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, England, on 3 August 1931, Grant moved to New Zealand in the 1960s and became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in December 1980.[1] [2] She was best known as a stage actress in Auckland from the 1960s onwards—being particularly associated with the Mercury Theatre[3] —but also appeared with Chic Littlewood in cabaret performances,[4] and in New Zealand's first television sitcom, Buck House, in 1974.[5] Her film appearances included Trial Run (1984) starring Annie Whittle, Constance (1984), Arriving Tuesday (1986) and Zilch! (1989).
Grant was also a singer, although she suffered a recurrent throat problem and underwent a minor throat operation in 1969.[6] [7] She appeared in musicals at the Mercury including the 1975 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,[8] and as Velma Kelly in Chicago.[9]
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.[10] [11]
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,[2] 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,[12] and the television drama, Coalface, in 1997, during which she was injured and subsequently required a hip replacement.[13]
Grant died in Perth on 22 July 2016, aged 84.[14] [15]