    stewart granger (6 may 191316 august 1993) was a british film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. he was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame through his appearances in the gainsborough melodramas. ==early life== he was born james lablache stewart in old brompton road, west london, the only son of major james stewart, obe and his wife frederica eliza (nÃ©e lablache). granger was educated at epsom college and the webber douglas academy of dramatic art. he was the great-great grandson of the opera singer luigi lablache and the grandson of the actor luigi lablache. when he became an actor, he was advised to change his name in order to avoid being confused with the american actor james stewart. (grangername for a farm bailiff. anglo-norman french: grainger, old french: grangier. from late latin granicarius, a derivative of granica âgranaryâ. was his scottish grandmother's maiden name.) offscreen friends and colleagues continued to call him jimmy for the rest of his life, but to the general public he became stewart granger. ==career== in 1933, he made his film debut as an extra. it was at this time that he met michael wilding and they remained friends until wilding's death in 1979. years of theatre work followed, initially at hull repertory theatre and then, after a pay dispute, at birmingham repertory theatre. here he met elspeth march, a leading actress with the company, who became his first wife. at the outbreak of world war ii, granger enlisted in the gordon highlanders, then transferred to the black watch with the rank of second lieutenant.in the 1985 murder, she wrote episode, "paint me a murder", granger wore a blazer with a metal-embroidered black watch breast pocket badge. however, granger suffered from stomach ulcers and he was invalided out of the army in 1942.shiach, don: stewart granger: last of the swashbucklers (chapter 1). aurum press, 2005 ===early stardom=== [[file:stewart granger in young bess trai
1913_births 1993_deaths 20th-century_British_male_actors Alumni_of_the_Webber_Douglas_Academy_of_Dramatic_Art Black_Watch_officers British_emigrants_to_the_United_States British_male_film_actors British_male_television_actors British_people_of_French_descent British_people_of_Italian_descent British_people_of_Scottish_descent Cancer_deaths_in_California Deaths_from_bone_cancer Deaths_from_prostate_cancer Gordon_Highlanders_soldiers Male_actors_from_London People_educated_at_Epsom_College