Allen Leech (born on 18 May 1981), and known in his early career by his birth name Alan Leech, is an Irish stage, television and film actor. A native of Killiney, Leech made his professional acting debut with a small part in a 1998 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He made his first major film appearance in as Vincent Cusack in Cowboys & Angels and earned an Irish Film & Television Awards nomination in 2004 with his performance as Mo Chara in Man About Dog. Leech came to international attention as Marcus Agrippa on the HBO historical drama Rome and is best known for his role as Tom Branson on the costume drama Downton Abbey.
St Michael's College, Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin
Nationality
Irish
Parents
David Leech, Kay Leech
Siblings
Simon Leech, Ali Leech, Greg Leech
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, Palm Springs International Film Festival Best Ensemble Cast award
Nominations
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Movies
Hunter's Prayer, The Imitation Game, Grand Piano, In Fear, The Sweeney, Factory Farmed, Man About Dog, Cowboys & Angels, The Escapist, Deep Breaths
TV Shows
Downton Abbey, Rome, Love Is the Drug
Star Sign
Taurus
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Quote
1
On Ava Mann who plays his daughter in Downton Abbey (2010): Ava is an absolutely gorgeous little girl - and a consummate professional at the age of 21 months! At the start of the year she was really awestruck, kind of taking everything in - you know obviously for any one who's not even two years of age to have a film crew standing there doing her hair... We had a great time. Happy enough once she got to know me. She loved going for walks around the grounds. She made herself right at home. I expect her to be upping the method next year. I gave her a couple of books on Stanislavski. They are coloring books. She'll be fine.
2
I got sent a half of a bra. Just a half. I'm sure that I'm supposed to walk around looking out for a half-supported woman.
3
On Maggie Smith: As an actor watching someone who is that experienced every day is a school day. It's a masterclass and she's absolutely lovely. She's every bit as witty as a woman as she is the Dowager Countess. She can be quite cutting! But in a very hilarious way. She's really fantastic.
4
On Jessica Brown Findlay: I miss her because she was a great friend, you know. We all miss her on set but you move on, and the same with Dan [Dan Stevens]. You miss them but you just carry on because there are still great stories to tell and Dan leaving and Jess leaving has given myself and Michelle incredible journeys to go on as actors and as characters.
5
On Downton Abbey (2010): I couldn't pick anyone. You can pick any one member of this cast and the calibre of actors is very, very evident. I have to say I love acting with Penelope Wilton - we have some lovely stuff to do - and with Hugh [Hugh Bonneville]. And I have a lot to do with Michelle [Michelle Dockery] as well this year, which is really lovely. [But] I couldn't single out anyone one person really. It's rare that happens on a job.
6
I never get recognised.
7
I remember running up to my dad and saying, 'I want to be an actor when I grow up!' And him saying, 'Yeah, well we'll talk about it.'
8
I'm actually just an actor.
9
Maggie Smith is an amazing woman, and not as serious in real life.
10
People's minds are overloaded with information.
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Fact
1
Exactly, with his director "Morten Tyldum", born at May 19, in "The Imitation Game (2014)".
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