| Dr. Leonard Rossi-Dodds | |||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Marton Csokas | ||||
| Introduced by | Caterine De Nave (1993, 1994) | ||||
| Duration | 1993-95 | ||||
| First appearance | 21 January 1993 episode 174 |
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| Last appearance | 18 January 1995 episode 678 |
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| Classification | Past; Regular | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Owner of Stromboli Cafeteria Doctor |
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Dr. Leonard Rossi-Dodds (née Dodds) was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Marton Csokas[1], who has since gone on to receive international acclaim. He arrived to the soap as a potential love interest for cooky Gina Rossi.
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With the character of Gina experiencing very little romantic storylines throughout 1992, producers decided to write in an equally as eccentric other half. Leonard was created and brought in originally as a recurring character, before returning later in the year as a regular.
Leonard arrived to the hospital in early 1993, making little friends due to his extreme clumsiness. Local cafe owner, Gina Rossi instantly becomes smitten but Leonard is distressed by her strange flirtations. The two eventually get together but Leonard's contract expires and he leaves the clinic. In Leonard's absence, Gina developed a crush on Hone and made several attempts to get him. However Leonard returned and Gina switched her affections back to Leonard. When Leonard discovered that Gina had pursued Hone, he bitterly dumped her.
Leonard and Gina reconciled but Gina, remembering the two failed attempts that Chris and Alison had made to marry, became convinced that engagements at Shortland Street were cursed and so sought to do everything in her power to stop Leonard from proposing to her. A bemused Michael eventually intervened and suggested that Gina propose to Leonard before he could propose to her. The couple got engaged and despite numerous setbacks such as Gina arriving at the wrong church and the childish Lionel attempting to derail the wedding, the couple got married. They bought a houseboat called "The Toroa" and despite Leonard's extreme sea sickness, enjoyed happiness on the boat.
In 1994 the two decided to try for babies. Leonard became concerned at Gina's obsession and after several near misses, the two decided to go to the United States and start a fresh. They hired Lionel as the new owner of the cafe. However tragedy struck at Leonard and Gina's farewell, when Steve and T.P were killed in a car crash. Despite this sad news, the couple left to the United States.
As the year drew to a close, Leonard and Gina returned to act as best man and bridesmaid to Lionel and Kirsty's wedding. However the wedding was canned when Stuart disrupted during the vowels. Despite this, the wedding went ahead in early 1995, before the Rossi-Dodds finally left the street for good.