Cary Grant’s Daughter Honored Her Late Father With A Touching Tribute

Aug 02, 2021

Cary Grant was a highly beloved actor from the classic Hollywood era and was known for being one of the most definitive leading men during this time. He first fell in love with the idea of being a star when he would go to the movies as a young boy before working backstage at various theaters during his teenage years. As he grew older, he found real success and earned rave reviews from fans and critics alike for his charming personality.

He had suffered a difficult childhood but never lost sight of his goals and ambitions to become a famous actor. Despite all the hardships he had faced throughout his childhood and even into his early young adult years, he had stayed optimistic and even had a light-hearted approach to acting. Even though he was serious about being an actor, he didn’t take himself too seriously and thoroughly enjoyed working in the acting industry. Grant was loved for being incredibly handsome and personable, leading to him being cast in a number of films over his long career.

In his personal life, Grant had been married a handful of times, although most of his marriages only lasted a few years. He had one daughter during his lifetime and made her his most important priority, leaving his greatly successful career behind in order to focus on raising her. After Grant died in 1986, his beautiful daughter carried on his legacy by becoming an actress herself and later published a book detailing all the wonderful times they had spent together.

Born as Archibald Alec Leach on Jan. 18, 1904, in Bristol, England, Grant had a rough upbringing. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother suffered from clinical depression. They had already lost a child, as Grant’s older brother died in 1900, just one day before the child’s first birthday. Early on, Grant’s mother helped him become more educated about singing and dancing and would frequently take him to the cinema. There, he was able to see performances of Charlie Chaplin, Chester Conklin, and Ford Sterling and found joy and inspiration in watching them on the big screen.

Grant’s mother continued to suffer from her mental illness and was later placed in Glenside Hospital by his father. His father lied to him and said that the mother had gone away for a vacation, only to later tell Grant that his mother had died, according to Country Living. Grant grew to resent his mother and was forced to adjust to his father’s new life and new wife. Up until he was in his thirties, Grant had believed that his mother was dead, only to find out that she had been alive and in the hospital the entire time, as per Country Living. In June 1935, he made arrangements to allow her to leave the hospital.

Despite the troubles he had faced throughout his childhood and much of his young adult life, Grant never let go of his passion for acting. While he was a good student academically, his behavior was not the best, which ultimately caused him to be expelled when he was 14 years old. However, he stayed focused on his after-school job working backstage in various Bristol theaters.

When he was 16 years old, Grant became part of the vaudeville circuit and began touring around the United States in various cities. He later formed his own group called The Walking Stanleys and toured for a few years across the United States with the group. Grant was finally able to visit Los Angeles for the very first time in 1924 and instantly fell in love with the city. The Walking Stanleys split up, and Grant returned to New York, where he continued to perform on the street, showing off his various talents in juggling, acrobatics, and comic sketches.

Finally, all of Grant’s hard work and perseverance began to pay off as he was offered small roles in various plays. People were intrigued by his accent, which was oftentimes mistaken for being Australian. Most people referred to it as transatlantic. Grant was cast in a few shows, all of which were mostly unsuccessful, but was able to further develop his skills as an actor. Premiering in January 1929, Grant earned himself a small role in the French risque comedy “Boom-Boom” opposite Jeanette MacDonald. Even though Grant was not the best actor out of the bunch, many people were entranced by his charming demeanor.

After the Great Depression hit, it became difficult to keep shows up and running due to the financial toll the economic depression had, but Grant continued to keep trying to really make it big in the acting industry. After finding his footing in the film industry, it was as if Grant was unstoppable as his career in Hollywood quickly took off.

Grant was extremely handsome and had undeniable charm. He made his feature film debut in the comedy “This Is the Night” in 1932. A year later, he acted in “Blonde Venus.” He continued to land more and more jobs, and although the films did not catapult him into stardom, they helped Grant be seen as a promising rising actor. Finally, in 1937, Grant starred in “The Awful Truth,” which became his springboard to success. Grant’s talents as a comedic actor were highly appreciated, leading to him being cast in the film, and he was recognized as having one of the best-establishing personas in the screwball comedy category.

Grant continued to find success in the film category and starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in the 1938 movie “Bringing Up Baby.” He was given some freedom to act as he pleased and really master his craft, although he never took himself too seriously. Even if a film didn’t do well at the box office, people were still huge fans of Grant himself, and he rarely struggled to find work.

Moving into the 1940s, Grant starred in many films, including “His Girl Friday,” “My Favorite Wife,” and “The Philadelphia Story.” Even though Grant had thoroughly enjoyed working in the industry and was receiving plenty of recognition from fans and filmmakers, he wanted to be taken more seriously, especially after his “The Philadelphia Story” co-stars were nominated for Oscars, and he was not. Just one year later, Grant’s wishes came true, and he was nominated for his first-ever Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in “Penny Serenade.” Although he did not win the award, his career continued to flourish. 

He went on to build a great relationship with film director Alfred Hitchcock and starred in four of the director’s films, including “Suspicion,” “Notorious,” “North by Northwest,” and “To Catch a Thief.” The latter also starred Grace Kelly, and Grant got on extremely well with her and Hitchcock, leading the film to be one of the most enjoyable to film. Fans and critics alike also enjoyed watching the film, leading it to become one of Grant’s most successful films in his career.

Grant had officially cemented himself as one of the iconic stars in Hollywood and was cast in leading roles in a variety of films as the years progressed. He starred in comedies, romances, and more, as he was able to truly show off his range. Alongside Doris Day, Grant had the leading male role in “That Touch of Mink” in 1962. The film earned rave reviews from critics and ended up winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Picture. Even though he didn’t win, Grant was still recognized as an important figure in the film as he was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor.

Starring opposite Audrey Hepburn, Grant appeared in his last romantic role in the 1963 film “Charade.” In 1966, Grant starred in his final film, “Walk, Don’t Run,” a comedy that co-starred Jim Hutton and Samantha Eggar and was shot on location in Tokyo. After Grant’s daughter was born, the accomplished star decided to retire in order to focus on her upbringing and provide a sense of stability in her life, something that Grant himself didn’t have as a child.

During his life, Grant had gotten married a total of five times. He first married Virginia Cherrill in 1934, but the two divorced just one year later, leading to a bitter and public divorce case. In 1942, Grant remarried and tied the knot with Barbara Hutton, one of the wealthiest women in the world at that time. They lived in a beautiful mansion together near the end of their marriage and later divorced in 1945. However, the two were able to remain good friends. On Christmas in 1949, Grant married Betsy Drake in what became his longest marriage. His marriage to the actress lasted until 1962.

In 1965, the established actor married Dyan Cannon, and together they had one child. However, the couple did not last long together and divorced in March 1968, just days after Grant had been hospitalized with injuries from a car accident. Grant got married for the last time in April 1981 when he married Barbara Harris, a British hotel public relations agent who was 47 years younger than Grant. They had still been married at the time of Grant’s death in 1986.

On Nov. 29, 1986, Grant had been preparing for his performance in “A Conversation with Cary Grant” backstage at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa, as per the Los Angeles Times. He had been feeling extremely ill and was later taken back to his hotel as he only seemed to worsen as time progressed. After a doctor was called in, it was discovered that Grant had a massive stroke. His health quickly deteriorated, and he was later taken to St. Luke’s Hospital after slipping into a coma, as per the New York Times. He died that night at the age of 82. 

University Fox reported that Cary was worth $80 million when he passed away and left the value of his estate to his daughter, Jennifer Grant, and his widow, Harris. Jennifer was born on Feb. 26, 1966, to parents Grant and Cannon. She went to high school at Brentwood School in Los Angeles and later attended Stanford University to obtain a degree in American studies. Following graduation, she worked for a law firm and then as a chef at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Beverly Hills called Spago.

With both of her parents being established actors, it was no surprise when Jennifer was later bit by the acting bug. However, it was only after her father died that she finally landed her first acting role in the TV drama series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” She went on to appear in several movies afterward and even guest-starred in the hit sitcom “Friends.” In 1999, she was cast as the lead actress in the TV show “Movie Stars.” Today, she has a son named Cary and a daughter named Davian.

Speaking with NPR in June 2011, Jennifer reminisced on the times she was able to spend with her father before he passed. They used to enjoy listening to classical music together and just spending time with one another. She began the interview by mentioning one of her father’s favorite expressions. “It’s something he used to say when he was happy,” Jennifer said. “It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on the front lawn. Dad loved classical music and we might be listening to some Stravinksy or something and having some tea and eggs. And he’d say, ‘Oh, good stuff, isn’t it?’”

Something Grant was known for during his time as a father was keeping plenty of archives and records of everything his daughter did. “He wanted me to have accurate record of my life growing up with him because his own records were burned in the bombings of Bristol in World War II,” Jennifer told NPR. He saved photographs and letters in a fireproof vault in their house “to ensure the safety of these archives,” Jennifer explained.

Looking back, Jennifer remembered a time she had been embarrassed by Grant’s unabashed adoration for her, including one specific Halloween. “At the time… I was embarrassed, I think, by the extent of his love and devotion to me,” she said. “So I just sort of ran up and got the candy and gave him a huge and left. It’s moments like that that I look back on — and I regret those moments.”

“Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant,” is a book by Jennifer that depicts their lives together and retells some of Jennifer’s fondest memories of her late father. Throughout the book, Jennifer talks more about everything she loved and cherished about her father and the times they were able to spend together.

While Grant was one of the most beloved classic Hollywood actors, his legacy has certainly not been forgotten. Entering the spotlight following her father’s death, Jennifer has worked at establishing herself as an actress while carrying on the memories of her late father and sharing their past stories with the world.

What do you think about Cary Grant’s life story and the career he had? What are your thoughts about his daughter Jennifer? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones, too!