Leach is a surname, originally denoting a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

(in reference to the medical practice of

bloodletting Bloodletting (or blood-letting) was the deliberate withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and othe ...

). Notable people with the surname include:

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Al Leach Allan F. Leach (December 9, 1935 – October 18, 2024) was a former transportation executive and politician in Ontario, Canada. In the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, he was the head of GO Transit and later the Toronto Transit Commission. He was ...

(born 1935), Canadian transportation executive and politician * Archie Leach (1904–1986), real name of English-American actor Cary Grant *

Ben Leach Ben Leach (born 2 May 1969 in Liverpool, England) was the keyboard and synthesizer player in the Liverpool-based pop band, The Farm. He joined in 1988 when the band acquired another brass section playing trumpet (also including Bobby Bilsborough ...

(born 1969), player in English pop group The Farm *

Bernard Leach Bernard Howell Leach (5 January 1887 – 6 May 1979) was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery". Biography Early years (Japan) Leach was born in Hong Kong. His mother Eleanor (n� ...

(1887–1979), British studio potter and art teacher * Bobby Leach (1858–1926), English circus performer, went over Niagara Falls in a barrel *

Buddy Leach Anthony Claude Leach Jr., known as Buddy Leach (March 30, 1934 – August 6, 2022), was an American businessman, lawyer, military veteran, and Democratic politician from Louisiana. From 1979 to 1981, he served one term as a U.S. representative ...

(1934–2022), American politician *

Britt Leach Britt Leach (born July 18, 1938, in Gadsden, Alabama) is an American character actor. Biography and acting career Leach was born on July 18, 1938, in Gadsden, Alabama. He graduated from McCallie School, a boy's college-preparatory school in Cha ...

(born 1938), American character actor * Cecil Leach (1894–1973), English cricketer *

Dewitt C. Leach Dewitt Clinton Leach, (November 23, 1822 – December 21, 1909) was a politician and newspaperman from the U.S. state of Michigan. Leach was born in Clarence, New York, and moved with his parents to Genesee County, Michigan, in early youth. He a ...

(1822–1909), U.S. Representative from Michigan *

David Leach (disambiguation) David Leach may refer to: * David Leach (potter) (1911–2005), English studio potter * David Leach (admiral) (1928–2020), Royal Australian Navy officer * David Leach (activist) (born 1945), Des Moines anti-abortion activist {{DEFAULTS ...

* Dominique Leach, American chef *

Edmund Leach Sir Edmund Ronald Leach FRAI FBA (7 November 1910 – 6 January 1989) was a British social anthropologist and academic. He served as provost of King's College, Cambridge from 1966 to 1979. He was also president of the Royal Anthropolo ...

(1910–1989), British anthropologist * Sir

Edward Pemberton Leach General Sir Edward Pemberton Leach (2 April 1847 – 27 April 1913) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth f ...

(1847–1913), Irish general in the British Army, recipient of the Victoria Cross * Edward G. Leach, American politician *

Elizabeth Eva Leach Elizabeth Eva Leach is a British musicologist and music theorist who specializes in medieval music, especially that of the fourteenth century. Much of her scholarship concerns the life and work of Guillaume de Machaut. Life and career Leach is ...

, British medievalist, musicologist and academic *

Ethel Leach Mary Ethel Leach (1850 or 1851 – April 1936) was a British politician. Life Leach grew up in Great Yarmouth and married an ironmonger, the couple sharing a commitment to radical (politics), radical politics. In 1881, she was elected to the G ...

(1850 or 1851 – 1936), British politician * Esther Leach (1809–1843), English-Indian actress *

Foss Leach Bryan Foss Leach (born 16 February 1942) is a New Zealand archaeologist. He is a pioneer of integrated regional research programmes, conservation of archaeological materials, zooarchaeology, and broader aspects of archaeological science. He ...

(1942- ), New Zealand anthropologist *

Francis Leach Francis Leach (born 1968) is an Australian radio announcer, sports editor and journalist. Early life Leach grew up in Public housing, commission housing in the Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows, Victoria, Broadmeadows. He attended secondary school ...

(born 1968), Australian radio announcer *

Garry Leach Garry Leach (19 September 1954 – 26 March 2022) was a British comics artist and publisher. Biography Garry Leach's early work for ''2000 AD'' included mainly one-off stories featuring ''Dan Dare'' and '' M.A.C.H. 1''.George Leach (musician) George Leach is a Canadian musician and actor, best known for his work as a lead singer and songwriter. Background Leach is a Stl'atl'imx from Lillooet, British Columbia. As an actor, Leach has appeared on '' This is Wonderland'', '' North of ...

, Canadian musician and actor * George E. Leach (1876–1955), United States Army general and politician

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Henry Leach (British Army officer) Brigadier-General Henry Edmund Burleigh Leach (18 July 1870 – 16 August 1936) was a British Army officer. Early life and career The son of Major-General Sir Edmund Leach of Corston House, Pembrokeshire, he was educated at Uppingham Schoo ...

(1870–1936), British Army general * Sir

Henry Leach Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Conyers Leach, (18 November 1923 – 26 April 2011) was a Royal Navy officer who, as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff during the early 1980s, was instrumental in convincing the British prime minister Ma ...

(1923–2011), Royal Navy admiral *

Henry Goddard Leach Henry Goddard Leach (July 3, 1880 – November 11, 1970) was an American Scandinavian studies scholar and civic leader. He is best known as President of The American-Scandinavian Foundation and Professor of Scandinavian Civilization at the Univer ...

(1880–1970), American Scandinavian studies scholar *

Howard H. Leach Howard H. Leach (born June 19, 1930) is an American diplomat and businessman. He served as the United States Ambassador to France from 2001 to 2005. Early life and education Leach was born in Salinas, California. He earned a Bachelor of Scien ...

, American diplomat *

Jack Leach Matthew Jack Leach (born 22 June 1991) is an English professional cricketer who plays internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he represents Somerset. Leach made his Test debut in 2018. He plays as a left-arm ort ...

, English cricketer *

Jalal Leach Jalal Donnell Leach (born March 14, 1969), is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball in . He was primarily used as a pinch hitter by the Giants. He threw and batted le ...

(born 1969), American baseball player *

James Madison Leach James Madison Leach (January 17, 1815 – June 1, 1891) was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina. Leach was born on his family's homestead, "Lansdowne", in Randolph County, North Carolina, January 17, 1815. He attended the common schools a ...

(1815–1891), American politician from North Carolina * James Leach (soldier) (1892–1957), British soldier and Victoria Cross holder * Jan E. Leach (born 1952/1953), American plant pathologist * Jason Leach (born 1982), American football player *

Jesse Leach Jesse David Leach (born July 3, 1978) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the metalcore band Killswitch Engage. He is also a vocalist for Times of Grace and The Weapon. Leach co-founded Killswitch Engage in 1999, but lef ...

(born 1978), American musician *

Jim Leach James Albert Smith Leach (October 15, 1942 – December 11, 2024) was an American academic and politician. He served as ninth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

(1942–2024), American politician from Iowa *

Joe Leach Joseph Leach (born 30 October 1990) is a former English cricketer who played for Worcestershire. Leach was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium. He was born in Stafford, Staffordshire, and was educated at Shrewsbury School. Caree ...

(born 1990), English cricketer * John Leach (disambiguation) *

Joshua A. Leach Joshua A. Leach (May 8, 1843 – June 28, 1919) was an American locomotive worker and trade union functionary. He is best remembered as the founder of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (B of LF) in 1873 and head of that organization from 1873 ...

(1843–1919) — founder of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen *

Karoline Leach Karoline Leach (born 20 July 1967) is a British playwright and author, best known for her book ''In the Shadow of the Dreamchild'' (), which re-examines the life of Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of ''Alice's ...

(born 1967), British playwright and author * Kimberly Leach (1965–1978), murder victim of

Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989), known colloquially as Ted Bundy, was an American serial killer who kidnapping, abducted, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls between 1974 and 1978. His ''modus ...

* Lillian Leach (1936–2013), American singer * Mandy Leach (born 1979), Zimbabwean freestyle swimmer *

Martin Leach (executive) Martin Leach (1957 – 1 November 2016) was a British businessman and engineer and the President of NEXTEV, a startup technology company specialised in designing and developing high-performance electric vehicles. Leach had an automotive career sp ...

, British businessman and engineer * Mary Leach (disambiguation), multiple people * Martin Leach (Australian murderer) (born 1959), Australian convicted murderer and rapist *

Mick Leach Michael Leach (16 January 1947 – 11 January 1992) was a footballer with Queens Park Rangers in the 1960s and 1970s. He made over 300 Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, f ...

(1947–1992), English soccer player *

Mike Leach (tennis) Michael E. Leach (born March 9, 1960) is a former collegiate and ATP Tour professional tennis player who won the NCAA singles championship in 1982 while attending the University of Michigan. Early years Leach grew up in Weston, Massachusetts ou ...

(born 1960), American tennis player *

Mike Leach (American football coach) Michael Charles Leach (March 9, 1961 – December 12, 2022) was an American college football coach who primarily coached at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA Division I FBS level. Nicknamed "the Pirate", he was a two-time nat ...

(1961–2022), American football coach * Mike Leach (long snapper) (born 1976), American football player

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* Neil Leach, British architect and theorist *

Nicole Leach Nicolle Rochelle, often credited professionally as Nicole Leach, is an American actress, dancer, and jazz singer, best known for her appearances on television including ''Shining Time Station'', '' The Babysitters Club'', and made for televisi ...

(born 1979), American actress and singer *

Penelope Leach Penelope Jane Leach (née Balchin; born 19 November 1937) is a British psychologist who researches and writes extensively on parenting issues from a child development perspective. Leach is best known for her book ''Your Baby and Child: From B ...

(born 1937), British child psychologist and parenting author *

Reggie Leach Reginald Joseph Leach (born April 23, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red ...

(born 1950), Canadian professional ice hockey player *

Rick Leach Rick Leach (born December 28, 1964) is a former professional tennis player and coach from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won five Grand Slam doubles titles (three at the Australian Open, one at Wimbledon, and one at the US Open) ...

(born 1964), American tennis player and coach *

Rick Leach (baseball) Richard Max Leach (born May 4, 1957) is an American former college football player and professional baseball player. Leach was an all-state quarterback at Flint Southwestern High School in the fall of 1974, and the University of Michigan's sta ...

(born 1957), American baseball and football player *

Robert M. Leach Robert Milton Leach (April 2, 1879 – February 18, 1952) was a United States representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Franklin, New Hampshire, on April 2, 1879. He attended the public schools, Phillips Academy and Dartmouth College. ...

(1879–1952), United States Representative from Massachusetts * Robert E. Leach (1911–1993), Republican judge in the U.S. State of Ohio *

Robin Leach Robin Douglas Leach (29 August 1941 – 24 August 2018) was a British-American entertainment reporter and writer from London. After beginning his career as a print journalist, first in Britain and then in the United States, he became best known ...

(1941–2018), English entertainer *

Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for '' 84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award f ...

(1935–2017), English stage, television and film actress *

Sheryl Leach Sheryl Lyna Stamps Leach is an American author who cocreated the children's show ''Barney & Friends'' with Kathryn O'Rourke Parker, Kathy Parker and Dennis DeShazer. Education Leach holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southe ...

(born 1952), American children's TV show creator and author, known for the series ''Barney & Friends'' * Steve Leach (ice hockey) (born 1966), American ice hockey player * Steve Leach (cricketer) (born 1993), English cricketer * Terry Leach (born 1954), former Major League Baseball player *

Tommy Leach Thomas Andrew Leach (November 4, 1877 – September 29, 1969) was an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1898 through 1918 for the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago ...

(1877–1969), Major League Baseball player *

Vonta Leach Terzell Vonta Leach ( ; born November 6, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2 ...

(born 1981), American football fullback for the Houston Texans * William Leach (disambiguation), multiple people

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See also