Cary Grant (1905-1986), birth name Archie Leach, was an English-born actor who became one of the leading Hollywood stars and romantic idols from the 1930s until his retirement in the 1960s. His films ranged from screwball comedies (Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday) to Hitchcock films (Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and most famously North by Northwest).