All About Cary Grant’s Daughter, Jennifer Grant, and His Two Grandkids He Never Got to Meet
All About Cary Grant’s Daughter, Jennifer Grant, and His Two Grandkids He Never Got to Meet
Giovana GelhorenSat, October 3, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTC
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Cary GrantCredit: Getty ImagesTHE GIST -
Hollywood leading man Cary Grant gave up his career when his daughter, Jennifer Grant, was born in 1966.
He was a devoted father up until his passing in 1986. He was 82 at the time.
Jennifer Grant has two kids: a son named after her father and a daughter named Davian Grant.
When we think of the quintessential leading man in Hollywood, chances are the person who most comes to mind is Cary Grant. The actor, known for roles like North by Northwest and How to Catch a Thief, was the embodiment of charm, confidence, and sultriness, and he stole the screen time and time again.
But while Cary was a staple on the big screen in the Golden Age of Hollywood, the actor swiftly gave up his career when he became a dad to his daughter, Jennifer Grant. Jennifer was born on February 26, 1966, during Cary’s fourth marriage to Dyan Cannon.
“He retired to be with me,” Jennifer told the Los Angeles Times. “That is hard to believe in and of itself. He put all of his focus, really, on me.”
Over the years, despite Cary’s split from Dyan—they separated in August 1967 and finalized their divorce in March 1968—Cary continued to be a dedicated father to his only child. “He was such a happy father,” Jennifer told Daily Beast. “Hearing his whistling on the tapes, the lilt in his voice—he was more tender than the Cary Grant of film. He was softer, sweeter.”
Cary, who was 62 when Jennifer was born, died on November 29, 1986, from a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 82.
Below, find everything there is to know about Cary Grant’s daughter, Jennifer Grant, and his two grandkids.
Jennifer Grant
Cary Grant, Jennifer Grant and Dyan CannonCredit: Getty Images
Since Jennifer was born, she could feel just how dedicated her dad was to her.
In one interview with NPR, for instance, she admitted that sometimes she would even feel embarrassed about his unabashedness. She shared that in one Halloween when she was little, Cary rented a house in the neighborhood she was trick-or-treating in just so he would be able to see her and give her candy.
“At the time, I was embarrassed, I think, by the extent of his love and devotion to me,” she admitted. “So I just sort of ran up and got the candy and gave him a hug and left.” Over the years, she’s gone on to regret how little she appreciated his grand gestures. “I wish I’d just sat down and said, ‘Oh, thank you Dad!’” she said.
Another example of how hands-on he was with Jennifer was how methodical Cary was about keeping records of Jennifer’s childhood. “He wanted me to have accurate records of my life growing up with him because his own records were burned in the bombings of Bristol in World War II,” she explained to NPR. “So he made all of these tapes and Super 8 films, and took slides and photographs.”
Cary kept important documents and mementos too. “Every note I wrote him, every note he wrote me — and letter — he saved in boxes,” Jennifer said. “And he put them in a fireproof vault in our house to ensure the safety of these archives for me.”
She’s also shared some of their favorite dad-daughter activities together, like having hot dogs at Dodgers games or when he taught her how to ride a bike. “Her childhood allowance was a dollar a week, and she had an 11:30 p.m. curfew until she was 20,” wrote the Daily Beast. She also shared a piece of advice her father gave her later on in life. “Don’t marry the guy you break the bed with,” he told her.
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Cary Grant and Jennifer GrantCredit: Maureen Donaldson/Getty Images
As for Jennifer’s life and career, she attended Stanford University and majored in American studies. After that, she worked at a law firm and as a chef, and also followed in her dad’s footsteps and started acting.
In 1993, Jennifer took her first acting roles, including a recurring role in Beverly Hills, 90210. She went on to appear in movies like The Evening Star with Shirley MacLaine and Babylon with Brad Pitt, and on shows like Friends and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2023, she also executive produced the 2023 BritBox/ITV limited series Archie, about Cary Grant’s life. The mini-series, which was also produced by Cannon, saw Jason Isaacs as Cary (birth name Archibald Alec Leach).
Jennifer also kept her dad’s legacy alive when she published her memoir, Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant, in 2011. The book focused on their close bond rather than being a comprehensive biography of his career. “Dad used the expression ‘good stuff’ to declare happiness or, as one of his friends put it, he said it when pleased with the nature of things,” she wrote in the memoir, per ABC News. “He said it a lot. He had a happy way of life. His life was ‘good stuff.’”
As for her personal life, Jennifer is a mom to two children. Her son, Cary Benjamin Grant, was born in 2008, and her daughter, Davian Grant, was born in 2011.
Cary Benjamin Grant
Jennifer GrantCredit: Michael Buckner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images
Jennifer became a mom for the first time when she welcomed her son, Cary Benjamin Grant, on August 12, 2008. He was named after his late grandfather.
“I wish he could have met them,” Jennifer told The Guardian. Luckily, Jennifer is still keeping Cary’s memory alive, and so her kids know of him quite well. “Occasionally a teacher will say to my son: ‘Oh, Cary Grant, your mother must’ve loved that actor!’” Jennifer told the outlet. “And he’ll say that was my grandfather.”
Despite knowing his name and how close he was to his mom, Jennifer told The Guardian that her son only realized how big his grandfather was a year earlier when she was invited to introduce Bringing Up Baby at the Academy. “It’s such a lovely, fun film, and afterwards, I think Cary had a new sense of, ‘Oh, that’s my grandfather!’ Seeing him up on that huge screen.”
He also mentioned her son in her memoir, imagining how the two Carys would get along. “If I remember well enough, he will come back. He’ll appear, out of thin air, at my door or in my living room, and we’ll laugh, and we’ll hug, and we’ll talk, and we’ll hold hands, and maybe he can hold the baby while I make lunch for him,” she wrote, per ABC News. “After all, he’s a grandfather now. There’s so much playing to be done. Watch out, baby Cary may pull your hair, Dad. And my dog, Oliver, is named after our mutual nickname, Ollie.”
Davian Grant
Jennifer’s daughter, Davian Grant, was born on November 23, 2011.
Over the years, she’s kept her daughter’s life very private, with only her name and birth name being public. Jennifer seemingly raised her kids as a single mom. She was married to television director Randy Zisk from 1993 until their divorce in 1996.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
