Hugh Grant

Update: Hugh Grant has welcomed his second child, a son.

One of the most successful British actors today, Hugh Grant has become a household name after he starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral which also won him a Golden Globe Award. His recentmost superhits Love Actually and About a Boy followed after his success in Noting Hill. Many also know him for the unforgettable 'fuhgeddaboudit' in Mickey Blue Eyes.

If failures are stepping stones, Hugh Grant had them in plenty before coming to enjoy a lucrative and happy career in acting. He has earned through a dozen ways - comedy, writing, acting, producing and even tutoring. Half a dozen movies in his extensive filmography stand out as huge grossers. That is not a surprise considering Hugh has a very strict work ethic. He has also won sufficient funds through victorious libel lawsuits.

Apart from owning a large, two-floored manor in Chelsea, England, the actor also recently bought a £1.2 million house for the mother of his baby, Tinglan Hong. He has also been a lavish owner of cars having an Aston Martin Vanquish, an Audi R8 and a £130,000 Ferrari California at various points in time. Also a big-time vacationer, Hugh has been spotted in Thailand, Madrid and Moscow apart from his home, London. He is a golfing-addict as he claims and he stakes a lot of money at his games. Tennis and snooker are his other interests. Redeeming him and his luxury lifestyle is his huge charitable heart. Apart from donating $22,000 to journalism charity, the celebrity has supported many cancer charities, the UNICEF, Make Poverty History, Save the Children and British Forces Foundation among many others. He is also patron to DIPEx charity. Quite some spending has been made in legal issues.

After a normal childhood filled with acting and singing disasters, Hugh Grant's graduation did not bring him much joy. His failure as a tutor made him decide to join a comedy troupe. His first taste of success there was short-lived as it could not be replicated on television. Though he began to sustain himself through radio ads, literary reviews and TV comedy sketches, he could not dog failures in his TV roles and roles in small movies.Rowing in the Wind (alongside future partner Elizabeth Hurley) and Impromptu were the only bright stars in his grey acting skies till Bitter Moon came through. That project too was a no-go but it got the actor who was ailing for a break, his real break. That happened through Four Weddings and a Funeral which became the largest-grossing British movie of the times. It got him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. It was the case of success begetting success as he did starring roles in Nine Months and Sense and Sensibility. Another disaster came his way as he was caught with a hooker by LAPD and his mugshot publicized. However, with his beautiful apology to Hurley on The Tonight Show, he won back not only her heart but of the whole world. Again success followed through Noting Hill, Mickey Blue Eyes, Bridget Jones' Diary, Love Actually and Bridget Jones:The Edge of Reason.