Bob Grant was trained at Rada after spending some time as a Lieutenant with the Royal Artillery. He plied his trade to begin with in Repertory and appeared on stage for many years all around the UK. His work in rep continued up to the mid-90s. He will be best remembered for his role of Jack Harper, the cheeky bus conductor with his traditional cigarette, cheeky laugh and his passion for the ladies and, of course, winding up old Blakey, the Inspector in Nichts als Ärger im Depot (1969). On the Buses was a huge success for Bob and his co-star, Reg Varney , running from 1969 to 1973 with 76 episodes and 3 spin-off films. It sold in 38 countries and is a great tribute to his comedy acting talents. In 1971 his popularity proved a little too much as his wedding to Kim was attended by hundreds of fans and it meant that everyone had to walk to the wedding! Famous other roles included Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) and Mrs. Wilson's Diary (1969). He toured Australia, starring in 'No Sex please we're British'. He also appeared on stage in musicals and pantomime. Sadly, he suffered from a depressive illness for a number of years and was found dead in his car in Gloucestershire on November 8th 2003. He was 71 years old. - IMDb Mini Biography By: [email protected]
He worked as a bus driver in real life, in order to pay his way through RADA. After Nichts als Ärger im Depot (1969) ended he struggled to get any acting work at all because he had become typecast as Jack Harper. He had suffered from depression for many years, and famously went missing for a time in 1987. He was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning in 1995 after a suicide attempt. Graduated from the university of the East End of London and had intellectual aspirations. He had his own academic opinions of comedy and was not interested in listening to others.
The trials and tribulations of bus driver Stan and his conductor Jack unfold in this weekly comedy. The bain of their working life is Inspector Blake who'll do anything to make their lives a misery... and does. Stan and Jack are a couple of "jack-the-lads" who are not averse to clocking a bit of crumpet here and there, but "Blakey" is constantly dampening their ardor.