# David Leon
**David Leon** (born 1980) is an English actor, writer, director, and producer from [Newcastle upon Tyne](https://www.edgepedia.org/newcastle-upon-tyne), best known as Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Joe Ashworth in the ITV crime drama *Vera* opposite [Brenda Blethyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/brenda-blethyn), and for his award-winning short films as a writer-director.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Newcastle upon Tyne, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) |
| Breakthrough role | DS Joe Ashworth in ITV's *Vera* (2011–2014), returning as DI Joe Ashworth from series 13 (2024) through the final series 14[3](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/media-releases/brenda-blethyn-welcomes-back-david-leon-13th-series-hit-itv-crime-drama-vera) • [4](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-12/ITV%20VERA%20S14%20Press%20Pack%20.pdf) |
| Early career | Left school at 18, joined the National Youth Theatre, and turned down a drama school place to appear in Oliver Stone's *Alexander* (2004)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) |
| Directing debut | *Man and Boy* (2010), co-directed with Marcus McSweeney, won Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival and was shortlisted for both an Oscar and a Bafta[5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about) |
| Feature debut | *Orthodox* (2015), written and directed by Leon, starring Stephen Graham and Michael Smiley; shortlisted for the BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Director[6](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/) |
| Other acting | Malcolm in Guy Ritchie's *RocknRolla* (2008), Othello in Rankin's *The Lives of the Saints* (2006), Billy the Kid in the BBC's *The Wild West* (2007)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) |
## Early life and football
Leon grew up in Newcastle, where his mother was a secretary and his father worked in a power station. As a teenager he was on the books of Blackburn Rovers, but the club released him when he was 19. He later described the release as a wake-up call, saying he had taken the opportunity for granted.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
His second interest was film. He had done some drama at school but, in his words, acting was hard to pursue openly in a working-class environment. After leaving school at eighteen he auditioned successfully for the [National Youth Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-youth-theatre), and when he won a place he described it as a weight being lifted, the first sign that acting might be possible as a career.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
## Acting career
**Early roles.** Leon turned down a place at drama school to take a role in [Oliver Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-stone)'s *Alexander* (2004), playing [Colin Farrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-farrell)'s page; he appeared on screen for about two minutes but has said he learned a great deal from the set. He established himself with British television audiences in the Bafta-nominated drama *Cutting It* (2004–2005) as Troy Gillespie, and played Nathan in the zombie film *Boy Eats Girl* (2005).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
In 2006 he played the lead character, Othello, in *The Lives of the Saints*, the debut feature of the photographer Rankin, written by Toni Grisoni, and had a main role in *These Foolish Things* alongside [Terence Stamp](https://www.edgepedia.org/terence-stamp), Lauren Bacall, and [Anjelica Huston](https://www.edgepedia.org/anjelica-huston). In 2007 he starred as [Billy the Kid](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-the-kid) in the BBC mini-series *The Wild West* and played Alfie in the Channel 4 drama *Clapham Junction*, directed by Adrian Shergold.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) • [7](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/97050/david-leon)
In [Guy Ritchie](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-ritchie)'s *RocknRolla* (2008) he played Malcolm, a Scottish junkie, a part initially written for [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt); the film won an Empire award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) On stage, he played Percy in Shakespeare's *Richard II* at the Old Vic in 2005, and in 2010 played Jesus in [Mark Haddon](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-haddon)'s play *Polar Bears* at the Donmar Warehouse, earning good reviews.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
**Vera.** From 2011 Leon played DS Joe Ashworth opposite Brenda Blethyn's DCI Vera Stanhope in *Vera*, the ITV adaptation of [Ann Cleeves](https://www.edgepedia.org/ann-cleeves)'s novels, filmed in [Northumberland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northumberland) and the [North East](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-east). He described the characters' relationship as a mother-son dynamic with mutual respect, and the role made him widely known to British television audiences.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera) • [8](https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/david-leon-vera-ds-joe-ashworth) He left after series four to pursue writing and directing, and Kenny Doughty played DS Aidan Healy from series five.[4](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-12/ITV%20VERA%20S14%20Press%20Pack%20.pdf)
In 2023 ITV announced his return for series 13, following Doughty's departure; the character had been promoted to Detective Inspector after time with the Met and GMP, and returned overseeing Vera's team before being drawn back into working alongside her.[3](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/media-releases/brenda-blethyn-welcomes-back-david-leon-13th-series-hit-itv-crime-drama-vera) • [9](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-01/VERA%20S13%20PRESS%20PACK%20JANUARY%202024_0.pdf) He continued as DI Joe Ashworth through the fourteenth and final series, broadcast in 2025, which comprised two feature-length episodes, *Inside* and *The Dark Wives*.[4](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-12/ITV%20VERA%20S14%20Press%20Pack%20.pdf) His other television acting includes DI Adam Perrin in *In the Dark* (2017), Álex in the Spanish series *The Refugees* (2014–2015), Kieran in *Gold Digger* (2019), Steven in *Cordelia* (2019), and Oscar Harris in *Silent Witness* (2022).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/)
## Writing and directing
Leon moved behind the camera with a run of short films. He wrote and co-directed *Father* (2009) with Marcus McSweeney, and the same team made *Man and Boy* (2010), about the death of a suspected paedophile, which won Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival and was shortlisted for both an Oscar and a Bafta.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera) • [5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about)
His third short, *Orthodox* (2012), was accepted into several international festivals including the 58th [BFI London Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/bfi-london-film-festival), and he expanded it into his first feature, *Orthodox* (2015), starring Stephen Graham and Michael Smiley, which was shortlisted for the BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Director and the Discovery award.[6](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/) • [5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about)
In television he directed an episode of *Vera* (series 8, transmitted 18 January 2018) and served as second unit director on *Killing Eve* the same year.[6](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/) He also made the short documentary *Ruqsana Begum Endurance Test* (2017) for Nowness, about the boxer described as the only female British Muslim to be a world champion in any sport.[6](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/) More recently he completed a diptych of short films, *Stable* and *Hyem*, reflecting themes around a post-industrial North East; *Stable* won Gold at the Kinsale Shark Awards for both Best Short Film and Best Direction.[5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about)
Screen International named him one of its "Stars of Tomorrow," and he is an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Labs and the BFI Network x BAFTA crew scheme.[5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about) His projects in development include the feature *Land of Hope and Glory* with BBC Films and a television adaptation of the novel *You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life*, about the final days of the vigilante gunman Raoul Moat, both with producer Daisy Allsop, as well as *The Listener*, an original drama inspired by a prison psychologist rehabilitating traveler inmates.[5](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about) • [6](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/)
## Voice and radio work
Leon has worked extensively as a narrator, including *Our Cops in the North* (2019), *Hitler's Countdown to War* (2021), *Trawlermen: Hunting the Catch* (2022), and *Commando: Britain's Ocean Warriors* (2022), and played Roy in a BBC Radio 4 production of *Our Friends in the North* (2022).[10](https://davidleonfans.com/actor)
## References
1. [David Leon, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1952567/)
2. [David Leon: A whole new ball game, The Guardian (2011)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/27/david-leon-vera)
3. [Brenda Blethyn welcomes back David Leon for a 13th series of Vera, ITV Press Centre (2023)](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/media-releases/brenda-blethyn-welcomes-back-david-leon-13th-series-hit-itv-crime-drama-vera)
4. [Vera Series 14 Press Pack, ITV Press Centre](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-12/ITV%20VERA%20S14%20Press%20Pack%20.pdf)
5. [About, David J Leon official site](https://www.davidleon.co.uk/about)
6. [David Leon, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/directors/david-leon/)
7. [David Leon, Nerdspin](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/97050/david-leon)
8. [David Leon is Vera's Joe, ITV This Morning](https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/david-leon-vera-ds-joe-ashworth)
9. [Vera Series 13 Press Pack, ITV Press Centre (2024)](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/sites/default/files/2024-01/VERA%20S13%20PRESS%20PACK%20JANUARY%202024_0.pdf)
10. [Actor, David Leon Fans](https://davidleonfans.com/actor)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames L to Mb*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license