His first screen role was in the 1979 film
French Postcards. He went on to appear in several more films. In 1985, he co-starred with
Kevin Costner in
American Flyers,
John Badham's film on bicycle racing. By this time, Grant was working in episodic television and had the role of
Digger Barnes in the miniseries
Dallas: The Early Years. In 1987, he played Sonny Binkley in the
Matt Dillon film
The Big Town. In 1989, he portrayed the gay character Russell Weller on the television show
thirtysomething. Although he only appeared in four episodes from 1989 to 1990, the role brought him considerable recognition, particularly in
one groundbreaking episode that featured his character in bed with another male character, a scene that caused outcry among conservative sponsors at the time. Grant played roles in various television shows and movies, including
Happy Birthday, Gemini,
Legs,
Labor of Love,
CSI: Miami,
Law & Order,
Criminal Minds, and
Alias. He played a gay husband in the 2004 remake of
The Stepford Wives; the father of
Anne Hathaway's character in the 2006 film
The Devil Wears Prada; and more recently appeared on television in a May 2009 episode of
Party Down and in the fifth-season premiere of
A Million Little Things in February 2023. On the stage, Grant is most notable for his portrayal of Joe Pitt in the first Broadway production of
Tony Kushner's
Angels in America. The role earned him a 1994
Tony Award nomination as Best Actor (Featured Role – Play). In 1998, Grant began a career as a writer.
Snakebit, his first play, premiered at
Grove Street Playhouse and transferred to the Century Theatre. The play was nominated for the 1999
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and was nominated for an
Outer Critics Circle Award.
Current Events, his second play, was produced by
Manhattan Theatre Club in 2000.
Pen opened in 2006 at
Playwrights Horizons. Also in 2006, he began working for the drama series
Brothers & Sisters as a screenwriter, story editor and (as of season 2 in September 2007), a series producer. The show was co-produced by
Ken Olin, whom Grant had worked with on
thirtysomething. In 2012, he was a writer and producer on the musical series
Smash. ==Filmography==