Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McClelland, a lawyer. He was educated at Haileybury and

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, and qualified as a doctor in 1945. He worked in that profession from 1945–6, then became a full-time actor. His numerous film credits include '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) (playing

Dinghy Young Squadron Leader Henry Melvin "Dinghy" Young, (20 May 1915 – 17 May 1943) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Early life Young was born in Belgravia, London, to Henry George Melvin Young, ...

), ''

Night of the Demon ''Night of the Demon'' (in the United States, released as ''Curse of the Demon'') is a 1957 British horror film, produced by Hal E. Chester and Frank Bevis, directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacG ...

'' (1957), '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst'' (1957), ''

Ice Cold in Alex ''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...

'' (1958), ''

Tunes of Glory ''Tunes of Glory'' is a 1960 British drama film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the 1956 novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" focusing on events in a wintry Scottish Highland regimental barracks in ...

'' (1960), ''

Young Winston ''Young Winston'' is a 1972 British biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, '' My Early Life''. The first part of the film covers Churchill ...

'' (1972), ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

'' (1982) and the acclaimed ''

The Shooting Party ''The Shooting Party'' is a 1984 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges and based on the book of the same name by Isabel Colegate. The film is set in 1913, less than a year before the beginning of the First World War, and shows the soon-t ...

'' (1985). On television Richard Leech appeared in ''

Dickens of London ''Dickens of London'' is a 1976 television miniseries from Yorkshire Television based on the life of English novelist Charles Dickens. Both Dickens and his father John were played by British actor Roy Dotrice. The series was written by Wolf Mank ...

'', ''

The Barchester Chronicles ''The Barchester Chronicles'' is a 1982 British television serial produced by Jonathan Powell for the BBC. It is an adaptation by Alan Plater of Anthony Trollope's first two Chronicles of Barsetshire, ''The Warden'' (1855) and ''Barchester Towe ...

'', ''

Smiley's People ''Smiley's People'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré, published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the " Karla Trilogy", following ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' and ''The Hono ...

'', three episodes of '' The Avengers'' in different roles, ''

Redcap The redcap (or powrie) is a type of malevolent, murderous goblin found in Border folklore. He is said to inhabit ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish border, especially those that were the scenes of tyranny or wicked deeds and is known for soa ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'', '' The Doctors'', '' The New Avengers'', ''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma Jo ...

'', and starred in a ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' story called ''

The Sun Makers ''The Sun Makers'' is the fourth serial of the 15th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 26 November to 17 December 1977. The serial is set on Pluto. ...

''. He married twice, with Helen Hyslop Uttley and Diane Pearson, and had two children: Sarah-Jane McClelland and Eliza McClelland.

Filmography

Film

* ''

The Temptress ''The Temptress'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo and starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore, and Roy D'Arcy. It premiered on October 10, 1926. The film melodrama was based on a novel by ...

'' (1949) (film debut) (uncredited) * '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) as Sailor (uncredited) * ''

Lease of Life ''Lease of Life'' is a 1954 British drama film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Charles Frend. The film was designed as a star-vehicle for Robert Donat, representing his return to the screen after an absence of over three years during whi ...

'' (1954) as Carter * ''

Children Galore ''Children Galore'' is a 1955 comedy film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Eddie Byrne and June Thorburn. A village squire offers to give away a cottage to a deserving family with the most grandchildren. Cast * Eddie Byrne as Zacky Jones * ...

'' (1955) as Harry Bunnion * ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' (1955) as Minor Role (uncredited) * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) as Squadron Leader H. M. Young, D.F.C. * '' The Feminine Touch'' (1956) as Casualty Doctor * '' It's Never Too Late'' (1956) as John Hammond * '' The Long Arm'' (1956) as 'Nightwatchman' / Gilson * ''

The Iron Petticoat ''The Iron Petticoat'' (aka ''Not for Money'') is a 1956 British Cold War comedy film starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn, and directed by Ralph Thomas. The screenplay by Ben Hecht became the focus of a contentious history behind the produ ...

'' (1956) as Alex * ''

Time Without Pity ''Time Without Pity'' is a 1957 British film noir thriller film about a father trying to save his son from execution for murder. The film was directed by expatriate American Joseph Losey after he was blacklisted in the U.S. during the ( McCar ...

'' (1957) as Proprietor of Espresso Bar (uncredited) * ''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...

'' (1957) as Ridvers * ''

Yangtse Incident The ''Amethyst'' Incident, also known as the Yangtze Incident, was a historic event which involved the Royal Navy ships , , , and on the Yangtze River for three months during the Chinese Civil War in the summer of 1949. Description On ...

'' (1957) as Lt. Strain RN * ''

These Dangerous Years ''These Dangerous Years'' (also known as ''Dangerous Youth'') is a 1957 British drama musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, Carole Lesley, Thora Hird, Kenneth Cope, David Lodge and John Le Mesurier. ...

'' (1957) as Captain Brewster * ''

The Birthday Present ''The Birthday Present'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson. The film also featured Thorley Walters and Ian Bannen in small roles. Plot Simon Scott, a top toy salesman, returns from a business trip to Germany with a watch hidd ...

'' (1957) as Hawkins (uncredited) * ''

'' (1957) as Inspector Mottram * ''

Gideon's Day ''Gideon's Day'' is the first in a series of police procedural novels by John Creasey writing as J.J. Marric. Published in 1955, it features a day in the professional life of Detective Superintendent George Gideon of the C.I.D., Scotland ...

'' (1958) as Minor Role * ''

The Moonraker ''The Moonraker'' is a British swashbuckler film made in 1957 and released in 1958 and set in the English Civil War. It was directed by David MacDonald and starred George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le M ...

'' (1958) as Henry Strangeways * ''

The Wind Cannot Read ''The Wind Cannot Read'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser. It was based on the 1946 novel by Richard Mason, who also wrote the screenplay. Songwriter P ...

'' (1958) as Hobson * ''

'' (1958) as Captain Crosbie * '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) as First Officer

William Murdoch William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...

* '' Dublin Nightmare'' (1958) as Steve Lawlor * ''

The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be A Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures of ...

'' (1958) as Hodges (uncredited) * '' A Lady Mislaid'' (1958) as George * ''

'' (1960) as Captain Alec Rattray * ''

The Terror of the Tongs ''The Terror of the Tongs'' is a 1961 British adventure film directed by Anthony Bushell and starring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee and Yvonne Monlaur. Plot In the year of 1910, Hong Kong members of the secret Red Dragon Tong crime family pr ...

'' (1961) as Insp. Bob Dean * ''

I Thank a Fool ''I Thank a Fool'' is a 1962 British Metrocolor crime film made by Eaton (De Grunwald Productions) and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in CinemaScope. It was directed by Robert Stevens and produced by Anatole de Grunwald from a screenplay by Karl Tunb ...

'' (1962) as Irish Doctor * ''

The Wild and the Willing ''The Wild and the Willing'' is a 1962 British romantic drama film, directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, and Samantha Eggar. It is the film debuts of Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Samantha Eggar. It depicts a grou ...

'' (1962) as Police Inspector * ''

The War Lover ''The War Lover'' is a 1962 British war film directed by Philip Leacock and written by Howard Koch (screenwriter), Howard Koch loosely based on the 1959 novel by John Hersey, altering the names of characters and events but retaining its basic f ...

'' (1962) as Murika * ''

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

'' (1963) as Alan Phipps * ''

The Cracksman ''The Cracksman'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott.Personal letter from Delia Derbyshire to Associated British Picture Corporation, dated 25 April 1963. Plot Charlie Drake plays honest but naive locksmith Ernest Wr ...

'' (1963) as Detective Sergeant * ''The Flood'' (1963) as Alec Weathersfield * ''

Walk a Tightrope ''Walk a Tightrope'' is a 1964 Anglo-American crime film directed by Frank Nesbitt, written by Neil McCallum, and starring Dan Duryea, Patricia Owens, Terence Cooper, Richard Leech, Neil McCallum and Trevor Reid. It was released on February 12, ...

'' (1964) as Doug Randle * ''

Life at the Top ''Life At The Top'' is the third novel by the English author John Braine, first published in the UK by Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior ...

'' (1965) as Doctor * ''

The Fighting Prince of Donegal ''The Fighting Prince of Donegal'' is a 1966 adventure film starring Peter McEnery and Susan Hampshire, based on the novel ''Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal'' by Robert T. Reilly. It was released by the Buena Vista Distribution Company. Plot Set i ...

'' (1966) as Phelim O'Toole * ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 fil ...

'' (1970) as Doctor (voice) * ''

'' (1972) as Moore * ''Got It Made'' (1974) as Dr. Allen * ''

The Mirror Crack'd ''The Mirror Crack'd'' is a 1980 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton from a screenplay by Jonathan Hales and Barry Sandler, based on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel ''The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' (1962). It stars Ange ...

'' (1980) as Director of Photography (uncredited) * ''

'' (1982) as Brigadier * ''

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

'' (1984) as Beck * ''

'' (1985) as Dr. West * ''

A Handful of Dust ''A Handful of Dust'' is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh. First published in 1934, it is often grouped with the author's early, satirical comic novels for which he became famous in the pre– World War II years. Commentators have, ...

'' (1988) as Doctor (final film role)

Television

* ''

The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), ...

'' (1960) as Inspector Workington * ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'' (1961) as Orderly * '' The Avengers'' (1962-1967) as Various Roles * ''

'' (1965) as Colonel Montes * ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' (1965) as Major Summers * ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' (1967) as Stewart * '' The Gathering Storm'' (1974) as Admiral Pound * ''

Edward the Seventh ''Edward the Seventh'' is a 1975 British historical drama series, made by ATV in 13 episodes. Based on the biography of King Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it starred Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Timothy West as the elder Edward VII, wi ...

'' (1975) as Sir Charles Dilke * ''

'' (1977) as Gatherer Hade * ''

I Remember Nelson ''I Remember Nelson'' is a British historical television series portraying the relationship between Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton in the period leading up the Battle of Trafalgar. It first aired in four parts on ITV between 21 February and 18 ...

'' (1982) as Country Gentleman

References

External links

* *
Richard Leech Obituary in ''The Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leech, Richard 1922 births 2004 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish male television actors Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Male actors from Dublin (city) 20th-century Irish medical doctors Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom