Allen Leech
{{short description|Irish actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Allen Leech
| image = Allen Leech, Adventures of Tintin, London, 2011.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Leech in 2011
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |df=yes|1981|05|18}}
| birth_place = Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland
| birth_name = Alan Leech
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1998–present
| spouse(s) = {{marriage|Jessica Blair Herman|2019}}
| children = 2
}}
Allen Leech (born 18 May 1981) is an Irish actor. He is widely known for his roles as Tom Branson in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015) and Paul Prenter in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).
Leech made his professional acting debut in the 1998 production of A Streetcar Named Desire, had his first major film role as Vincent Cusack in Cowboys & Angels (2003), and earned an Irish Film & Television Award nomination for his performance as Mo Chara in Man About Dog (2004). Leech played Marcus Agrippa on the HBO historical drama series Rome (2007).
Early life
Leech was born in Killiney, County Dublin, to David Leech, the CEO of a computer systems company, and Kay Leech. He is the third of four children: he has an older brother, Greg; an older sister, Alli; and a younger brother, Simon.{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebrity-news-gossip/downton-star-allen-loves-his-role-as-rebellious-irishman-3281234.html| title='Downton' star Allen loves his role as rebellious Irishman| newspaper=Irish Independent| location=Dublin |date=3 November 2012| access-date=10 November 2012| author=Butler, Laura}} He attended St Michael's College.{{cite web| url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA165480231&v=2.1&it=r&p=STND|title=Rome Sweet Rome| newspaper=The Evening Standard| location=London| url-access=subscription| via=Infotrac| date=22 July 2007| access-date=12 November 2012| author=MacDonald, Marianne}} Leech became interested in acting at 11 when he was given the part of the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz and found he loved being on stage. He recalled how he immediately decided to become an actor when Peter McDonald told him how acting is a profession on the last night of the production's run.{{cite news| url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tv-and-radio/interview-allen-leech-on-the-return-of-downton-abbey-1-2527815| title=Interview: Allen Leech on the return of Downton Abbey| newspaper=The Scotsman| location=Edinburgh| date=15 September 2012| access-date=10 November 2012| author=Randall, Lee}}
Afterwards, drama became the "focal point" of Leech's teenage years, apart from his family life, and drama and family support helped him through his school years.{{cite news| url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/box-seat/downton-abbey-star-allen-leech-denies-being-bullied-as-a-child-20140217-32v41.html| title=Downton Abbey star Allen Leech denies being bullied as a child| newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald| date=17 February 2014| access-date=25 February 2014}} He became set on acting after winning a small role in a 1998 production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Gate Theatre. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's Degree in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin,{{cite web| url=http://clients.troikatalent.com/kat-gosling/allen-leech|title=Allen Leech| publisher=Troika Talent| access-date=10 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021234159/http://clients.troikatalent.com/kat-gosling/allen-leech|archive-date=21 October 2014|url-status=dead}} later noting this was a "loophole" in his parents' stipulation that he earn a degree to fall back on if he failed to have success as an actor.{{cite episode |title=Allen Leech on the Thursday Interview |series=The Right Hook |network=Newstalk |location=Dublin |airdate=1 November 2012 |url=http://media.newstalk.ie/newstalk/media_uploads/upload_mp3/011RH_Allen_Leech1.mp3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603010103/http://media.newstalk.ie/newstalk/media_uploads/upload_mp3/011RH_Allen_Leech1.mp3 |archive-date=3 June 2013 }} He landed his first major roles in Cowboys & Angels and Man About Dog while at Trinity, and he has admitted that he did little schoolwork because he spent his time on auditions and acting.{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/celebrity-news-gossip/a-cowboy-and-an-angel-wrapped-up-to-make-a-legend-134296.html|title=A cowboy and an angel wrapped up to make a legend| newspaper=Irish Independent| date=3 September 2006| access-date=10 November 2012| author=Nolan, Emma}}
Career
{{BLP sources section|date=July 2016}}
File:Allen Leech at the Malibu Film Society by Don Ramey Logan.jpg
Leech's first professional stage role was in 1998 at the Gate in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire.{{cite web| url=http://link.galegroup.com/aps/doc/K1650009686/BIC?sid=BIOC&xid=a41d28f7| title=Allen Leech| date=28 February 2015| website=Biography in Context| access-date=10 December 2018}}Wolf, Matt (18 May 1998). "[https://variety.com/1998/legit/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-8-1200453691/ A Streetcar Named Desire]". Variety. Los Angeles. "I was the gentleman caller to Frances McDormand's Blanche Dubois. The Coen brothers were walking backstage, and me a naive 16-year-old."
He appeared as Willi in the Queen and Peacock, at the Garter Lane Arts Centre. The following years, Leech was in Tom Murphy's The Morning After Optimism and then Hugh Leonard's Da at the Abbey.
Leech's breakthrough film performance was in Cowboys and Angels,Koehler, Robert (13 July 2004). "[https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/cowboys-angels-1117924383/ Cowboys & Angels]" Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2020. in which he played Vincent, a gay fashion student, followed by a role in the 2004 cross-country caper film Man About Dog.Cline, Rich (19 October 2004) "[http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/04/manabout.htm Man About Dog]". ShadowsOnTheWall.Russell, Jamie (14 November 2004). "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/films/2004/11/dog.shtml Man About Dog (2004)]". BBC News. Hereford & Worcester
Leech played the role of Shane Kirwan in the Ireland's RTÉ series Love Is the Drug, in which he received a Best Actor nomination from the Irish Film and Television Awards. He followed that up with the role of Willy in the television series Legend, which is the story of three different Irish families.{{cite news |last1=Wallace |first1=Arminta |title=Living legends |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/living-legends-1.997765 |access-date=9 December 2018 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=9 December 2018 |language=en}} He received a Best Supporting Actor nomination from Irish Film and Television Awards for his performance.
In 2007, Leech appeared in the HBO drama series Rome as Marcus Agrippa, Octavian's top soldier and friend.{{cite web| url=http://www.hbo.com/rome/cast/character/season2/marcus_agrippa.html| title=HBO| access-date=5 January 2015| archive-date=9 January 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109041832/http://www.hbo.com/rome/cast/character/season2/marcus_agrippa.html| url-status=dead}} The film, Rewind, opened in Ireland on 25 March 2011.{{cite web| url=https://twitter.com/rewindthefilm| title=rewindthefilm on Twitter | access-date=5 January 2015}}
In 2010, he appeared on the small screen in The Tudors as the doomed Francis Dereham, former lover of Catherine Howard. Leech also appeared in ITV 2010s television series Downton Abbey as chauffeur Tom Branson, whose twin beliefs in socialism and Irish Republicanism clash with those of the British upper class. He played the role of officer Sam Leonard in television series Primeval in 2011 in series five. Leech also starred in the 2012 film adaptation The Sweeney. In 2014 he starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, as the spy John Cairncross, in The Imitation Game.
Leech was voted sexiest Irish male in 2005 in U Magazine. He was named one of GQ's 50 best dressed men in Britain in 2015.{{cite news |title=50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015 |url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2015-01/05/best-dressed-men-2015/ |work=GQ |date=5 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107145128/http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2015-01/05/best-dressed-men-2015 |archive-date=7 January 2015}}
In 2017, Leech appeared alongside Ginnifer Goodwin in the Los Angeles stage production of Constellations.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ginnifer-goodwin-snags-lead-role-constellations-at-geffen-playhouse-967616|title=Ginnifer Goodwin Set for 'Constellations' at Geffen Playhouse|last=Gardner|first=Chris|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 23, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2017}} The play ran from June 14 to July 23, 2017, at the Geffen Playhouse.{{cite web|url=https://westsidetoday.com/2017/06/22/constellations-extended-through-july-23/|title=Los Angeles Premiere Of "Constellations" At The Geffen Playhouse Extends Through July 23|work=Westside Today|date=June 22, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2017}}
Leech played Paul Prenter, who was briefly Freddie Mercury's manager and lover, in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018),{{cite news| last1=Busch| first1=Anita| title=Allen Leech Joins 'Bohemian Rhapsody' As Paul Prenter, Freddy Mercury's Judas| url=https://deadline.com/2017/08/allen-leech-queen-movie-bohemian-rhapsody-paul-prenter-freddie-mercury-1202158400/| access-date=30 August 2017| work=Deadline Hollywood| date=30 August 2017}} which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards.{{cite web| last=Nordyke| first=Kimberly| title=SAG Awards: Full List of Nominations| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2019-sag-nominations-complete-list-1166352| work=The Hollywood Reporter| date=12 December 2018| access-date=12 December 2018}}
In 2023 he starred alongside India Mullen in the crime drama The Vanishing Triangle.{{Cite journal|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/the-vanishing-triangle-allen-leech-india-mullen-sundance-now-virgin-media-drama-1235102886/|title='The Vanishing Triangle': 'Downton Abbey's Allen Leech & 'Normal People's India Mullen To Lead Sundance Now, Virgin Media & Eccho's Irish Drama Series|journal=Deadline|first=Jesse|last=Whittock|date=1 September 2022|accessdate=13 October 2022}}
Leech reprised his role as Tom Branson in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022), and in the upcoming third and final film in the franchise, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025).
Personal life
In February 2018, Leech announced his engagement to actress Jessica Blair Herman.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BfL7y3Eg105/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BfL7y3Eg105 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription|title=Allen Leech on Instagram|work=Instagram|date=2018-02-14|access-date=14 February 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news |first=Annie |last=Martin |date=2018-02-16|title=Downton Abbey alum Allen Leech engaged to actress |url=https://www.upi.com/Downton-Abbey-alum-Allen-Leech-engaged-to-actress/9731518790867/ |work=UPI |access-date=14 December 2018 }} They were married in an outdoor ceremony on 5 January 2019 at the Alisal Ranch and Resort in Solvang, California. Guests at the ceremony included Leech's Downton Abbey co-stars Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens, as well as his Bohemian Rhapsody co-stars Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, and Lucy Boynton.{{cite news |first=Sharnaz |last=Shahid |date=2019-01-15|title=Exclusive: Downton Abbey's Allen Leech surrounded by co-stars on wedding day |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/brides/2019011566631/downton-abbey-allen-leech-surrounded-co-stars-wedding-exclusive/ |work=Hello! |access-date=21 January 2019 }} In September 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their first daughter.{{cite news |first=Juneau |last=Jen |date=2019-09-10|title=Downton Baby! Allen Leech and Wife Jessica Blair Herman Expecting First Child |url=https://people.com/parents/allen-leech-expecting-first-child-wife-jessica-blair-herman-pregnant/ |work=People |access-date=10 September 2019 }} In May 2022, they announced that they were expecting their second daughter, due later that year.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20220517140414/downton-abbey-allen-leech-gender-reveal-surprising/|title=Downton Abbey's Allen Leech reveals gender of second child in most adorable way|journal=Hello!|first=Nicky|last=Morris|date=17 May 2022|accessdate=6 April 2023}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2000
| Iníon an Fhiaclóra (The Dentist's Daughter) | Rory | Short film |
| 2002
| Policeman 1 (Smashed Car) | |
| 2003
| Vincent Cusack | |
| 2004
| Mo Chara | |
| 2007
| Deep Breaths | Danny | rowspan="2" | Short films |
| 2008
| Factory Farmed | |
| 2009
| Fred Boggis | |
| 2010
| Rewind | Karl | |
| 2012
| DC Simon Ellis | |
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| Wayne | |
| In Fear
| Max | |
| Hello Darkness
| Mark Cooper | |
| 2014
| |
| 2017
| Richard Addison | |
| 2018
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Tired | | Short film |
| Downton Abbey
| rowspan="2" | Tom Branson | |
| 2022
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2024
| Eddie | |
| Cold Meat
| David Petersen |
| 2025
| Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale | Post-production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2000
| Yesterday's Children | Brian | rowspan="2" | Television films |
| 2003
| Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor | British Officer |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| Jacobite | Mini-series; episode 7: "Culloden: The Jacobites' Last Stand" |
| Love Is the Drug
| Shane Kirwan | Episodes 1–4 |
| 2006
| Legend | Willy | Episodes 1–6 |
| 2007
| Rome | Series 2; episodes 3–10 |
| 2008
| Edeco | Episode 2: "Attila the Hun" |
| 2010
| Series 4; episodes 4, 5 & 9 |
| 2010–2015
| Series 1–6; 45 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| Primeval | Officer Sam Leonard | Series 5; episode 2: "The Submarine" |
| Black Mirror
| Pike | Series 1; Episode 1: "The National Anthem" |
| 2017
| Bellevue | Eddie Rowe | Episodes 1–8 |
| 2018
| DI Dougie Grant | rowspan="2" | Television films |
| 2019
| Surveillance | Scott Yardley |
| 2020
| Ariel Reznik | Series 3; episode 13: "Sex and Death" |
| 2021
| As Luck Would Have It | Brennan O'Brien | Television film |
| 2023
| David Burkely | AKA The Vanishings. Episodes 1–6. Also executive producer |
| 2024
| Elliott Fielding | Episodes 1–4. Also executive producer |
| 2025
| Bulldozer | Greg Roddy | Television film |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| Thomas Hickey (voice) | |
| 2015
| Hjalmar an Craite (voice) | English version |
=Stage=
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Gentleman Caller | Gate Theatre | rowspan="5" | Performed as Alan Leech |
| 1999 | This Lime Tree Bower | Joe | New Theatre | |
| 2000 | The Queen and Peacock | Willie | Garter Lane Arts Centre | |
| 2001 | The Morning After Optimism | Edmund | Abbey Theatre | |
| 2002 | Da | Young Charlie | Abbey Theatre | |
| rowspan="2" | 2008 | Everybody Loves Sylvia | Harlequin | Project Arts Centre | |
| Zero Hour | Benny, Ensemble | Abbey Theatre | ||
| rowspan="2" | 2010 | Phaedra | Hippolytus | Project Arts Centre | |
| On Baile's Strand | Young Man | Abbey Theatre | ||
| 2011 | Ecstasy | Mick | Hampstead Theatre, Duchess Theatre | |
| 2017 | Constellations | Roland | Geffen Playhouse |
Appearances
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Appearance ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="1"| 2004
| The Panel | TV series (1 episode: "Episode #2.5") |
| rowspan="1"| 2005
| 3rd Irish Film and Television Awards | TV documentary |
| rowspan="1"| 2007
| 4th Irish Film and Television Awards | Presenter |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result |
|---|
| 2004
| rowspan="4" |Irish Film & Television Awards |Best New Talent |{{nom}} |
| 2005
|Best Actor in Television |Love Is the Drug |{{nom}} |
| 2007
| rowspan="2" |Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Television |Legend |{{nom}} |
| rowspan="2" |2013
| rowspan="4" |Downton Abbey |{{nom}} |
| rowspan="4" |Screen Actors Guild Award
| rowspan="3" |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |{{won}} |
| 2014
|{{nom}} |
| rowspan="4" |2015
|{{won}} |
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
| rowspan="3" |The Imitation Game | {{nom}} |
| Irish Film & Television Awards
|Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Film |{{nom}} |
| 20th Critics' Choice Awards
| Best Acting Ensemble | {{nom}} |
| 2016
| rowspan="2" |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |Downton Abbey |{{won}} |
| 2019
|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | {{nom}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Allen Leech}}
- {{IMDb name |1395602}}
- [http://www.rte.ie/tv/legend/index.html RTÉ Legend Official Site]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leech, Allen}}
Category:Irish male film actors
Category:Irish male stage actors
Category:Irish male television actors
Category:Irish male video game actors
Category:Irish male voice actors
Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Category:20th-century Irish male actors
Category:21st-century Irish male actors