Desmond Leslie
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Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie (29 June 1921, County Monaghan, Ireland-21 February 2001, Antibes, France) was a British pilot, film maker and writer among other things. Leslie was the younger son of Sir John Randolph Shane Leslie, 3rd Bt. and Marjorie Ide.
During his lifetime he served as a Spitfire pilot in the RAF during World War II, became one of the first pioneers of electric music, and co-authored one of the first books on UFOs entitled Flying Saucers Have Landed (1953), with writer George Adamski.
Desmond is probably most famously known for punching theatre critic Bernard Levin in front of eleven million viewers during an edition the satirical TV show That Was The Week That Was in 1962. The video of this event is available here [1] His intention was to protect the honour of his then wife (Agnes Bernelle) in response to Levin's critcal review of a show that she had starred in. Levin's obituaries described Leslie only as an expert on UFOs.
[edit] Screenwriting/directing career
Desmond Leslie was briefly a screenwriter/director for film and television.
- Stranger from Venus (1954)
- Stranger at My Door (1950)
In the early 1950's Leslie designed the world's first effective multi-track sound mixing desk which he had built by Rupert Neve. It can still be seen in his family home Castle Leslie, Monaghan, where it has been an object of reverence for visitors such as Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney.
[edit] Marriages and children
He married, firstly, Agnes Bernelle (born Agnes Elizabeth Bernauer) on 18 August 1945. That marriage ended in divorce. They had two sons and one daughter:
- Shaun Rudolf Christopher Leslie (b. 4 June 1947), married Charlotte Bing; no offspring. He is the heir of the Leslie Baronetcy, of Glaslough in the County of Monaghan, that possess his uncle John Leslie
- Christopher Mark Leslie (b. 7 December 1952), married Cliona Manahan and had two children, Leah Leslie and Luke Leslie
- Antonia Kelvey Oriel Leslie (b. 1963), married Colm Nolan, and raised one daughter, Lola Leslie.
He married, secondly, to Jennifer Helen Strong in 1970. They had two daughters:
During the 1990's he devoted his time to restoring the ageing family home of Castle Leslie which eventually opened to the public. He later relocated to Nice in the south of France due to Emphysema where he died in 2001.
