Leon Ford is an Australian actor who has appeared in many television and theatre productions.[1] He is best known for his roles in the television series The Cooks, Changi and the telemovie Stepfather of the Bride.

Leon Willem Ford
Born (1974-12-17) 17 December 1974 (age 49)
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Actor
Director
Writer
Author
Known forThe Cooks
Changi
The Pacific
The Great Raid
Ten Pound Poms
Elvis
PartnerAlice Bell

Early life

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Ford attended Telopea Park School and Narrabundah College in Canberra, Australia.

Career

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Film & television

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Ford portrayed 1st Lieutenant Edward 'Hillbilly' Jones in the Emmy award-winning HBO miniseries The Pacific, which follows the story of World War II Marines through different battles of the Pacific theater of war.

He has also appeared in many other television series and films including All Saints, East West 101 and McLeod's Daughters, the 2005 movie The Great Raid and voiced a character in the 2008 stop motion animated movie $9.99. He recently appeared in the joint BBC and Stan production Ten Pound Poms and Baz Luhrmann's feature film Elvis.

Stage

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Stage roles include playing pious charlatan Tartuffe in the 2014 Bell Shakespeare version of Tartuffe, based on the French play originally written by Molière.

Directing/writing

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In addition to acting, Ford is both a director and screenwriter. In 2010, Ford notably wrote and directed the movie Griff the Invisible, starring Ryan Kwanten as a man who is bullied by his coworkers during the day, but a superhero by night. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it was well received by audiences and critics. Ford attended Binger Filmlab in 2008, where he developed short film The Mechanicals.[2]

Author

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Ford is also an accomplished author. In 2009, penned "What Doesn't Kill You", the story of a man waking up to find that, instead of the ideal life he'd been living, everything has gone horribly wrong overnight. He wakes up in the wrong house, his wife doesn't love him anymore, he no longer has a job, one of his friends betrayed him in the worst possible way and his car exploded.

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
1996 Water Rats First Probationer 1 episode
2001 Changi as Young Bill Dwyer Miniseries, 6 episodes
2001/08 All Saints Ian Neal / Patrick Foster 2 episodes
2002 Young Lions Josef Pozinak 1 episode
2002 McLeod's Daughters Mick Woodland 1 episode
2002 BackBerner Blair Fife 1 episode
2004-05 The Cooks Dishpig 13 episodes
2005 The Great Raid American POW at Palawan Miniseries
2005 Hex Max Risen 2 episodes
2006 Tsunami: The Aftermath Joe Meddler Miniseries, 2 episodes
2007 East West 101 John Duff 1 episode
2009 My Place Vernon 1 episode
2010 The Pacific 1st Lt. Edward 'Hillbilly' Jones Miniseries. 3 episodes
2012 Monday Bites
2013 Offspring Dean 1 episode
2014 The Moodys Gavin Miniseries, 1 episode
2012-14 Puberty Blues Mr Candy 8 episodes
2014 ANZAC Girls Major John Prior 3 episodes
2014 Devil's Playground Brother Warren Miniseries, 6 episodes
2015 House of Hancock Alan Camp 1 episode
2015 Gallipoli Charles Bean Miniseries, 7 episodes
2017-19 The Letdown Ruben 11 episodes
2022 God's Favourite Idiot Reverend Milton Throp 6 episodes
2023 Ten Pound Poms Bill Anderson 6 episodes

Film

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Year Title Credit Notes
2004 Lost Things Gary Feature film
2004 Go Big Lars Foster TV movie
2006 The Last Chip Croupier Craig Short film
2006 Glitch Norton Short film
2006 Stepfather of the Bride Lachlan TV movie
2008 Emerald Falls Callum Peterson TV movie
2008 $9.99 Stanton (voice) Animated feature film
2010 Beneath Hill 60 Lieutenant Robert Clayton Feature film
2012 The Great Raid American POW at Palawan TV movie
2012 Mabo Henry Reynolds TV movie
2012 Julian Mr Braybon Short film
2013 Things We Do For Love Evan Short film
2015 Ruben Guthrie Dimitri Feature film
2016 Comedy Showroom: The Letdown Ruben TV movie
2016 The Light Between Oceans Franz Johannes Roennfeldt Feature film
2020 Rams De Vries Feature film
2022 Elvis Tom Diskin Feature film

Writing/directing

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Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
2003 Life Support Writer 4 episodes
2010-11 Rush Writer 3 episodes
2012 Monday Bites Writer/director
2012 House Husbands Writer Season 1, episode 8
2012-17 Offspring Writer 10 episodes
2015 No Activity Writer 1 episode
2018 Squinters Writer Miniseries, 6 episodes
2018 Wanted Writer 1 episode
2019-20 Upright Creator/writer 8 episodes
2021-23 Love Me Writer/producer Miniseries, 4 episodes

Film

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Year Title Credit Notes
1999 The Big Date Writer/director/producer Short film
2005 The Mechanicals Writer/director Short film
2006 Glitch Writer/director Short film
2007 Katoomba Writer/director Short film
2010 Griff the Invisible Writer/director Feature film
2016 Young Labor Director/editor Short film
2023 The Portable Door Writer Feature film

Stage

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Year Title Role Type
1998–99 Henry IV, Parts I & II Gloucester / Mouldy Boy / Messenger / Servant Athenaeum Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Canberra with Bell Shakespeare
1999 Interactive World Theatre Ensemble Theatre
2000 A Midsummer Night's Dream Lysander National tour with Bell Shakespeare
2001 The Coming of Stork Tony Stables Theatre with Naked Theatre Company
2002 The Soldier's Tale Soldier Bell Shakespeare
2002 Hippolytus Hippolytus Government House Ballroom, Sydney with Bell Shakespeare
2002 The Credeaux Canvas Winston Stables Theatre, Sydney
2002 Progress Oliver Old Fitzroy Theatre
2002 Presence Jake Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company
2003 Hamlet Hamlet Australian tour with Bell Shakespeare
2004 Noir Darlinghurst Theatre
2005 Top Shorts Old Fitzroy Theatre
2006 Shakespearealism (as part of Plays: By Himself - Three Short Plays by Josh Lawson) Ralph Old Fitzroy Theatre with Tamarama Rock Surfers Theatre Company / Naked Theatre Company
2007 Dead Caesar Cicero Wharf 2 Theatre with Push Productions
2008 The Credeaux Canvas Winston Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company
2012 Old Man Daniel Belvoir Theatre Company
2013 Constellations Roland Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company
2014 Tartuffe Tartuffe Sydney Opera House with Bell Shakespeare
2014 Private Lives Elyot Chase Southbank Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
2016 A Flea in Her Ear Etienne / Olympe Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company
2016 Double Indemnity Walter Huff Playhouse Melbourne with Melbourne Theatre Company
2017 The Rover Colonel Belville Belvoir Street Theatre
2018 An Enemy of the People Mayor Peter Stockmann Belvoir Theatre Company
2022 Snugglepot & Cuddlepie Mr Lizard Adelaide Festival Centre with Canute Productions / New England Theatre Company
2023 A Little Night Music Frederick Egerman Hayes Theatre Co
unknown Rope Philip Marama Cabin Crew
unknown Macbeth Macduff / Lennox Melbourne Theatre Company

[3][4]

Awards and nominations

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Year Nominated work Award Category Result
2003 Hamlet Green Room Awards Best Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
2006 The Mechanicals St. Kilda Film Festival Best Short Film (Comedy) Won
2007 Katoomba Sydney Film Festival Best Australian Short Film (Dendy Award) Won
2007 Katoomba AFI Awards Best Screenplay in a Short Film Nominated
2008 Katoomba St. Kilda Film Festival Best Film Won
2008 Katoomba St. Kilda Film Festival Best Director Won
2008 IF Awards Best Rising Talent Won
2011 Griff the Invisible Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival Best Feature Film Nominated
2012 Griff the Invisible AACTA Awards Best Original Screenplay Won
2015 Offspring (episode 5.10) AWGIE Awards Best Television Series Nominated
2019 Day Six AWGIE Awards Comedy Award — Situation or Narrative Nominated
2020 Upright (episode) AWGIE Awards Best Situation or Narrative Comedy Screenplay Nominated
2020 Upright AACTA Awards Best Television Comedy Series Won
2022 Love Me AACTA Awards Best Television Drama Series Nominated
2022 Love Me Logie Awards Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
2022 Love Me Logie Awards Most Popular Drama Program Nominated
2023 Elvis CinEuphoria Awards Best Ensemble - International Competition Nominated

[5]

Personal life

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Ford first met his wife Alice Bell at the Old Fitzroy Hotel in 2006 while appearing in Josh Lawson’s play Shakespearealism. Alice wrote a part for him in Puberty Blues.

Ford moved from Sydney to Los Angeles in 2018 with his wife and their three children, in order for Alice to work on The Expats, a U.S. series she was the writer and creator of (produced by Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films).[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Suicidal from the outset, this Hamlet will be a troubled youth". 4 March 2003.
  2. ^ "Binger Filmlab". Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. ^ "AusStage".
  4. ^ https://markhamfroggattandirwin-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/13105839/Leon-Ford-CV-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ https://markhamfroggattandirwin-cdn-1.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/13105839/Leon-Ford-CV-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "Leon Ford takes a break after 'The Letdown,' 'Upright' and 'Rams'". 8 August 2019.
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