Leonara Elizabeth Grant (3 August 1931 – 22 July 2016), known professionally as Lee Grant or Miss Lee Grant, was an English-born New Zealand actress and singer.
Born in
Carshalton,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England, on 3 August 1931, Grant moved to New Zealand in the 1960s and became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in December 1980.
[''Sunday Star Times''. 30 October 1994. p. D2.] She was best known as a stage actress in
Auckland from the 1960s onwards—being particularly associated with the
Mercury Theatre—but also appeared with
Chic Littlewood in cabaret performances, and in New Zealand's first television sitcom, ''Buck House'', in 1974.
Her film appearances included ''Trial Run'' (1984) starring
Annie Whittle, and ''Arriving Tuesday'' (1986).
Grant was also a singer, although she suffered a recurrent throat problem and underwent a minor throat operation in 1969. She appeared in musicals at the Mercury including the 1975 production of ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...
'', and as Velma Kelly in ''
Chicago''.
As well as singing and acting, Grant pursued a career as a choreographer, and was awarded a grant of $4000 by the
Arts Council for a study trip to Canada.
In the
1991 Queen's Birthday Honours, Grant was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the theatre.
She moved to
Perth, Western Australia, in 1994,
but returned to New Zealand on a number of occasions to appear on stage or in television productions, including ''
Three Tall Women'' with the
Auckland Theatre Company in 1996, and the television drama, ''Coalface'', in 1997, during which she was injured and subsequently required a hip replacement.
Grant died in Perth on 22 July 2016, aged 84.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Lee
1931 births
2016 deaths
People from Carshalton
English emigrants to New Zealand
Naturalised citizens of New Zealand
New Zealand stage actresses
New Zealand television actresses
New Zealand musical theatre actresses
New Zealand film actresses
New Zealand choreographers
New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
New Zealand emigrants to Australia