A Class Apart by Graham McCann

The ultimate biography of this ever-popular star and icon, from a young Cambridge don who has already made his name with a much praised biography of Marilyn Monroe. Cary Grant made men seem like a good idea. Tall, dark and handsome with a rare gift for light comedy, he played a leading man who liked to be led, a man of the world who was a man of the people. This book explores the ambiguities in the life and work of Cary Grant: a working class Englishman who portrayed a well-bred American; the playful entertainer who became a powerful businessman; the intimate stranger who was often the seduced male. Thorough and meticulously researched, this book is a dazzling and entertaining account of Cary Grant's broad and enduring appeal.

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The ultimate DVD box set containing 21 of Cary Grant's best-loved films on 18 discs.