(Photo: Getty Images)
Happy birthday Hugh Grant! The enduringly popular British actor turns 62 Friday (September 9), so we're celebrating by taking a look back at his surprising and revitalizing recent roles. We loved Grant in rom-com mode back in the day (who can forget Notting Hill and Four Weddings and Funeral?), but these six projects have definitely shown a whole new side to his talent. 
1. Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Meryl Streep has a ball in this biopic of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy and well-meaning Manhattan heiress who launched a singing career despite her complete lack of vocal talent. Grant picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his twinkly performance as St. Clair Bayfield, an English stage actor who became her manager and sympathetic enabler.

2. Paddington 2 (2017)
It's no exaggeration to call this utterly lovely family movie one of Grant's career highlights. He's an absolute hoot as Phoenix Buchanan, a vain luvvie who frames our furry hero (Ben Whishaw) for theft. Grant's career was anything but washed-up at this point, but he's still a good sport for playing an actor whose best days are very much behind him.

3. A Very English Scandal (2018)
Grant's first TV role in nearly 25 years – aside from cameos and charity sketches – was a cracker. Written by returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies, it dramatizes the relationship between high-flying 1970s MP Jeremy Thorpe (Grant) and somewhat naive stable boy Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw). Grant earned BAFTA, Emmy, and Golden Globe nominations for his sharp performance as the slippery politician. 

4. The Gentlemen (2019)
Grant swaps his usual posh English accent for Cockney in this entertaining Guy Ritchie flick. He's on scene-stealing form as Fletcher, a seedy private investigator who's trying to blackmail Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), an important employee of mega-rich drug baron Mickey Pearce (Matthew McConaughey). Casting Grant in such a slimy but charming role was truly a masterstroke.

5. The Undoing (2020)
Grant relishes the chance to play a (probable) baddie in this classy HBO miniseries. He oozes dark charm as Dr. Jonathan Fraser, a prominent oncologist accused of murdering a young mother at his son's school. Grant and Nicole Kidman, who plays his even more privileged wife Grace, share a tense chemistry that keeps viewers guessing right up until the final episode. He deservedly picked up further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his sinister performance.

6. Death to 2020 (2020)
This droll mockumentary from Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker features various (fictional) figures dissecting the political and cultural events of 2020. It's very much an ensemble affair, but an aged-up Grant stands out as pretentious historian Tennyson Foss, and he duly reprised his role for last year's Death to 2021. It's great to see him having so much fun.

Do you have a favorite recent Hugh Grant role?