| Allen Leech | |
|---|---|
| Born | Allen Leech May 18, 1981 Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989 – present |
Allen Leech (born May 18, 1981 in Ireland) is an Irish stage, television and film actor, best known for his role as Marcus Agrippa in the 2007 HBO television series Rome.[1]
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Biography
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 powerful 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,[2] in which he played Vincent, a gay fashion student, followed by the 2004 cross country caper film Man About Dog,[3][4] 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 didn't 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.[1] 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.[5]
Early life and education
Leech graduated from St. Michaels College, Ballsbridge and received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters Degrees in Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.
Early career
The first time Leech set foot on a professional stage was at the Gate, in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire.[6] "I was the gentleman caller to Frances McDormand's Blanche Dubois. The Coen brothers were walking backstage, and me a naive 16-year-old."
Critical success
Allen has been nominated for three IFTA Awards. In 2004, he was nominated for the IFTA Award for Best New Talent for Cowboys and 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.[7]
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Iníon an Fhiaclóra (The Dentist's Daughter) | Rory |
| 2003 | Cowboys and Angels | Vincent Cusack |
| 2004 | Man About Dog | Mo Chara |
| 2007 | Deep Breaths (Short) | Danny |
| 2008 | From Time To Time | Fred Boggis |
| 2009 | Redux | Karl Devlin |
Theatre
| 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 |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Yesterdays Children | CBS | |
| 2001 | The Escapist | Policeman 1 | |
| 2003 | Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor | British Officer | |
| 2004 | The Panel - The People Decide | Allen Leech | One Episode |
| 2004 | Battlefield Britain | Jacobite | One Episode |
| 2004 | Love Is the Drug | Shane Kirwan | All Five |
| 2005 | 3rd Irish Film and Television Awards | Allen Leech | |
| 2006 | Legend | Willy | All Six |
| 2007 | Rome | Marcus Agrippa | 8 Episodes in Series two |
| 2007 | 4th Irish Film and Television Awards | Himself/Presenter | |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains: Attila the Hun | Edeco | Mini-series |
Awards
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | IFTA Awards | Best New Talent | Nominated | Cowboys and 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 |
References
- ^ a b HBO Rome Official Site
- ^ Robert Koehler: "Cowboys & Angels", [Variety.com], [Jul. 13, 2004]
- ^ Rich Cline: "Man About Dog". ShadowsOnTheWall.co.UK, [Oct. 19, 2004]
- ^ Jamie Russell: "Man About Dog" (2004), [BBC.co.UK], [Nov. 14, 2004]
- ^ IrishFilmBoard: "New Irish shorts showcase a host of emerging Irish directors, writers and stars at the Galway Film Fleadh", IrishFilmBoard.ie, July 3, 2007
- ^ Matt Wolf: "A Streetcar Named Desire", [Variety.com], [May 18, 1998]
- ^ The Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, The University of Dublin, TCE.ie, 2006
- ^ a b c ImDb
External links
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