Leon Pownall

Leon Pownall (April 26, 1943 – June 2, 2006) was a Welsh-Canadian actor and director.

He was born in Wrexham, Wales and moved to Hamilton, Ontario with his family in 1957. He performed at the Stratford Festival during the 1960s and returned several times to the festival over the years to perform, the last time in 2002 as a director.

Pownall wrote and performed a one-man play, Do Not Go Gentle, about Dylan Thomas. Geraint Wyn Davies later performed this work off-Broadway in 2005 and at the Stratford Festival in 2010.

His film credits include Dead Poets Society (1989), in which he shared the screen with Robin Williams, as well as the title role in Handel's Last Chance (1996) and a supporting role in the Golden Globe-winning Dirty Pictures (2000). Pownall was nominated for a Gemini Award for the role of Dr. Ewan Cameron in the 1998 Canadian television mini-series The Sleep Room. He also appeared in television series such as The Beachcombers, Street Legal, Wiseguy, and Slings & Arrows.

Pownall died from cancer in Stratford, Ontario, on June 2, 2006, at the age of 63.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1968 A Great Big Thing Ray 1970 Twelve and a Half Cents Father 1989 Dead Poets Society McAllister 1989 Termini Station Charles Marshall 1989 Bye Bye Blues Bernie Blitzer 1989 Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and JoAnn Thatcher Gerry Gerrand 1990 Angel Square Blue Cheeks 1994 How the West Was Fun Leo McRugger 1996 Handel's Last Chance Georg Friedrich Handel 1997 Dinner at Fred's George Billings 1998 The Sleep Room Dr. Ewen Cameron 1998 Sleeping Dogs Lie Inspector Mitchell 2005 Bailey's Billion$ Judge Cornelius Strawacher