Allen Leech

Allen Leech , and known in his early career by his birth name Alan Leech, is an Irish stage, television and film actor best known for his role as chauffeurturnedsoninlaw Tom Branson on Downton Abbey. A native of Killiney, Leech made his professional acting debut with a small part in a 1998 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He made his first major film appearance as Vincent Cusack in Cowboys amp Angels and earned an Irish Film amp Television Awards nomination in 2004 with his performance as Mo Chara in Man About Dog. Leech came to international attention as Marcus Agrippa on the HBO historical drama Rome and is also known for his role as Tom Branson on the historical drama Downton Abbey.

Leech was born in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland, to David Leech, the CEO of a computer systems company, and Kay Leech, a housewife. He is the third of four children he has an older brother Greg, an older sister Ali, and a younger brother Simon. He attended St Michaels College. He became interested in acting atwhen he was given the part of the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz and found he loved being on stage. He recalled how he immediately decided to become an actor when Peter McDonald told him how acting is a profession on the last night of the productions run. Afterwards, drama became the focal point of his teenage years, apart from his family life, and drama and family support helped him through his school years. He became set on acting after winning a small role in a 1998 production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Gate Theatre. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters Degree in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, later noting

Source: Wikipedia