Death! British actor Leslie Grantham was in poor health and fighting for his life in a UK hospital!
- Famous actor Leslie Grantham who played Dirty Den in EastEnders was fighting for his life in a UK hospital.
- He died Friday morning at age 71.
- A private funeral would be held.
Leslie Grantham’s health update
Leslie Grantham, 71 was residing in Bulgaria for many years. Recently, he sold his Bulgarian home and relocated to the UK. It has been reported that Leslie is now in the hospital and in serious condition.
A rep revealed:
“Leslie Grantham remains poorly and is being taken care of by medical staff.”
A statement was to be released at the appropriate time. The exact nature of his illness had not been divulged. But his close friends in the industry were fearing the worst.
Leslie’s latest project
Leslie was shooting for the movie The Krays: Dead Man Walking last February. The movie is in the post-production phase and is due for release in September.
There are some shots of Leslie in the movie where he is in the forest and seen wearing a black overcoat and a matching hat. He is cast as policeman Nipper Read who had gained fame after he arrested the East End twins in 1968.
Leslie’s performance in the film is excellent and a spokesperson for Hereford Films said:
“I can confirm that Leslie played Detective ‘Nipper’ Read in The Krays – Dead Man Walking, which is due for release September 10th. He completed filming and his performance is superb and a timely reminder of why he was such a massive star. I am not at liberty to discuss his health.”
Well -wishes for the star pour in
Leslie’s co-stars and celebrity friends all had wished him good health and get well soon.
Zack Morris wrote:
“I hope he gets well soon. We all wish him speedy recovery,”
Lorraine Stanley said that all the staff at EastEnders wish Leslie the best. He is being looked after well but those closest to him are worried and anxious for his life and are praying earnestly for his well-being.
Leslie’s life before his acting career
Leslie is a convicted murderer. In 1966, he tried to rob a taxi driver named Felix Reese in West Germany, and in the ensuing struggle, Felix got a gunshot wound in his head and died.
Leslie was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He completed 10 years in UK prisons and was released in 1977.
During his jail term, he used to act in plays for the inmates. He was encouraged to take up acting as a career and after release from prison, he trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He did some theater work and debuted on TV in 1982.
His breakthrough role came in 1984 when he auditioned with BBC for EastEnders. He was offered the role of Dennis Watts and successfully portrayed it.
The online sex scandal
In 2004, he was involved in an online sex scandal when a picture of him masturbating and sucking his finger in a sexually-suggestive manner was printed by a Sunday newspaper.
He apologized for it and said that he was tricked into this act and was set up. He also attempted suicide thrice after this due to the scandal.
His married life
Leslie was married to Jane Laurie in 1981 and the couple has three children. They got divorced in 2013.