David Leon
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David Leon | |
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Born | David Jeremy Leon 24 July 1980 [citation needed] Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
Occupation | Actor, director, writer, producer |
Years active | 2004–present |
David Jeremy Leon (born 24 July 1980)[not verified in body] is an English actor, director, writer and producer. As an actor, he is known for appearing in Rankin and Chris Cottam's 2002 feature film, Lives of the Saints (as the character Othello),[1] and director Guy Ritchie's 2008 feature, RocknRolla, as Malcolm.[not verified in body] From 2011 to 2014, Leon co-starred with Brenda Blethyn in the ITV detective series Vera.
Leon's directorial debut, the 2010 short, Man and Boy, co-directed with Marcus McSweeney, won the award for best narrative short at the Tribeca Film Festival. His next short film, the 2012 Orthodox, an entry in the 58th BFI's London Film Festival, led to his first feature-length film of the same name, which was released in 2015.
Early life and education
Leon was born on 24 July 1980[citation needed] in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where his mother, Ann J. Brown,[citation needed] was a secretary and his father, Anthony N. Leon,[citation needed] worked in a power station.[2] He is Jewish on his father's side and describes himself as half-Jewish.[3] He briefly played for Blackburn Rovers F.C.[2] He is a graduate of the National Youth Theatre. He was educated at Dame Allan's School.[4]
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Acting and presenting
In 2002, Leon worked as a presenter on CITV.[citation needed] He dropped out of drama school in 2004 to shoot the film Alexander with Oliver Stone in Morocco.[citation needed] From 2004–2005 he acted in 12 epidodes of the TV series, Cutting It, playing the character Troy Gillespie.[citation needed] In 2006, Leon's acting roles included the film These Foolish Things, which also starred Lauren Bacall, Anjelica Huston, Terence Stamp, and Zoë Tapper,[citation needed] and in 2007 he played Billy the Kid in the BBC's mini series The Wild West.[citation needed] In 2010 he played the theatrical role of Jesus in Mark Haddon's play, Polar Bears, at the Donmar Warehouse.[citation needed]
From 2011 to 2014, he played DS Joe Ashworth in the ITV detective series Vera alongside Brenda Blethyn.[5]
Writing and directing
Leon wrote and co-directed the short film, Father, with Marcus McSweeney, premiering in 2009.[citation needed] The next year, the same team premiered the short, Man and Boy, which was entered in film festivals, including the Tribeca.[6]
Orthodox, Leon's third short film as writer/director, was accepted into several international festivals including the 58th BFI London Film Festival. The feature-length version of Orthodox was completed in 2015.[7]
Awards and recognition
Leon's and McSweeney's 2010 Man and Boy won the award for the best narrative short at that year's Tribeca Film Festival.[6]
Filmography
As actor in film and television
- 2004: Alexander as Hermolaous
- 2004–2005: Cutting It as Troy Gillespie (TV series) - 12 episodes
- 2005: Boy Eats Girl as Nathan
- 2006: These Foolish Things as Robin Gardner
- 2006: The Wild West as Billy the Kid (TV mini-series)
- 2006: The Lives of the Saints as Othello
- 2006: Strictly Confidential as Jeff (TV series) - 1 episode
- 2007: Clapham Junction as Alfie Cartwright (TV one-off Drama)
- 2008: Love Me Still as Freddie
- 2008: RocknRolla as Malcolm
- 2010: Coming Up as Dan (TV series) - 1 episode
- 2011–2014: Vera as DS Joe Ashworth (TV series) - 16 episodes (Series 1-4)
- 2012: The Glass House as Lajos
- 2013: Walking with the Enemy
- 2013: Grace and Danger as Cifaretto
- 2014: The Refugees as Álex
- 2017: In The Dark BBC TV Drama as DI Adam Perrin
- 2019: Gold Digger (TV series) as Kieran
As actor in theatre
- 2010: Polar Bears as Jesus
As director
- 2009: Father (short) (co-director with Marcus McSweeney)
- 2010: Man and Boy (short) (co-director with Marcus McSweeney)
- 2012: Orthodox (short)
- 2016: Orthodox (feature)
- 2017: Vera
As producer
- 2009: Father (short)
- 2010: Man and Boy (short)
- 2012: Orthodox (short)
- 2016: Orthodox (feature)
References
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (4 August 2006). "Review: The Lives Of The Saints". ScreenDaily.com. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ a b Saner, Emine (27 April 2011). "David Leon: A Whole New Ball Game". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ Applebaum, Stephen (2 November 2015). "Fighting Back to Put Antisemitism on the Ropes". TheJC.com. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ Wonfor, Sam (23 February 2016). "Vera Actor David Leon Teams Up with Boardwalk Empire's Stephen Graham for Debut Feature". ChronicleLive.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Wonfor, Sam (3 April 2013). "TV Star David Leon Back Home to Flesh Out Impressive Short film". The Journal (Newcastle). Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ a b Quinn, Ben (29 April 2011). "Tribeca Film Festival: British Film About Paedophile Suspect Among Winners". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ Kemp, Stuart (19 March 2013). "'Orthodox' Filmmaker David Leon Plans Feature Version Starring Stephen Graham". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
External links
- David Leon at IMDb
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Use dmy dates from September 2015
- BLP articles lacking sources from September 2015
- All BLP articles lacking sources
- Articles without Wikidata item
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022
- Articles with hCards
- Articles needing additional references from January 2022
- All articles needing additional references
- AC with 0 elements
- 1980 births
- Living people
- English people of Jewish descent
- English male film actors
- English male television actors
- Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne
- National Youth Theatre members
- People educated at Dame Allan's School