Bob Grant was an English actor, comedian and writer, best known for playing bus conductor Jack Harper in the television sitcom On the Buses, as well as its film spinoffs and stage version. He was born at Hammersmith and educated at Aldenham School. After National Service as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Artillery he trained at the Preparatory Academy to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Highgate, London. He entered show business as a standup comic, playing the halls from Chelsea Palace to the Glasgow Empire. He played in repertory at York, Horsham, High Wycombe, Leicester, Oxford and Scarborough and toured with many productions including Big Soft Nellie and Charley's Aunt. He played Kitely in the Theatre Workshop production of Ben Jonson's Every Man in His Humour both at Stratford and the Théâtre SarahBernhardt, Paris, for the 1960 Fourth International Season of the Theatre of the Nations Festival. He was awarded the best supporting performance at the festival by the Young Critics Circle.

On the London stage he appeared in Blitz! at the Adelphi, Sparrows Can't Sing at Wyndham's and Mrs. Wilson's Diary at the Criterion, and Houses By The Green at the Royal Court. He wrote and directed Instant Marriage at the Piccadilly, and appeared in No Time for Sergeants at Her Majesty's, the latter on both radio and television. He played the part of George Brown in Mrs. Wilson's Diary for London Weekend Television, and appeared in Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, and The Borderers for the BBC. He played the role of Jack Harper in all 74 episodes of On the Buses for Independent Television, and as a writer with Stephen Lewis for a number of episodes from series 5 onwards. He reprised the role for the three On the Buses feature films that followed the series. He performed in many radio plays for the BBC and also wrote and performed The FrostyFresh Man for BBC Radio 4 and ABC Radio Canberra. In the latter part of his career, he spent much of his time writing plays in collaboration with Anthony Marriott. In the 1990s, he became wellknown to Pitlochry Festival Theatre audiences with appearances in The Little Foxes, The Cherry Orchard, A Month of Sundays, Spider's Web, and Death of a Salesman.

Stage credits As actor This table contains Grant's known professional theatrical roles. It also contains the occasions when he both acted and directed, and on one occasion, designed the set. It does not contain those productions where he was a director but did not appear on stage. Note, roles prior to 1954 are incomplete.

+ Year Title Theatre Role Notes Worm's Eye View Court Royal, Horsham Sydney Stage début. Note, Anthony Hayward for Grant's in The Independent, and Ian Herbert in Grant's , both state that Grant's stage début was in Worm's Eye View at the Court Royal, Horsham, in November 1952. However, there was no advertised production of the play at the Court Royal for that year and it is doubtful that this was Grant's début. A production of the play was staged at the theatre from the 4May 1953 for six days. John Gabriel Borkman Rudolf Steiner House Vilhelm Foldal Grant also produced the second act of W. S. Gilbert's Engaged Night Must Fall In repertory First production under the directorship of Neil Gibson In repertory And This Was Odd In repertory In repertory Don't Listen Ladies In repertory Original play in French by Sacha Guitry. Adapted by Stephen Powys and Guy Bolton In repertory It's a Boy Dudley Leake (groom) Intimate Relations In repertory Trial and Error In repertory There's Always Juliet In repertory My Wife's Lodger In repertory Meet Mr. Callaghan In repertory High Temperature In repertory In repertory Nothing But the Truth In repertory In repertory In repertory Champagne for Breakfast In repertory In repertory By Archie N. Menzies One Wild Oat In repertory Dial M for Murder In repertory French for Love In repertory Dracula In repertory In repertory Adapted from the play La petite hutte by André Roussin Summer in December In repertory Flare Path In repertory York Theatre Royal Walk on part Grant was a former York repertory actor. York Repertory Company held a reception on the stage of the Theatre Royal to celebrate its nineteenth birthday Lovers' Leap In repertory Someone Waiting In repertory Escapade In repertory Western Wind In repertory Romeo and Juliet In repertory Dear Charles In repertory Piccadilly Alibi In repertory Red Letter Day In repertory In repertory In repertory Written by Thomas Browne Affairs of State In repertory Just William John Brown Me and My Girl Lupino Lane Anna Christie Walk on part Walter Gabriel Honeymoon Beds P. C. Woodhouse By Cedric Richards Night Was Our Friend Dr. John Harper Colonel Trevor Bulstrode Private Lives Victor See How They Run Corporal Clive Winton Aged character cameo Separate Rooms Gary Bryce Bertie Castleford The farce was written by Grant Robert Cuningham Seagulls Over Sorrento Badger East Lynne Captain William Levison Grant also directed Desire in the Night Walk on part Sabrina Fair Chauffeur For Better, For Worse Two different furniture men Waiting for Gillian Honourable William Stephen Fitzharding Bule Jane Steps Out Major-General Wilton Blind Alley Walk on part MacAdam and Eve Adam MacAdam He Walked In Her Sleep Sir Andrew Tankerton And Then There Were None Justice Lawrence John Wargrave Colonel Howard Barnes-Bradley Bill Brown Inspector Thornton Worm's Eye View Sam Porter Rain Joe Horn Tons of Money Aubrey Allington Grant also directed Beside the Seaside Yankee dancer Present Laughter Morris Dixon Witness for the Prosecution Leonard Vole Two-week run Where There's A Will Alfie Brewer (Turkish bath attendant) Rising Heifer Set design only Job For The Boy Walk on part Random Harvest Lawyer Baron Hardup Jean Hyett took the title role Beauty and the Beast Merchant Simon and Laura Butler This was the last play Grant and Hyett performed for the Wycombe Repertory Theatre