Leonard Rossiter was born on October 21st, 1926 in Liverpool. Unable to afford to go to university, he worked in an insurance office until he was 27, when he joined Preston repertory company and made his professional stage debut in "The Gay Dog". After Preston, he starred in productions at Wolverhampton, Salisbury and The Old Vic Company at Bristol's Theatre Royal. In 1962, he made his first big-screen appearance inA Kind of Loving (1962), followed by other films throughout the 1960s, including Billy Liar (1963) and TV appearances such as Z Cars (1962), The Avengers (1961) andSteptoe and Son (1962). His portrayal of "Adolf Hitler" in the 1969 play, "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui", made him a West End star. His roles as "Rigsby" in Rising Damp(1974) and the title role in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976) made him a household name, and his Cinzano commercials with Joan Collins were comic masterpieces. A keen sportsman, he excelled in squash, tennis and football. He was also a connoisseur of fine wines. His busy career came to a tragically premature end on October 5th 1984, just sixteen days short of his 58th birthday. During a performance ofJoe Orton's play "Loot", Leonard suffered a heart attack in his dressing room. He was married to actress Gillian Raine and had a daughter, Camilla.
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976)
Starring as Reginald Perrin
Starring as Martin Wellbourne
Rising Damp (1974)
Starring as Rigsby
(28 episodes)
- Episode 4x06: Come on in, the Water's Lovely (May 9, 1978)
- Episode 4x05: Under the Influence (May 2, 1978)
- Episode 4x04: Pink Carnations (Apr 25, 1978)
- Episode 4x03: Great Expectations (Apr 18, 1978)
- Episode 4x02: Fire and Brimstone (Apr 11, 1978)
- Episode 4x01: Hello Young Lovers (Apr 4, 1978)
- Episode 3x07: Suddenly at Home (May 24, 1977)
- Episode 3x06: The Cocktail Hour (May 17, 1977)
- Episode 3x05: Fawcett's Python (May 10, 1977)
- Episode 3x04: The Good Samaritan (May 3, 1977)
- Episode 3x03: Clunk Click (Apr 26, 1977)
- Episode 3x02: Stage Struck (Apr 19, 1977)
- Episode 3x01: That's My Boy (Apr 12, 1977)
- Episode 2x08: For the Man Who Has Everything (Dec 26, 1975)
- Episode 2x07: Things That Go Bump in the Night (Dec 19, 1975)
- Episode 2x06: The Last of the Big Spenders (Dec 12, 1975)
- Episode 2x05: A Perfect Gentleman (Dec 5, 1975)
- Episode 2x04: Moonlight and Roses (Nov 28, 1975)
- Episode 2x03: A Body Like Mine (Nov 21, 1975)
- Episode 2x02: Food Glorious Food (Nov 14, 1975)
- Episode 2x01: The Permissive Society (Nov 7, 1975)
- Episode 1x07: Stand Up and Be Counted (Jan 17, 1975)
- Episode 1x06: The Prowler (Jan 10, 1975)
- Episode 1x05: All Our Yesterdays (Jan 3, 1975)
- Episode 1x04: Charisma (Dec 27, 1974)
- Episode 1x03: A Night Out (Dec 20, 1974)
- Episode 1x02: Black Magic (Dec 13, 1974)
- Episode 1x01: The Lodgers (aka Rooksby) (Sep 2, 1974)
Steptoe and Son (1962)
Guest starring as Welsh Hughie
- Episode 3x03: The Lead Man Cometh (Jan 21, 1964)