Cyril Ewart Lionel Grant was born in Beterverwagting, British Guiana, one of seven children of a Moravian minister and a music teacher. In 1941, when RAF recruitment first opened to non-white colonial subjects, Grant joined as one of around 500 Caribbean recruits, training as a navigator and being commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant.
Assigned to No. 103 Squadron flying Lancaster bombers from Lincolnshire, Grant flew missions over the Ruhr valley until, in June 1943, his aircraft was shot down over the Netherlands returning from a raid. He parachuted to safety but was captured and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner at Stalag Luft III, the camp later made famous by The Great Escape.
Liberated in 1945, Grant pursued his original ambition to study law, qualifying as a barrister at the Middle Temple in 1950. Unable to find work at the Bar despite his qualifications, he turned to acting instead — and in the 1950s became the first Black person to appear regularly on British television, singing topical calypsos on the BBC's Tonight programme.
Grant went on to a wide-ranging career in theatre, film and television, including voicing Lieutenant Green in the pioneering 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. In 1974 he founded the Drum Arts Centre, one of Britain's first arts organisations dedicated to Black artistic talent, and in 2008 established an online archive commemorating the Caribbean airmen of the Second World War, ensuring their contribution would not be forgotten as his own nearly was.
- First Black person to appear regularly on British television, through his 1950s appearances on the BBC's Tonight
- Served as an RAF navigator and survived being shot down and held as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III
- Founded the Drum Arts Centre in 1974, one of Britain's first dedicated Black arts organisations
- Voiced a lead role in the pioneering 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, notable for casting a Black actor without reference to race
- Qualified as a barrister and later published several books and poetry collections reflecting on identity and belonging
- When one door closes, look for the next one. Unable to find work at the Bar despite his legal qualification, Grant redirected his talents into acting and broadcasting instead.
- Being first comes with responsibility. Rather than treating his television visibility as a personal achievement alone, Grant used his platform and later founded institutions to support others.
- Preserve the history that risks being forgotten. His 2008 archive project ensured the story of Caribbean WWII airmen — including his own — would not disappear from public memory.
- Resilience can take many forms. From surviving a POW camp to persevering through a career built on constant reinvention, Grant's life shows endurance was never a single act but a habit.