David Jeremy Leon was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (July 24, 1980).
His Mum, Anne J. Brown was a housewife and Dad, Anthony N. Leon, was a chartered surveyor. David attended Dame Allan's Schools. A successful athelete, he was cricket captain in his final year. From ages 16--18, David was also a part of Manchester United's training scheme. Although a talented footballer, he eventually became disillusioned with the game. At age 18 he spent a year backpacking, dealing with his parents' divorce and in general, finding direction.
Early jobs included waiting tables, call centres and baking bread in Kingston (he still has scars on his arms to prove it!).
Upon his return, he successfully auditioned for the National Youth Theatre. A presenting gig also came along in 2001 finding David hosting children's programming blocks on CITV. He only stayed on until 2002 as acting opportunities in theatre and the big screen were emerging. Further drama studies were eventually pushed aside in order to take a role in Oliver Stone's 'Alexander" (2004).
David quickly established himself with small parts in British television like Merseybeat, Cutting It and Strictly Confidential.
In 2008, he played Malcolm, a Scottish junkie, in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla (a part originally written for Brad Pitt) and there was no doubt that his career was taking off. During the 2010's he was able to parlay this success into writing, directing and producing a number of award winning short films (one was shortlisted for an Oscar!), culminating in the writing and directing of his first feature length film, Orthodox (starring Emmy winner Stephen Graham), in 2015.
David was named by Screen International as one of their “Stars of Tomorrow" in 2012. He studied photography under Magnum at UAL. He is an alumni of the Berlinale Talent Labs (2017, Berlin) and was selected as part of the BFi Network x Bafta crew (2018).
Best known for playing Joe Ashworth on ITV's Vera, fans were thrilled when he returned to the show for its final 2 series (2025).
David maintains his privacy and therefore, little is known of his current personal life. He has one sister, Sara. In the past, he was "dog dad" to Frankie, but her status is currently unknown. He is a staunch lifetime supporter of Manchester United FC.
