Peter Grant

ISBN 0-7119-9195-2. One of the top collectors of Modern American art, Hopper's collection is worth millions of dollars. Welsh, Chris (2002), Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin, London: Omnibus Press. According to the Oracle of Bacon at Virginia (http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/) Dennis Hopper has an average Bacon number of 2.679 making him third on the list of most suitable centres of the Hollywood universe. This calculation uses a modification of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. Paul's churchyard, Hellingly, Sussex. He recently contributed to the film 1 Giant Leap with provocative anecdotes on spirituality, unity and culture. Peter and St. He also co-starred in the 1994 blockbuster Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

Grant was buried on December 4, 1995 at St. He was nominated for an Emmy award for the 1991 HBO films Paris Trout and Doublecrossed (in which he played real life drug smuggler and DEA informant Barry Seal). His son Warren was by his side. He has continued to be an important individual in Hollywood both as an actor, photographer and director. On the afternoon of November 21, 1995 while driving to his home, Horselungs Manor in Sussex, he suffered a fatal heart attack. In 1988, Hopper directed a critically acclaimed film about Los Angeles gangs called Colors. In 1992, he appeared in the film Carry On Columbus as a cardinal. Because I am Frank Booth!" (which raised a question for Lynch "That's great for the movie, but how are we gonna have lunch with him?") Hopper won critical acclaim and a slew of awards for this role and the same year won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Hoosiers.

Marital problems and the death of drummer John Bonham took its toll on Grant's health and after the official breakup of Led Zeppelin he virtually retired from the music business. After reading the script, Hopper called Lynch and told him "You have to let me play Frank Booth. Just as the negotiations had just begun, Elvis unfortunately passed away on August 16, 1977. However, it was not until he portrayed the oxygen-huffing, obscenity-screaming Frank Booth in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet (1986) that his career truly revived. In 1977, Grant was asked by Colonel Tom Parker to manage a proposed tour of Europe by Elvis Presley. He gave powerful performances in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983). When Grant was once questioned on what was the single most important thing a manager could say, his response was "know when to say no". In the early 1980s, Hopper entered a drug rehabilitation program and cured himself of his addictions.

In 1975, Grant turned down a lucrative offer to manage Queen. However, Hopper did act in several films during this period such as Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Tracks (1976), The American Friend (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979) and he won acclaim for directing and acting in Out of the Blue (1980). He also managed Bad Company and Maggie Bell. Hopper had long been an alcoholic and drug abuser and it was at this point his addiction began to dominate his life. In 1974, Grant was the driving force in establishing Swan Song Records which gave Led Zeppelin further financial and artistic control over its own products. Hopper wrote and directed another film that was released in 1971 called The Last Movie that was a box office failure and derailed his career for years. Grant was also instrumental in setting up Led Zeppelin's publishing company Superhype, in 1969. Hopper won wide acclaim as the director of the film for his improvisational methods and stop action photography.

Grant's famous dressing room scene in the film The Song Remains the Same where he demands an explanation from concert staff on the sale of illegal photos, was typical of his no-nonsense dealings with people who tried to profit at the band's expense. Although Hopper was able to resume acting in mainstream films including The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965) and True Grit (1969), in both of these films he had death scenes with John Wayne, it was not until he teamed with Peter Fonda and made Easy Rider that he really shook up the Hollywood establishment. This film became an anthem of sorts to the lost generation of the Vietnam war and to this day is one of the most successful independent film ever made. By promoting Led Zeppelin's concerts he ensured that ticket profits wound up in the hands of the band rather than in the hands of promoters and booking agents. He also was very talented as a painter and a poet. Live performances were more important than television appearances – if you wanted to see Led Zeppelin you had to experience one of their performances. Hopper also became an accomplished professional photographer (he has had many exhibitions of his work). Grant strongly believed that bands could make more money and have more artistic merit by producing albums rather than churning out singles. He appeared in over 140 episodes of television shows such as Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, The Big Valley, The Time Tunnel and Combat.

He negotiated a sizable five-year record contract with Atlantic Records and his business philosophy would eventually pay off for the label. Hopper moved to New York and studied at the famous Lee Strasberg acting school. Without Peter Grant, it would have been doubtful Led Zeppelin would have been as successful. This infamous incident resulted in him being blacklisted from films for several years. He also travelled closely with The Yardbirds ensuring that all costs were kept to a minimum, that members were also paid on time, and demanded publicity and artistic control by the band. Hopper refused directions for 80 takes over several days. Grant's no-nonsense approach to promoters and persuasive presence was influential in The Yardbirds making money from its concerts for the first time. Dean's death in a 1955 car accident affected the young Hopper deeply and it was shortly afterwards that he got into a confrontation with veteran director Henry Hathaway on the film From Hell To Texas.

The experience however did give him ideas, which were put to good use later with Led Zeppelin. Hopper was then cast in two roles with James Dean (who he admired immensely) Rebel Without A Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). Producer Mickie Most had suggested to Napier-Bell that his friend Peter Grant would be an asset to The Yardbirds, but as it eventuated, his arrival was too late to save the band. Hopper made his acting debut on an episode of the Richard Boone television show Medic in 1955 playing a young epileptic. It was in late 1966 that Simon Napier-Bell asked Grant to take over management of The Yardbirds, who were constantly touring yet struggling financially. He was especially fond of the plays of William Shakespeare. Both Most and Grant set up the highly successful RAK Records label which produced a string of Number 1 hits throughout the 1970s. Born in Dodge City, Kansas, Hopper was voted most likely to succeed by his high school class and it was there he developed an interest in acting.

His management was established in the same 155 Oxford Street office used by his friend Mickie Most, who previously used to work with Grant at the 2 Is Coffee Bar. Dennis Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an American actor and film-maker. By 1964, Grant had started to manage his own acts including The Nashville Teens, The Flintstones, an all-girl group called She Trinity, The New Vaudeville Band and the early years of Jeff Beck and Terry Reid. In 1963, Grant was hired by promoter Don Arden to act as tour manager for artists such as Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Brian Hyland, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and The Animals. As the acting roles dried up, Grant made more money taking groups such as The Shadows to gigs.

The money he made from these ventures was invested in his own entertainment transport business. He was also Robert Morley's double on many of that actor's films. Between 1958 and 1963, Grant appeared on a number of movies including A Night to Remember (as a crew member on the Titanic), The Guns of Navarone (a British commando), Cleopatra (a palace guard), and television shows The Saint, Crackerjack, Dixon of Dock Green, and The Benny Hill Show. It kindled his enthusiasm for acting and Grant was hired by film studios as a bit part actor, stuntman, and body-double.

He was spotted by a professional wrestler called Paul Lincoln, who gave Grant the opportunity to wrestle on television as "Count Massimo". He worked briefly as an entertainment manager at a hotel in Jersey before working as a bouncer and doorman at London's famous 2 Is Coffee Bar, where many figures in the British music industry got their start such as Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, Tommy Steele, and others. He attended Charterhouse public school until leaving at the age of 13, when he became a sheet metal factory worker in Croydon. Grant however was soon attracted to the entertainment industry and became a stagehand for the Croydon Empire theatre until leaving in 1953. Grant was born in the south London suburb of South Norwood, Surrey.

He was a manager for The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Company, a record executive for Swan Song Records, and was responsible for improving pay and conditions for musicians in dealings with concert promoters. Peter Grant, (April 5, 1935 – November 21, 1995) was one of the most influential managers in rock and roll. Carry On Columbus (1992). Cleopatra (1963).

The Guns of Navarone (1961). A Night to Remember (1958).