UWE Bristol professor unveils blue plaque honouring Bristol’s Cary Grant

Historic England has unveiled a blue plaque to celebrate inspirational actor and film star Cary Grant, the working-class boy from Bristol who became one of the brightest movie stars Hollywood has ever known.

The conservation charity's decision to celebrate the iconic actor's connection to the city has been informed by research by Dr Charlotte Crofts, Professor of Cinema Arts at UWE Bristol and director of the biennial Cary Comes Home Festival (Friday 29 November to Sunday 1 December 2024).

While Cary Grant's humble beginnings in Bristol are often overlooked, Dr Crofts's work - including the recent immersive theatre walk 'Raising Cary Grant - The Bristol Footsteps of Archie Leach,' a collaboration between UWE Bristol, Show of Strength Theatre Company, and the Cary Comes Home Festival-has brought global attention to this aspect of his early life.

Ellen Harrison, Historic England's Participation and Learning Director, said: "We were delighted to work with Dr Charlotte Crofts on the national blue plaque to Cary Grant in Bristol. Charlotte's knowledge and enthusiasm for Cary Grant were invaluable and it's an honour to be able to work in partnership with her, to carry on the Hollywood star's legacy and his place in Bristol and film history."

Born Archie Leach in Horfield in 1904, he escaped his unhappy poverty-stricken childhood by running away to join an acrobatic troupe aged 14, travelling to America and - through immense effort and determination - re-inventing himself as Cary Grant, the epitome of style who forged a film career spanning four decades.

With his signature tan, suave and sophisticated style, he was the consummate leading man who came to symbolise the authentic American hero. But despite his fame, Grant never forgot his roots in Bristol. He visited regularly, returning to see his mother Elsie, and happily posed for publicity photos in his native city.