Roger Leach (22 April 1948 – 1 December 2001) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

- Australian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

who played Sgt. Tom Penny in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', and guest starred in '' Bergerac'', ''

Perfect Scoundrels ''Perfect Scoundrels'' is an early-1990s British television comedy-drama following two con-men's travels while conning various people. Produced by TVS Television for the ITV network, it ran for three series between 22 April 1990 and 30 May ...

'' and '' Doctors''.

Early life

Roger was born in Sydney, Australia and read English at

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

where he also participated in rowing and other athletics. He won a scholarship to the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

and moved to the UK in 1971. He had many acting roles, including 42 appearances at the

Salisbury Playhouse Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the English city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was built in 1976 and comprises the 517-seat Main House and the 149-seat Salberg, a rehearsal room and a community & education space. It is part of Arts Council E ...

Career

Leach became a household name when in 1984 he was asked to become one of the stars in ''The Bill'', a highly successful ITV series about the Metropolitan Police in which he played Sergeant Tom Penny. He was also a successful stage actor. In all he played in 42 productions for artistic director David Horlock and four others at the Salisbury Playhouse. But he also toured around Britain in many productions at local repertory theatres. Among some outstanding performances he played Lambert le Roux in ''Pravda'' to critical acclaim, Rev Hale in

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' (19 ...

's ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as an ...

'',

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol''. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' '' A Christmas Carol'', Bluntschi in ''Arms and the Man'', Subtle in ''The Alchemist'', Claudio in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'', and Colin in ''Ashes'', for which feat of achievement he was cast in ''The Bill''. Leach appeared in a West End production of Anthony Shaffer's play ''The Case of the Oily Levantine'' directed by Patrick Dromgoole, and at the Royal Court in ''Gimme Shelter''. In later years he featured as Uncle Max in the ''Sound of Music'', Captain Brackett in ''South Pacific'', the Narrator in ''The Rocky Horror Show'', Doolittle in ''My Fair Lady'', and in 2001, Peachum in a tour of ''The Threepenny Opera''. Leach was also a director, teaching Shakespeare classes in text and audition techniques at three leading drama schools. He contributed scripts to shows, ''Moon and Son'', ''Eastenders'', and ''The Bill''. In October 2001, he was reading the ''Letters of Beethoven'' with the Sarum Chamber Orchestra and starting rehearsals for ''The Donkeys Years'' at the Salisbury Playhouse which was due to open in January 2002. Leach died at the age of 53 after a four-year battle with cancer.

Filmography

Television

Writer

Theatre

References

1948 births 2001 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male soap opera actors Deaths from cancer in England Male actors from Sydney University of Sydney alumni Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom {{UK-tv-actor-1940s-stub