Meet Richard E. Grant’s Parents: Henrik Esterhuysen and Leonne Esterhuysen

The acclaimed British actor Richard E. Grant was born Richard Grant Esterhuysen on May 5, 1957, in Mbabane, Swaziland (now Eswatini).

Now 68 years old, Grant is known for his roles in films such as Withnail and I, Gosford Park, and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination. Of mixed English, Dutch/Afrikaner, and German ancestry, he was raised as an atheist in the final years of British colonial rule in southern Africa.

He is the elder son of Henrik Esterhuysen, who headed education for the British government administration in Swaziland, and Leonne Esterhuysen, a homemaker.

His childhood was marked by significant upheaval; at age 11, he discovered his mother’s affair, which led to his parents’ acrimonious divorce, a traumatic event that deeply shaped him and later inspired his semi-autobiographical film, Wah-Wah (2005). He has one younger brother, Stuart Esterhuysen, an accountant in Johannesburg, with whom he remains estranged.

Grant attended St Mark’s School and the progressive Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Swaziland before studying English and drama at the University of Cape Town. He stands 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) tall. In 1986, Grant married voice and dialect coach Joan Washington.

Their 35-year marriage ended with her death from lung cancer in 2021. The couple had a daughter, Olivia Grant (born 1989), after losing their first child, a daughter named Tiffany, shortly after birth. Grant also helped raise Joan’s son, Tom Washington, from a previous relationship.

Since becoming a widower, he has remained single but has recently shared that he is open to dating again. His full surname reflects his family’s Afrikaner heritage and his English roots. Growing up in a British protectorate during the final years of colonial rule, Grant’s early life was profoundly shaped by his parents.

Henrik Esterhuysen

Henrik Esterhuysen served as the head of education for the British administration in the Protectorate of Swaziland. In this senior role, he was effectively the last colonial-era minister or director of education before the country’s independence in 1968. His position placed the family in the expatriate community of the time. British officials oversaw key aspects of governance in the territory.

Henrik was described by his son as charming during the day but transformed under the influence of alcohol at night, revealing a Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic. After his marriage ended in divorce, following his wife’s infidelity, Henrik developed a severe alcohol addiction, reportedly consuming a full bottle of whisky daily in later years. This period was marked by volatility; Grant has recounted traumatic incidents from his teenage years, including one where his father attempted to shoot him at age 15 amid the strains of alcoholism and family breakdown.

Despite these challenges, Henrik instilled in his son an awareness of cultural respect and language, emphasizing the need to learn local siSwati to justify their presence as “guests” in the country. He was a heavy smoker and sadly passed away from lung cancer in 1981 at the age of 51.

Grant has spoken of carrying his father’s watch, set to Swaziland time, as a poignant reminder of their bond. Henrik’s influence appears in Grant’s reflections on colonial legacies, personal resilience, and the impact of addiction.

Leonne Esterhuysen

Leonne Esterhuysen was a homemaker who raised her family in Swaziland during the colonial era. As the mother of Richard (the elder child) and his sibling Stuart, she provided the domestic foundation for their upbringing, which Grant has described as relatively unrestricted in many ways.

However, the family dynamic shifted dramatically when Grant, at around age 11, witnessed his mother’s extramarital affair, an event that deeply affected him and prompted him to begin keeping diaries as a way to process his emotions. This discovery contributed to the eventual divorce of his parents. Grant sided with his father in the aftermath, leading to a long estrangement from his mother, who later relocated to South Africa.

The relationship remained strained for many years, marked by what Grant described as her withholding approval of his achievements and life choices, even into her later years. Despite the distance, they reconciled to some degree before her passing.

Leonne Esterhuysen died in 2023 at the age of 93. In a heartfelt social media tribute following her death, Grant expressed “complicated gratitude” for the gift of life she gave him, acknowledging the emotional intricacies of their bond while reflecting on forgiveness and unresolved feelings.

In many ways, Henrik and Leonne Esterhuysen’s lives encapsulated the personal upheavals within a changing colonial world. Their stories, as shared by their famous son, offer insight into the roots of Richard E. Grant’s distinctive voice, witty, introspective, and unflinchingly honest, both on screen and in his writing. Through his openness, Grant has transformed private family struggles into broader narratives about love, loss, and reconciliation.

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