Known for Acting
Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, 1925) is an American actress and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's Detective Story, co-starring Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker. This role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as the Best Actress Award at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival. In 1952 she was blacklisted from most acting jobs for the next 12 years. She was able to find only occasional work onstage or as a teacher during this period. It also contributed to her divorce. She was removed from the blacklist in 1962 and rebuilt her acting career. She starred in 71 TV episodes of Peyton Place (1965–1966), followed by lead roles in films such as Valley of the Dolls, In the Heat of the Night (both 1967), and Shampoo (1975), for the last of which she won an Oscar. In 1964, she won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her performance in The Maids. During her career she was nominated for the Emmy Award seven times between 1966 and 1993, winning twice. In 1986 she directed Down and Out in America which tied for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and in the same year she also won a Directors Guild of America Award for Nobody's Child.
Born
October 31, 1925 (age 100)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Filmography
133 films, 41 shows


A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2005 · 1h 32m
country: United States
Kirk Douglas achieved the kind of cinematic stardom that dreams are made of. As the torch was passed to his talented son Michael, it became obvious to everyone that the Douglas dynasty would continue to thrive…


The Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series
2003 · 2h 50m
country: United States
Lifetime's "Intimate Portrait" series shines a spotlight on the Golden Girls -- Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan -- with a collection of four programs offering an up-close look at the remarkable lives of the hit show's stars. Valerie Harper, John Ritter and Alex Trebek narrate this tribute, with guests including Angela Lansbury, Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Rosie O'Donnell and many others.
The Gun Deadlock
The Gun Deadlock
2001 · 1h
country: Unknown
Documentary about gun control focusing on how women feel about owning guns. The program features both sides of the gun-control issue, including victims of violent gun-related crimes and those who are passionate advocates of the right to bear arms.


Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
2000 · 55m
country: Unknown
Actor/director Sidney Poitier discusses his life and career. He tells of his upbringing in Jamaica; the difficulties he encountered in New York City at the start of his career; his involvement in the US civil-rights movement; and efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Friends and acquaintances, as well as other performers, give their insights about what makes him so special.


The Loretta Claiborne Story
2000 · 1h 40m
country: United States
A disabled young girl from a disadvantaged home setting develops self esteem and success in life through Special Olympics competition. Based on the true story of Loretta Claiborne.
Confronting the Crisis: Childcare in America
Confronting the Crisis: Childcare in America
1999 · 1h
country: Unknown
Documentary that examines whether America is failing children by not making child care an issue of national priority.
Intimate Portrait: Lauren Bacall
Intimate Portrait: Lauren Bacall
1999 · 40m
country: United States
Documentary on the career of Lauren Bacall.
Say It, Fight It, Cure It
Say It, Fight It, Cure It
1997 · 1h 30m
country: Unknown
Documentary on breast cancer featuring a series of interviews with survivors and their families. Director and host Lee Grant speaks with support groups, doctors and activists whose lives are dedicated to the fight against breast cancer


Reunion
1994 · 1h 40m
country: United States
The undying bond between a mother and her beloved son nearly destroys the lives of an entire family. Jessie Yates (Marlo Thomas) is torn between the ghost of her son and the life she has created with her husband and family.


Following Her Heart
1994 · 1h 40m
country: Unknown
A Swedish woman, married to a domineering man for 35 years, is "set free" upon her husband's death. While she is the heir to his estate, she is only allowed $300. Ready to pursue her passion in music, she moves to Nashville where she meets her longtime pen-pal and scores the opportunity to perform in a small club.


Seasons of the Heart
1994 · 1h 32m
country: Unknown
After her own daughter abandons her child, an ambitious and orderly publisher has little choice but to raise the grandchild as her own.


Women on Trial
1992 · 57m
country: United States
"Women On Trail" exposes the innate corruption and sexism in the family court system as children are removed from their mothers and given to fathers who often either don't want them or have been convicted of domestic violence.


No Place Like Home
1989 · 1h 30m
country: United States
A Pittsburgh apartment superintendent loses his job and home when the apartment building where he lives and works at is suddenly destroyed by fire. Daniel and his family moves in with his brother but that doesn't last for long due to the two families not getting along with each other. The family moves from rundown hotels to homeless shelters as Daniel searches work as a electrician while his wife takes waitress jobs to try to make ends meet.


Staying Together
1989 · 1h 31m
country: Unknown
After their father abruptly sells the beloved family-owned restaurant that has employed them for years, the charismatic McDermott boys - hot-tempered Brian (Quill), lovelorn Kit (Mulroney) and jokester Duncan (Astin) - find themselves at odds with their parents and each other.


Battered
1989 · 58m
country: Unknown
Lee Grant's acclaimed 1989 investigation of domestic violence in American Homes. Battered is the powerful, if harrowing portrait of a life lived in constant fear of the people closest to you. Intimate interviews with the victims and children of the cycle are combined with the eye opening and heart breaking stories of the abusers themselves to take you deeper into every facet of these American lives.


Down and Out in America
1986 · 57m
country: United States
The recession of the 1980s split the country into the haves and have-nots, from family farmers to factory workers and homeless people forced to live in decrepit welfare hotels. On the verge of losing everything, courageous Americans discover the power of community organizing to fight injustice.


Nobody's Child
1986 · 1h 40m
country: Canada
Fact-based drama about the life of Marie Balter, who spent most of her young life in mental institutions. At age 16, she first attempted suicide and the next 20 years she spent in and out of the institutions. At last, a caring doctor started treating her for extreme depression and panic disorder. Weened from strong medications she had taken all her life, at age 36, she emerged for the last time and started a rehabilitation program in the home of a volunteer married couple. There she met a fellow patient with whom she developed a romantic relationship. She also started a college degree. This followed with a long-term professional success in the field of mental health.


Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale
1985 · 45m
country: United States
A contemporary remake of "Cinderella"


What Sex Am I?
1985 · 1h
country: United States
A group of transgender individuals are struggling to make their way in every stratum of 1980s America. From finding employment to finding acceptance, the first question the world forces them to ask is always, "What Sex Am I?"


A Matter of Sex
1984 · 1h 40m
country: United States
Dramatization of the true story of the so-called Willmar Eight, a group of Minnesota bank workers who braved freezing conditions whilst picketing their branch in a struggle for union rights.


When Women Kill
1983 · 55m
country: United States
When Women Kill is a poignant documentary exploring the shocking violence that seven women fell victim to at the hands of men. The program profiles the battered women who speak frankly about the cruel abuse, threats, and fears, and the overassertive men who led them down a one-way path to death and destruction. The film features in-prison footage, including a segment depicting a confession by a follower of the notorious Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted of two killing sprees and committed to life in prison.


The Willmar 8
1981 · 50m
country: United States
Risking jobs, friends, family and the opposition of church and community, eight unassuming women begin the longest bank strike in American history.


Tell Me a Riddle
1980 · 1h 33m
country: United States
Aging couple David and Eva have lost the spark that once infused their marriage. After nearly four decades together, the elderly duo is feel disconnected and lost. When they discover that Eva is sick, they decide to travel across the country to stay with their granddaughter in San Francisco. On the trip, with Eva's possible death looming, the couple rediscovers the passion and love that had been missing from their lives.


The Stronger
1976 · 26m
country: United States
Adaptation of a Strindberg play by Lee Grant for the 1974 AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Restored in 2022 by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.


For the Use of the Hall
1975 · 1h 30m
country: United States
A penniless heiress, a disillusioned nun, the suicidal playwright they both love, a hapless art forger and the playwright's wife converge on the empty Long Island home of an aging matriarch and squabble among themselves about their relative success or failure.