Richard Leech

Richard Leech (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), born Richard Leeper McClelland, was an Irish actor.[1]

Richard Leech
in Lease of Life (1954)
Born	Richard Leeper McClelland (1922-11-24)24 November 1922 Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Died	24 March 2004(2004-03-24) (aged 81) London, England
Years active	1949–1988
Spouse(s)	Helen Hyslop Uttley (her death) (2 children) Diane Margaret McClelland (1975-2004 (his death)
Children	2

Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McClelland, a lawyer. He was educated at Haileybury and Trinity College, Dublin, and qualified as a doctor in 1945.[2] He worked in that profession from 1945–6, then became a full-time actor.[3]

His numerous film credits include The Dam Busters (1955) (playing Dinghy Young), Night of the Demon (1957), Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst (1957), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), Young Winston (1972), Gandhi (1982) and the acclaimed The Shooting Party (1985).[4]

On television Richard Leech appeared in Dickens of London, The Barchester Chronicles, Smiley's People, three episodes of The Avengers in different roles, Redcap, Danger Man, The Doctors, The New Avengers, The Duchess of Duke Street, and starred in a Doctor Who story called The Sun Makers.[5][1][4]

He married twice, with Helen Hyslop Uttley and Diane Pearson, and had two children: Sarah-Jane McClelland and Eliza McClelland.[2][6]