British actor Paul Grant, who made notable appearances in famous Star Wars and Harry Potter films, died on Monday at age 56.
Paul Grant passed away on Monday at 3:49 am. The cause of his death is not reported. All we know is that he collapsed at King’s Cross station in north London on Thursday afternoon. He was declared brain dead at that time but died 3 days after.
His daughter Sophie Jayne Grant, upon confirming the news of his death said, “I’m heartbroken … No girl deserves their dad to be taken away … He was so well known and loved [for his work]. He’s gone too soon.”
Grant left behind two daughters, one son, and his girlfriend Maria Dwyer. Dwyer said, “Paul was the love of my life. The funniest man I know. He made my life complete. Life is never going to be the same without him.”
Grant also has stepchildren and grandchildren. One of his stepdaughters Stacey has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the expenses of Grant’s funeral. She said, “I’m starting this page as Paul sadly passed away yesterday and I would like to give him the best send-off he would want.”
The actor has been vocal about his journey with substance abuse. He was addicted to alcohol and cocaine for some time, which deeply impacted his professional and personal life. His life was also disrupted after his divorce from his first wife, which was difficult to get over.
More about Grant’s life as an actor and his role in Harry Potter
Grant is known for playing characters like a goblin in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone and an Ewok in 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. He also played a goblin in the 1986’s classic labyrinth starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.
Other than this, Grant worked in the industry as a stuntman and later as a producer. As a stuntman, he worked in 1985’s Legend and 1988’s Willow. Additionally, he produced an episode of the TV series Liquid Assets starring Max Flint, Alex Stanger, and Simon Sharman.
