Bob Grant was born in
Hammersmith, London on 14th April 1932 and trained at RADA. To
support his income at this time he had a part-time job as
a bus conductor. After serving his National Service he
worked in a number of repertory companies throughout the
country before ending up at Joan Littlewood's company at
the Theatre Royal, Stratford, East London. In 1963 he
appeared at the Adelphi Theatre in Lionel Bart's Blitz!.
He then returned to Stratford to appear alongside Barbara
Windsor in Sparrers Can't Sing and in Instant Marriage for
which he wrote the book and lyrics.
In 1968 he landed the role that to
was make him famous around the world, Jack in On The
Buses. In 1969 he became an overnight success when he landed
the part of Jack in On The Buses and such was the shows
popularity that when he married at Caxton Hall in 1971
traffic was brought to a standstill as hundreds of fans
crowded the streets. Beside the Rolls
Royce at the wedding a Double Decker bus used in On The
Buses was to be used to transport the guests to the
reception.
Bob Grant appeared with David
Jason (of Fools and Horses fame) at Grand Theatre
Wolverhampton on 24 March 1975, in a play called Darling
Mr London. The play was by Bob Grant and Anthony Marriot.
In 1976 & 1977 he appeared in pantomime at the Cliffs
Pavilion in South End. (You will see adverts for Cliffs
Pavilion on the side of buses in episodes of On The
Buses).
When the series finally finished
Grant toured Australia in No Sex Please, We're British. In
later years Grant had suffered serious bouts of depression
and on November 18th 2003, aged 71 years, he was found dead
in his fume filled car in the garage of his
Gloucestershire home. |
Bob Grant