LESLIE GRANTHAM

(30 April 1947 - 15 June 2018)

The actor Leslie Grantham, who has died from cancer aged 71, will forever be remembered for his role of ‘Dirty’ Den Watts in the BBC soap EastEnders. He only took to acting following a conviction for murder. While in prison he was encouraged to perform and after ten years inside he studied at the Webber Douglas Academy. Following some early theatre work, he made his television debut in 1982 in Jake’s End, then Goodnight and God Bless and then he played Davros’s henchman Kiston in a Doctor Who Daleks story. Further TV included The Jewel in the Crown, The Nightwatch, a thriller directed by Danny Boyle, The Paradise Club, Cluedo, 99-1, Woof!, The Bill and The Uninvited (on which he was also executive producer). Grantham’s film career was not outstanding. His first feature film was Morons from Outer Space in 1985, but by then he was entrenched in EastEnders. ‘Dirty’ Den was allegedly killed off in 1989 but he returned in 2003 and stayed for 18 months before his final demise, having notched up over 300 episodes. His other films included Shadow Run (with Michael Caine), Crow’s Nest, The Wedding Tackle, Charlie, Mob Handed, and a little-known version of Waiting for Godot with Brian Blessed. His last two films, Jack Southeast and The Krays: Dead Man Walking, are awaiting release. Leslie Grantham married Jane Laurie and they have three children.

MICHAEL DARVELL