Cary grant
Cary grantCary Grant
Perhaps the most dashing of all Hollywood film stars, Cary Grant stole the hearts of
millions of audience members during his 40 years of acting.
Born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18,1904 in Bristol England, he was the only
child of impoverished parents Elsie and Elias. At the age of nine he lost his mother when
she was institutionalized at Fishpond’s Country Home for the Mental Defectives. Around
that time, he developed a love for the English music hall and began working at odd jobs at
the Hippodrome and Empire theaters. At 14, he joined the Bob Pender comedy troupe and
honed his dancing, acrobatic, stilt-walking and pantomime skills. The troupe performed in
small towns throughout England; in 1920 they sailed to the United States for a successful
two-year tour, at the end of which young Archie decided to try it on his own in New York
City. For five years, Leach found employment in jobs as varied as placard walker and
society escort. In 1927, he made his first stage appearance in the musical Golden Dawn,
followed by appearances in Boom Boom in 1929, A Wonderful Night also in 1929, and
Nikki in 1931. In 1931, Leach appeared in his first film, a ten-minute short entitled
Singapore Sue. Grant then traveled to Los Angeles, where he made a successful screen
test for Paramount. The studio offered him a five-year contract, suggesting he change his
name to Cary Lockwood; Leach negotiated with them, and they settled on the name Cary
Grant.
Grant's feature debut was...
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