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Leslie GranthamLeslie Grantham (born April 30, 1947) is a British actor. He was born in London and enlisted for national service with the British Army in 1965, at the age of 18. A year later he shot dead a German taxi driver during a burglary and, along with another man, was convicted of murder. Although Grantham had committed the murder in Germany, he served his sentence in a British prison and was released after 10 years. During his imprisonment he joined the drama group of Wandsworth Prison and on release trained at drama school, before making an appearance in a 1984 episode of Doctor Who. In 1984 he auditioned with the BBC for a part in its new soap opera EastEnders, which was due to go on air in February 1985. Grantham had auditioned for the role of market trader Peter Beale, but when the series went on air he was playing the role of Dennis Watts. The character, landlord of the Queen Victoria public house, quickly gained the nickname Dirty Den mostly because of the way he treated his wife Angie, played by Anita Dobson. On Christmas Day 1986, Grantham's character served his on-screen wife with the divorce papers and the episode was watched by a record 30 million viewers - over half the British population. Soon afterwards, the character Den Watts sold his pub to Frank Butcher and gradually drifted out of key storylines until finally departing in February 1989. Viewers watched a mysterious gunman shoot at Den with a gun before hearing a splash. The following year, a body believed to be Den's was found in the canal. However, in September 2003, Leslie Grantham returned to EastEnders in a plotline which stretched the soap's credibility as his 'Den Watts' character (initially bumped-off in 1989) arrived at the nightclub now owned by his adoptive daughter Sharon. Just over a year later, Dirty Den bought the Queen Vic off Sam Mitchell - 17 years after he had sold it to Frank Butcher. In 2004 a Sunday newspaper printed photographs of Grantham apparently exposing himself via a webcam from his dressing room. He also allegedly insulted several cast members of EastEnders. Grantham released a statement which read, "I am wholeheartedly ashamed of my behaviour and feel that I have let down my colleagues, as well as my friends and family." He also added, "In some small recompense I intend to make a donation to charity as a mark of my apology." In February 2005, 16.2 million viewers tuned in to view his character's second (and final) demise, this time at the hands of new wife, Chrissie. Grantham's departure from the soap was reportedly the result of adverse newspaper publicity generated by the actor's Internet sex scandal months earlier for which he had initially received a suspension from the programme. TV Series External links Grantham, Leslie Grantham, Leslie Grantham, Leslie
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