David Leon

English actor

David Leon
Born	David Jeremy Leon (1980-07-24) 24 July 1980 (age 43)^{[citation needed]} Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, writer, producer
Years active	2004–present

David Jeremy Leon (born 24 July 1980) 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.^[2] From 2011 to 2014, Leon co-starred with Brenda Blethyn in the ITV detective series Vera.^[3] He returned to the series in 2024.

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 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where his mother, Ann J. Brown, was a secretary and his father, Anthony N. Leon,^[4] worked in a power station.^[5] He is Jewish on his father's side and describes himself as half-Jewish.^[6] He briefly played for Blackburn Rovers F.C.^[5] He is a graduate of the National Youth Theatre. He was educated at Dame Allan's School.^[7]

Career

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 episodes 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.^[8] On 30 March 2023, it was confirmed that Leon would reprise his role as Joe Ashworth after a decade away from the series.^[9] He returned to the role of Ashworth, now a DI, in the first episode of series 13, called Fast Love.

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.^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[10]

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, 2024-2025: Vera as DS/DI Joe Ashworth (TV series) - 21 episodes (Series 1-4, 13-14)
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 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.
^ Ferrero, Berta (22 July 2014). "The future is hiding out in Rascafría". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
^ "Vera's David Leon on whether he'd return as Joe Ashworth again". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
^ "David Leon: 4 Quick Things About The British Actor!". DailyHawker. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
^ ^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). Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
^ "Brenda Blethyn welcomes back David Leon for a 13th series of the hit ITV crime drama Vera". ITV Press Centre. 30 March 2023.
^ ^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.