TV.com

Ross Kemp was born in 1964 to a hairdresser mum and a policeman father. He has a brother, Darren, who works for the BBC. Ross studied drama at the Webber Douglas Academy in London.

His first credited television appearance was in 1986, playing Graham Lodsworth in "Emmerdale Farm" (now "Emmerdale"). But the role that shot him to fame was his portrayal of hardman Grant Mitchell in "Eastenders" from 1990 to 1999. Grant left Walford in a fittingly dramatic plotline, driving into the Thames in a spectacular car crash that left brother Phil fighting for his life. Grant survived, but no one knew it at first. He sneaked off to Brazil with daughter Courtney.

Rumors have abounded ever since about a return to "Eastenders" for Ross, and fans have continued to clamor for the return of Grant Mitchell. Ross says he has never ruled out a return, so time will tell if Walford's favorite bad boy will be back.

Ross parted ways with the BBC when he left for a 'golden handcuffs' deal with ITV which saw him starring in roles as a family-oriented security guard ("Hero of the Hour"), a lawyer ("In Defence"), a detective ("Without Motive"), and an SAS sergeant ("Ultimate Force"). He has also starred in a modern-day adapatation of Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" playing Eddie Scrooge, a loan shark on a council estate whose life is changed by the traditional ghostly visits.

Autumn 2003 brought a UK theatre tour of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", with Ross starring as Petruchio. He has reportedly accepted another stage role for 2005, this time in "Macbeth".

December 2003 saw the airing of "The Crooked Man" on ITV, in which Ross played an investigative photographer. June 2004 finally brought "A Line in the Sand" to the screen, 3 years after it was filmed. Ross will soon be seen in the third series of "Ultimate Force", and is continuing to work on developing his series "Essex". A remake of the epic "Spartacus" - featuring Ross in his first role for American television - aired on April 18-19, 2004 on USA Network. Ross also does quite a bit of voice work, including adverts and narration.

Ross lives in Battersea with his wife, The Sun editor Rebekah Wade, whom he married in June 2002.