Born to Jewish immigrants as Lyova Haskell Rosenthal, Lee Grant isn’t just a name – it’s a legacy. She broke barriers as a visionary director and became famous as a luminous actor, a testament to her brilliance and determination. In Hollywood, the name Lee Grant resonates with ideas of persistence, talent and passion. She has established herself as a formidable force in both acting and filmmaking, from her breakthrough appearances in the 1950s to her accomplishments as a filmmaker. With an Oscar under her belt and an unapologetic voice for fairness and equality, her journey is as captivating as her performances.
Airport ’77, Karen Martin, 1977
With a stacked cast, Airport 77 is the third movie in this fun and tense thriller series! This time around, a fancy plane has been hijacked by crooks intending to steal millions of dollars of art that is on board. However, things go wrong and the plane ends up sinking into the ocean. Lee Grant plays the role of Karen who is married to Martin (played by Christopher Lee) one of the men who is brave enough to try and find a way to swim to the surface….. it does not go well for him or Karen!
The Mafu Cage, Ellen, 1978
A movie that is made great by not just Grant, but also Carol Kane. They play two sisters who have a very unusual life. Lee Grant plays Ellen who is a successful astronomer, but her sister, Cissy is completely nuts and only cares about her monkeys that she keeps in a cage in the living room. She also has an obsessive relationship with her sister which turns deadly when a man shows an interest in Ellen. This is pretty brutal stuff, but it is a fantastic movie, and Lee Grant and Carol Kane are fantastic together.
The Internecine Project, Jean Robertson, 1974
The Internecine Project is a fun thriller movie where James Coburn plays a former agent whose shady pasty could come back to haunt him so he sets in motion a series of events that will kill those who could bring his past “misdeeds” to light. Grant plays the role of a reporter who has a somewhat interesting history with Coburn’s Robert Elliot. This is a neat little movie that is sure to keep you guessing all the way until the very end and Grant’s portrayal of Jean Robertson is rather unique to say the least.
In the Heat of the Night, Mrs. Colbert, 1967
While In the Heat of the Night is best known as one of Sidney Poitier’s finest performances, Lee Grant also more than holds her own here and is a key part of the story. Set in a very racist Mississippi town, Detective Tibbs (“they call me Mister Tibbs”) is just passing through when he is caught up in a murder mystery that sees Grant’s Mrs. Colbert demand that he lead the investigation, despite the racist people trying to stop him both which includes the bad guys and even some of the towns own cops! This movie was a massive hit and completely cleaned up at the Academy Awards as well as going on to spawn two sequels and a TV series.
Storm Fear, Edna Rodgers, 1955
Next up we have something of a hidden gem in her list and that is 1955’s Storm Fear. Due to the Hollywood Blackout of the 50s, Grant had to take what she could get, but she managed to really make something with her role as a mole called Edna Rodgers who must hide with the rest of her gang as the gang leader, Charlie, heals from a bullet wound. Mistrust and the fact they are hiding out at the gang leaders brothers house, which is made more complicated by the fact that Charlie had an affair with his brother’s wife. This movie is pretty well known for Grant having a rather grisly and unfair end in the snowy wilderness! Oh, a neat little bit of trivia about this movie is that it was the directorial debut of Cornel Wilde.
Voyage of the Damned, Lili Rosen, 1976
This is one very hard hitting movie that is actually based on the horrific true story of the 1939 St. Lois Ocean Liner that was transporting hundreds of Jewish refugees that no country wanted to take in! She is truly fantastic in her brief performance as Lili Rosen. One of the things that Voyage of the Damned is best known for is that it features a stacked ensemble cast featuring the likes of Faye Dunaway, Orson Welles, Malcolm McDowell, Max von Sydow, and Oskar Werner to name just a few!
The Landlord, Joyce Enders, 1970
A charming comedy/drama about a young rich man who lives off his parent’s wealth. He ends up buying a run-down building in Brooklyn with the intent of kicking out the tenants and making it a swanky place for himself. However, he grows to love the tenants and decides to become their landlord and make things better for them…. Much to the chagrin of his mother, Mrs. Enders. Lee Grant and Beau Bridges have fantastic chemistry together in this movie. While it does have some good laughs, the movie also has a good heart and even a few hard-hitting and heartbreaking moments too.
Damien: Omen II, Ann Thorn, 1978
It may not have the same iconic history as the original Omen movie, however, one of the major highlights of Damien: Omen II is Lee Grant’s role as Ann Thorn. In this movie, Damien finds out who he really is and starts to embrace his dark side. Playing the role of his aunt, Ann Thorn, Grant is just superb here and the twist close to the end is something that the majority of people did not see coming the first time they saw this movie. It is a real shame that she did not appear in more horror movies as he is fantastic here.
Detective Story, “Shoplifter”, 1951
Detective Story is Lee Grant’s first theatrical movie and it is her role as the shoplifter that ties all the events in Detective Story together. This is a dark police drama about a group of detectives fighting the crime that is taking over the city! She definitely nailed this role, so much so that it earned her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. It also makes you wonder, had Grant not been affected by the Hollywood Blacklist, would this role have seen her career go even higher than it did?
Shampoo, Felicia Karpf, 1975
You could argue that we saved the best for last as her performance in 1975’s Shampoo earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Felicia Karpf. Shampoo is a hilarious comedy about a young hairdresser who has a string of women that he has fun with, one of which is Felicia. This is an absolute blast to watch and it is more than fair to say that it is Felicia who steals the show here. A fun bit of trivia about Shampoo is that this was the first movie that Carrie Fisher would appear in!
It makes you wonder just how many more amazing movies she would have made had she not been blacklisted in the 1950s! Still, this list shows that Lee Grant truly is one of the most iconic movie stars of all time! What are your favorite movies and are they different from ours?
Honorable mentions:
- Little Miss Marker (1980) starring Walter Matthau, Bob Newhart, Julie Andrews and Tony Curtis. Lee Grant played the role of the Judge.
- There Was a Crooked Man… (1970) starring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda. Lee Grant played the role Mrs. Bullard.
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