The Riviera: A History in Pictures: The Golden Era
02:10 am - 03:10 am, Monday, April 27 on BBC Four (9)
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About this Broadcast
The Golden Era
Richard E Grant concludes his exploration of the French Riviera's artistic legacy by focusing on how art and celebrity became intertwined in the early part of the 20th century. Resident artists such as Picasso and Matisse found the sun-drenched landscape ideal for experimenting with their work, and as the region became a creative hub, the likes of novelist Jean Cocteau and ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev were drawn to the area. This artistic community also liked to party on the Cote d'Azur's beaches - a pastime that proved equally irresistible to the American multimillionaires arriving in the area on board transatlantic liners
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Did You Know..
Richard E Grant
(Presenter)
Born:
May 02, 1957
in
Mbabane, Swaziland
Best Known For:
Withnail and I.
Early-life:
Born Richard Esterhuysen on May 2, 1957, in Mbabane, Swaziland. His mother left home when he was 11, leaving him and his brother Stuart to be raised by their father, the country's director of education. He attended school with Nelson Mandela's daughter. Grant knew from an early age he wanted to act after becoming infatuated with Barbra Streisand. He studied English and drama at university in Cape Town, South Africa, then settled in London, but struggled to make a name for himself.
Career:
Grant gained good reviews for a performance in short film Honest, Decent and True in 1985, alongside Gary Oldman and Arabella Weir. His big break came when Daniel Day-Lewis dropped out of Withnail and I, and Grant took his place. The film was a cult smash. Since then, he's appeared in various films and TV shows, including Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Age of Innocence, LA Story, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gosford Park, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. His film diary, With Nails, was a best-seller, but a novel, By Design, was disappointing. In 2005, he made his directing debut with the critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical Wah-Wah. His recent work includes roles in Colour Me Kubrick, Penelope, Cuckoo and The Iron Lady, in which he played Tory politician Michael Heseltine.
Quote:
'Sometimes Hollywood doesn't seem a million miles from a Miss World contest. I just don't have strong enough mental furniture to withstand it.'
Trivia:
In 2006, he helped to expose a $98million scam to sell a bogus AIDS cure.
Spike Geilinger
(Producer)
Franny Moyle
(Executive producer)
