Richard E Grant moved to tears by Barbra Streisand reply to 1970s fan letter

Richard E Grant was moved to tears when Barbra Streisand replied to a fan letter he sent her 47 years ago when he was just 14. 

The Oscar-nominated star of Can You Ever Forgive Me? posted a picture from outside Streisand’s California home on Tuesday, telling his Twitter followers he was a “lifelong fan” of the actress.

Along with the selfie, Grant, 61, shared the childhood letter he sent to Streisand, offering her a “two-week holiday, or longer” at his family home in Swaziland where he was born.

In it he assured Streisand there was “no chance of being mobbed” because no-one would know who she was in the African country, which is now called Eswatini.

While Streisand did not reply at the time, she responded on Tuesday, saying: “Dear Richard What a wonderful letter you wrote me when u were 14 ! and look at u now! You’re terrific in your latest movie with Melissa congratulations and love Barbra.”

The Withnail & I star posted a picture of the moment he received news of Streisand’s tweet, showing him red-eyed while holding a phone. 

Alongside the picture, Grant wrote: “My pal Nicole Wilcox took this photo as my daughter read me @BarbraStreisand ‘s tweet/response to a letter I sent her 47 yrs ago. Am completely crinkle faced & overcome with emotion. My ‘Message in a bottle’ miracle.”

Grant’s big break came as an out-of-work actor with delusions of grandeur in 1987 cult film Withnail & I.

His role in Can You Ever Forgive Me? has earned him critical acclaim, as well as his first Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category.

In the film, Grant plays the best friend of McCarthy’s character, a celebrity biographer who turns to forgery when her career stalls.