| Allen Leech | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 May 1981 Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Awards | Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Television 2007 Legend |
Allen Leech (born 18 May 1981 in Ireland)[1] is an Irish stage, television and film actor, best known for his role as Marcus Agrippa in the 2007 HBO television series Rome,[2] and his role as chauffeur Tom Branson in ITV 2010 television series Downton Abbey.
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Allen Leech, from Killiney in south Dublin, attended St. Michael's College in Ballsbridge and graduated in 1999. He then studied Drama and Theatre Studies at Trinity College, Dublin. While a first-year Trinity student he secured a plum role in Foresight's production of Conor McPherson's This Lime Tree Bower. This student production propelled him out into professional theatre and helped get him his first agent. 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. Since then, Leech has moved with ease from plays to films.
Allen's breakthrough film performance was in Cowboys and Angels,[3] in which he played Vincent, a gay fashion student, followed by the 2004 cross country caper film Man About Dog,[4][5] in which Leech plays Mo-Chara, one of three Belfast scallies who get in way above their heads.
Allen Leech was voted sexiest Irish male in 2005 in U Magazine, beating Colin Farrell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. It was voted for by the female readers of Ireland's leading women's magazine.
Leech did not rest on his laurels and followed film success with 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 very different Irish families, each one struggling to find their place amid the harsh realities of modern Ireland. He received a Best Supporting Actor nomination from Irish Film and Television Awards for his performance.
In 2007, Allen appeared in the HBO drama series Rome as Marcus Agrippa, Octavian's top soldier and friend.[2] He is working on a feature film with the director of the award winning Irish short movie Deep Breaths, a dark, psychological thriller directed by P. J. Dillon in which Allen also starred.[6] The film, Rewind, opened in Ireland on March 25, 2011.[7]
In 2010, he appeared on the small screen in both The Tudors as the doomed Francis Dereham, former lover of Catherine Howard. Leech also appears in ITV 2010 and 2011 television series Downton Abbey as Chauffeur Tom Branson, whose political ideologies clash with the upper class ruling elite. He play the role as officer Sam Leonard in television series Primeval in 2011 in series five. Leech is also starring in the 2012 film adaptation The Sweeney[8].
Leech graduated from St. Michael's College, Dublin, Ballsbridge and received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters Degrees in Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.
The first time Leech set foot on a professional stage was at the Gate, in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire.[9] "I was the gentleman caller to Frances McDormand's Blanche Dubois. The Coen brothers were walking backstage, and me a naive 16-year-old."
Allen has been nominated for three IFTA Awards. In 2004, he was nominated for the IFTA Award for Best New Talent for Cowboys & Angels. In 2005, he was nominated for the IFTA Award for Best Actor in Television for Love Is the Drug. And in 2007, he was nominated for the IFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Television for Legend.[10]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Iníon an Fhiaclóra | Rory | Short | |
| 2001 | The Escapist | Policeman 1 | ||
| 2003 | Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor | British Officer | TV movie | |
| Cowboys and Angels | Vincent Cusack | Nominated – IFTA Award – Best New Talent | ||
| 2004 | Battlefield Britain | Jacobite | TV series documentary (1 episode: "Culloden: The Jacobite's Last Stand") | |
| Man About Dog | Mo Chara | |||
| Love Is the Drug | Shane Kirwen | TV series (4 episodes) Nominated – IFTA Award – Best Actor in Television |
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| 2006 | Legend | Willy | TV series (6 episodes) Nominated – IFTA Award – Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Television |
|
| 2007 | Rome | Marcus Vipsania Agrippa | TV series (8 episodes) | |
| Deep Breaths | Danny | Short | ||
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Edeco | TV series documentary (1 episode: "Attila the Hun") | |
| 2009 | From Time to Time | Fred Boggis | ||
| 2010 | Rewind | Karl | ||
| The Tudors | Francis Dereham | TV series (2 episodes) | ||
| Downton Abbey | Tom Branson | TV series (Series 1,3 Episodes) | ||
| 2011 | Primeval | Officer Sam Leonard | TV Series (Series 5, 1 Episode) | |
| Downton Abbey | Tom Branson | TV Series (Series 2, 8 Episodes) | ||
| Black Mirror | Pike | 3-part TV Series (1 Episode: The National Anthem) | ||
| 2012 | The Sweeney | Film Adaptation (Filming) |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | A Streetcar Named Desire | The Gate | |
| 1999 | This Lime Tree Bower | New Theatre | |
| 2000 | Queen and Peacock | Willi | Garter Lane Arts Centre |
| 2001 | The Morning After Optimism | The Abbey Theatre | |
| 2002 | Da | The Abbey Theatre | |
| 2008 | Everybody Loves Sylvia | The Project Theatre | |
| 2010 | Phaedra | Hippolytus | Project Arts Centre |
| 2011 | Ecstasy | Mick | Hampstead Theatre |
| Year | Appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Panel | TV series (1 episode: "Episode #2.5") |
| 2005 | 3rd Irish Film and Television Awards | TV documentary |
| 2007 | 4th Irish Film and Television Awards | Presenter[11] |
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | IFTA Awards | Best New Talent | Nominated | Cowboys & Angels |
| 2005 | IFTA Awards | Best Actor in Television | Nominated | Love Is the Drug |
| 2007 | IFTA Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Television | Nominated | Legend[11] |