Bogdan Charis Kominowski was born in 1945 inside a Nazi concentration camp near Düsseldorf in Germany. His French father was killed in the war, but he and his Polish mother survived. In 1949, they emigrated to New Zealand as displaced refugees.
As a young man, Bogdan trained to be a primary school teacher while pursuing music on the side with a local North Island band called The Cyclones.
When local DJ Keith Richardson began booking him, they realised Bogdan Kominowski was too difficult for radio hosts to pronounce. Richardson’s wife came up with Lee Grant.
Because there was already a prominent actress in Auckland named Lee Grant, they added the formal prefix “Mr” to avoid any confusion.
Mr Lee Grant’s career exploded when his manager, Dianne Cadwallader, secured him a residency as the resident male vocalist on the smash-hit 1960s New Zealand television music show, C’mon.
With his powerful voice, charismatic stage presence, sleek mod suits and a signature Mary Quant-style haircut, he became an overnight sensation.
Between 1967 and 1968, he dominated the New Zealand charts, releasing a string of massive hits, including his first #1 hit Opportunity (1967), Thanks To You (1967), which won him the prestigious Loxene Golden Disc Award and the Entertainer of the Year title, and Tabatha Twitchit (1968), recorded shortly before he left New Zealand.
In March 1968, at the height of his fame, Mr Lee Grant left New Zealand for the UK to try and conquer the British music scene.
While his UK pop singles didn’t replicate his Kiwi success, he pivoted into a highly successful international acting career, reverting back to his birth name.
Because there was already a prominent actress in Auckland named Lee Grant, they added the formal prefix “Mr” to avoid any confusion.
