Grant Alan Show (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor best known for his role on ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
'' as
Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997. Since 2017, Show has portrayed tycoon
Blake Carrington
Blake Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The role of Blake was originally portrayed by actor John Forsythe from 1981 to 1989. Forsythe returned for the min ...
in the soap opera reboot ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
''.
Early life
Show was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, to Ed and Kathleen Show (née McMillion), and has a sister, Kelly, with whom he was raised in the
Milpitas, California
Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Marà ...
, area. He is a graduate of
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, where he was a member of the
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters and colonies in the United Stat ...
fraternity.
Career
He broke into show business during college. His first major role was on the daytime
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Ryan's Hope
''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in th ...
'', in which he played Rick Hyde from 1984–1987. During his last year on the show, he received a
Daytime Emmy
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
nomination for "Outstanding Young Actor in a Daytime Drama Series". Also during his time on the soap, Show dated fellow ''Ryan's Hope'' actor
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth (born June 14, 1968) is an American actress and model. Her television roles include Caroline Holden on ''Baywatch'', Ryan Fenelli on ''Ryan's Hope'', and LeeAnn Demerest on ''One Life to Live''.
Early life and career
Blee ...
. Hyped as the series' leading heart-throb, he even had a pin-up poster issued during the series' run but later became dissatisfied with acting in soaps and went to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in order to improve his craft. Returning to the US in the late 1980s, he landed occasional primetime television acting jobs.
His appearances on television attracted the attention of producer
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...
, who felt he had star potential and decided to cast him as Jake Hanson on a few episodes of the popular series ''
Beverly Hills, 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...
'' in order to spin off the character as the lead in his next series ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
''. Debuting with much fanfare (Show was on the covers of both ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' and ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' immediately after the series' debut), the series' ratings in its first season were not up to expectations, and the show was revamped in the middle of the first season from an episodic strait-laced drama format to a melodramatic soap opera serial format in the tradition of ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', one of Spelling's earlier hits. The series made Show one of the most popular and best-known actors on American television during the 1990s. He also played Jake in a guest appearance in the pilot of the ''Melrose'' spin-off ''
Models Inc.
''Models Inc.'' is an American prime time soap opera that aired on Fox during the 1994–95 television season. A spin-off of ''Melrose Place'', it is the third series in the ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' franchise.
''Models Inc.'' revolves around ...
'', making him the only actor to play the same character on the first three shows in the
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' franchise.
During his time on ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
'', Show also appeared on an episode of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' hosted by
Laura Leighton
Laura Diane Leighton is an American actress. She played Sydney Andrews on the television series '' Melrose Place'' (1993–1997) and its continuation (2009–2010), and Ashley Marin on Freeform's series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017).
...
. In 1997, Show,
Laura Leighton
Laura Diane Leighton is an American actress. She played Sydney Andrews on the television series '' Melrose Place'' (1993–1997) and its continuation (2009–2010), and Ashley Marin on Freeform's series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017).
...
(an off-screen girlfriend of Show's for a period),
Doug Savant
Douglas Peter Savant (born June 21, 1964) is an American actor, known for his roles as Matt Fielding in the Fox prime time soap opera '' Melrose Place'' (1992–97), Tom Scavo in ABC comedy-drama '' Desperate Housewives'' (2004–12), and as Sgt. ...
,
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Courtney Thorne-Smith (born November 8, 1967) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Alison Parker on ''Melrose Place'', Georgia Thomas on '' Ally McBeal'', Cheryl Mabel in ''According to Jim'' and her recurring role on ...
and
Marcia Cross
Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as ''The Edge of Night'', '' Another World'', and ''One Life to Live'' before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on ''Knots ...
left ''Melrose Place'', which led the show into a major decline. It was cancelled two years later, though Show later regretted his decision to leave, despite his dislike of the scripts during his final season.
He has since starred in a number of television movies, including ''Blessed Assurance'' with
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...
, ''Between Love and Honor'' with
Robert Loggia
Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...
, and ''Homeland Security'' with
Tom Skerritt
Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', ''Top Gun'', '' A R ...
and was one of the leads in the short-lived Fox Network supernatural drama ''
Point Pleasant'' in 2005. He made a guest appearance for three episodes in HBO's acclaimed series ''
Six Feet Under'' in 2002, and in 2006 he guest-starred on two episodes of the ABC Family show ''
Beautiful People'', alongside former ''Melrose Place'' co-star
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga (; born October 28, 1962) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1982 slasher film '' The Dorm That Dripped Blood'' (1982) at the age of 19, followed by a lead role in another slasher film '' The Initiation ...
.
In 2007, Show appeared in three episodes of the
FX show ''
Dirt
Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty.
Common types of dirt include:
* Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains
* Dust: a genera ...
'', playing a
closet
A closet (especially in North American usage) is an enclosed space, with a door, used for storage, particularly that of clothes. ''Fitted closets'' are built into the walls of the house so that they take up no apparent space in the room. Closet ...
ed gay action movie hero, Jack Dawson. In 2008, Show starred in the short-lived
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
summer drama series ''
Swingtown'' as an airline
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
, Tom Decker. Show was also featured in a recurring role in episodes of ''
Private Practice Private practice may refer to:
*Private sector practice
**Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...
'' in the 2008–2009 season. He recently starred opposite
Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary Elfman (née Butala, born 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom ''Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Televisi ...
in ''
Accidentally on Purpose'', his first sitcom. In the 2010–2011 season, he appeared in the recurrent role of Michael Sainte, the Goji Guru, on the HBO series ''
Big Love
''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tripp ...
''. He has acted in a number of stage productions. In 1990, he played the lead in an adaptation of ''
On the Waterfront
''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...
'' and after his stint on ''Melrose Place'' he appeared in a production of ''
The Glass Menagerie
''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...
''. He was on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 1999 playing a doctor in
Wit. In 2012, he appeared in the film ''
The Possession
''The Possession'' is a 2012 American supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and J. R. Young, and written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Nat ...
'', directed by
Ole Bornedal
Ole Bornedal (born 26 May 1959) is a Danish film director, actor and producer.
Bornedal was born in Nørresundby, Denmark. He wrote and directed '' Nattevagten'' (''Nightwatch'', 1994), a thriller about a law student who works in a morgue as ...
, alongside
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...
and
Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (; born August 19, 1965) is an American actress, producer and director. For her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama ''The Closer'', she won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Awa ...
. In 2013, he began his role as
Spence Westmore on ''
Devious Maids
''Devious Maids'' is an American television comedy-drama and mystery series created by Marc Cherry, produced by ABC Studios, and executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind, Eva Longoria, Paul McGuigan, Larry Shuman, David Lonner, John Mass, Pau ...
''. In March 2017, he was cast in
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
's
''Dynasty'' reboot as
Blake Carrington
Blake Alexander Carrington is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. The role of Blake was originally portrayed by actor John Forsythe from 1981 to 1989. Forsythe returned for the min ...
.
Personal life
Grant Show married model and actress
Pollyanna McIntosh
Pollyanna McIntosh (born 15 March 1979) is a Scottish-American actress and director known for her roles in films ''Exam'' (2009), '' The Woman'' (2011), ''Let Us Prey'' (2014), the first season of Joe R. Lansdale's ''Hap and Leonard'' (2016), ...
in 2004. The couple met when they posed together for a
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein, Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., is ...
ad in 2003. They were divorced in 2011. In July 2012, Show became engaged to actress
Katherine LaNasa
Katherine LaNasa (born December 1, 1966) is an American actress, former ballet dancer and choreographer. She starred in films ''Jayne Mansfield's Car'', '' The Campaign'', and ''The Frozen Ground''. On television, LaNasa had a leading role in the ...
. They married on August 18, 2012. They had a daughter, Eloise McCue Show, on March 25, 2014.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Show, Grant
1962 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Living people
Male actors from California
American male film actors
American male soap opera actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Detroit
People from Milpitas, California
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Barber Pro Series drivers