Hugh Grant becomes a dad

London - Hugh Grant has become a father for the first time after a brief fling, his spokesperson said on Tuesday - but the identity of the baby's mother is not being disclosed.

Publicist Carrie Gordon said Grant "is the delighted father of a baby girl".

She said Grant and the mother "had a fleeting affair and while this was not planned, Hugh could not be happier or more supportive".

"He and the mother have discussed everything and are on very friendly terms," Gordon said.

Hacking scandal

The 51-year-old star of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill previously had relationships with model-actress Elizabeth Hurley and socialite-turned-campaigner Jemima Khan.

Grant, who built a career playing bumbling British charmers, last appeared in a movie opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the 2009 comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans.

More recently he has become a high-profile opponent of intrusion by Britain's tabloid press.

Grant has said he suspects his cellphone voice mail messages were intercepted by journalists, and has campaigned for tighter regulation of the news industry.

He has appeared regularly on television to denounce phone hacking by Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World, held talks with Prime Minister David Cameron on the subject and is lined up to give evidence at a judge-led inquiry into the hacking scandal.