Hugh Grant has lived many lives on screen. In the 1990s, he was the lovable, stammering romantic lead who made audiences swoon in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. Then he became the ultimate cad in Bridget Jones's Diary and About a Boy. In recent years, he has embraced scene-stealing character parts, often playing jovial grumps with a mischievous twinkle, as seen in Wonka and Paddington 2. From period dramas to crime comedies, Grant has proven time and again that he is far more than a pretty face. Here are 10 roles that demonstrate why he stands among the finest actors of his generation, ranked in ascending order of importance.

10. Maurice (1987)

In this Merchant Ivory classic, a young Hugh Grant plays Clive Durham, a repressed Cambridge student who falls for Maurice, a fellow undergraduate. Set in the early 1900s, the film is a poignant portrait of gay love constrained by society's rigid rules. Clive eventually retreats into a conventional heterosexual marriage to protect his reputation, leaving Maurice heartbroken. Grant's portrayal of emotional restraint would become a hallmark of his career, and the film remains a touchstone in LGBTQ+ cinema. His quiet, simmering intensity proves he was never just a lightweight romantic comedian.

9. Love Actually (2003)

Richard Curtis's festive ensemble comedy is full of wildly unrealistic premises: a man falls in love with a woman whose language he doesn't share, and Keira Knightley somehow resents her husband's best friend for being utterly creepy. Yet the most improbably believable element is Grant's portrayal of the British Prime Minister. Initially conceived as a Hollywood-version of Tony Blair, the character is sardonic, wry and unexpectedly endearing. Grant's PM jeopardises a historic geopolitical relationship with America over his crush on a young tea-serving staff member. It's a performance that makes a government leader genuinely likable, and it remains one of the most charming segments of the film.

8. Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Based on Jane Austen's novel, this period drama stars Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood, who spends most of the film hiding her feelings for Edward Ferrars, played by Hugh Grant. At the end, when she learns he is not married, she bursts into tears — a scene that has become iconic. Grant's youthful, almost 19th-century countenance makes him a perfect Austen leading man. Released at the height of his 1990s stardom, between Four Weddings and Notting Hill, this film consolidated his status as the king of awkward charm. His gentle, occasionally tongue-tied Edward is both sweet and frustratingly reserved, adding depth to a beloved classic.

7. Cloud Atlas (2012)

Let's be honest: no one quite understands what Cloud Atlas is about. The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer adapted David Mitchell's sprawling novel with a $100 million budget, weaving six interlinked stories across centuries and using the same actors in multiple roles. Grant relished the chance to break away from his usual nice-guy type, playing a lascivious reverend, a ruthless CEO, and a cannibalistic tribal leader — to name just a few. Though the film was a box-office flop, it marked a turning point in Grant's late-career renaissance, showing he could embrace grotesque, larger-than-life characters with gusto. It was bold, bizarre, and unforgettable.

6. The Gentlemen (2019)

Guy Ritchie's action-comedy about London's criminal underworld gave Grant one of his juiciest roles as Fletcher, a sleazy private investigator. With a deliberately dodgy cockney accent and a wardrobe that screams tacky luxury, he narrates the film's twists and turns with relish. The character is a master of verbal manipulation, and Grant clearly enjoys every minute of it. His delivery of the line “Don't be cunty” has become a meme, but the performance itself is a brilliant piece of comedic acting. In a film full of tough guys, Grant stands out as the talker who knows all the secrets, proving he can hold his own in any genre.

5. About a Boy (2002)

Adapted from Nick Hornby's novel, About a Boy stars Grant as Will Freeman, a wealthy, idle man who lives off royalties from a Christmas song his father wrote. Will spends his days pursuing women and avoiding responsibility, until he meets Marcus, a lonely twelve-year-old played by Nicholas Hoult. Through a growing friendship, Will learns what it means to care about someone else. Grant's performance is both hilarious and touching, capturing the character's selfishness as well as his slow emotional awakening. It's a film that quietly demonstrates his range: he can be shallow and sweet in the same scene, and the arc feels earned. This role proved he was more than just a rom-com heartthrob.

4. A Very English Scandal (2018)

This Emmy-nominated BBC series tells the true story of Jeremy Thorpe, a charismatic Liberal Party leader in the 1970s who tried to have his secret gay lover murdered. Grant dived into the role with obvious delight, playing a man who is by turns charming, slippery, tender, malicious and pathetic. The series traces Thorpe's rise and fall, and Grant captures every nuance of his public persona and private panic. Opposite Ben Whishaw, who plays the lover, he shares a chemistry that makes the tragedy all the more compelling. It's the kind of role that reminds you how good Grant is when he gets the chance to be genuinely morally ambiguous. His performance earned widespread acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination.

3. Notting Hill (1999)

Everything about Notting Hill screams late-1990s: Julia Roberts's tiny sunglasses, the vintage travel bookshop, and the notion that a flat in London could be affordable. Grant plays William Thacker, a divorced, slightly crumpled everyman who falls for the world's biggest movie star, Anna Scott. The film is a romantic fantasy, but Grant roots it in reality with his self-deprecating wit and effortless charm. His famous speech in the park, where he tells Anna he is “just a guy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him,” is one of the most beloved rom-com monologues ever written. Long before the term 'soft boy' existed, Grant's William Thacker was perfecting the art of looking vulnerable while perfectly coiffed.

2. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

As the philandering, smug Daniel Cleaver, Hugh Grant found his inner devil. The film, based on Helen Fielding's novel, follows Bridget (Renée Zellweger) as she juggles Cleaver's sleazy advances and the uptight Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Grant is a revelation: he takes the charming cad archetype and pushes it to the edge of villainy. His Daniel is morally repugnant, pretentious and a disaster at relationships, yet Grant makes him weirdly irresistible. The scene where he falls off a boat shouting “Fuck me, I love Keats” with a wet cigarette dangling from his lips is pure comic gold. This role signalled Grant's willingness to embrace a darker, more self-aware persona, setting the stage for his later character work.

1. Paddington 2 (2017)

Why didn't Hugh Grant receive an Oscar nomination for Paddington 2? It remains one of the greatest injustices in cinema history. He plays Phoenix Buchanan, a deluded, washed-up actor with a series of disguises and an extravagant plan to steal a pop-up book. The role required Grant to be a villain, a showman and a sentimental fool all at once, and he nails it. The film's climax features a song-and-dance number performed by Grant in full prisoner uniform, and it is genuinely one of the most joyous moments in modern family cinema. Director Paul King gave Grant the freedom to be as theatrical and camp as he liked, and the result is a career-best performance. It also taught Grant that he could let loose completely, which paved the way for his recent comedic renaissance. The legend goes that a single viewing of that final musical number is enough to boost a nation's happiness index by at least six points.

Source: GQ France News