Hugh Grant was born on September 9, 1960, in London, England. Grant had a modest upbringing in West London; his father named James ran a carpet business and his mother named Fynvola was a teacher. He was the younger of 2 and his brother is called James, is a banker. A bright and scholarly youth, Hugh attended Oxford as an English major, but turned to acting as a creative outlet in his final year. In 1982, and being a graduate of Oxford, actor Hugh Grant would seem more a natural product of Cambridge University, breeding ground for such comic talents as Monty Python's Flying Circus. Although his classic good looks make him a shoo-in for romantic leads, Grant's comic capabilities -- marked by a nervous stutter, desperately fluttering eyelids, and an ability to capture a brand of distinctly English embarrassment -- have marked him as more of a comic performer than a serious leading man. Grant made his screen debut in Privileged while still a student. He went on to do theatre and television work, but it was not until 1987s Merchant-Ivory production of Maurice that Grant received international recognition. He won the Venice Film Festivals Best Actor Prize for his portrayal of a young man confronting his homosexuality at the turn-of-the-century.

        Grant met his long time girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley, in 1987 while working on Rowing in the Wind in Madrid. He was playing Lord Byron and she, Claire Clairmont. They went on to form the development company Simian Films together, in partnership with Castle Rock Entertainment. Their first production, the medical thriller Extreme Measures, achieved neither critical nor box office recognition.

       Grant and Hurley announced their separation during the summer of 2000, but they continue to work together on the Simian Films venture.