Leslie Grantham, best known for playing Dirty Den in the BBC soap EastEnders, spent 10 years in prison for murder before finding fame. He died at the age of 71 in June 2018 following a battle with lung cancer.
From council estate to army service
Grantham grew up with his parents on a Kent council estate before enlisting in the Royal Fusiliers, becoming a lance corporal.
At the age of 18, Grantham attempted to rob a taxi driver in Germany by threatening him at gunpoint. The two men became embroiled in a struggle, during which the gun went off, ultimately killing the taxi driver.
Conviction and prison years
In a statement to the police, Grantham said he did not know the gun was loaded and it had gone off by accident. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1967.
Grantham spent 10 years in British jails such as Leyhill, Portsmouth and Wormwood Scrubs. The late star was released in 1977 and decided to pursue an acting career, training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Dirty Den role and later life
Opening up about his time in prison, Grantham previously said: "What I did to end up in [prison] was a terrible thing. But then life is like that - what's that thing that you see on the side of a golden syrup tin - from adversity comes strength?"
He made a number of TV appearances in the late 70s and early 80s before landing the role of Dirty Den. Just before being offered a contract, Grantham told the show's creator at the time, Julia Smith, about his past, knowing that his murder conviction would inevitably hit the headlines. But she had found who she wanted to play Den Watts. In her view, Grantham had served his time and it was a "Christian duty to forgive".
