Leon Wadham

Leon Wadham
Born1989 (age 34–35)
Wellington, New Zealand
Alma materToi Whakaari
Occupation(s)Actor, writer, director
Years active2000–present

Leon Wadham (born 1989) is a New Zealand actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles in the film Under the Mountain (2009), comedy series Go Girls (2013) and the Amazon Prime fantasy show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present).

Early life

Wadham was born and raised in Karori, Wellington, New Zealand.[1][2] He attended Karori Normal School and Onslow College.[1] He studied at Toi Whakaari Drama School from 2009 to 2011, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Performing Arts (Acting).[3] He also received the Museum Art Hotel Scholarship Award in his final year of training.[4]

Career

Wadham started acting at a young age, and made his on-screen debut in 2000, appearing in a guest role in the sci-fi series The Tribe.[5] After finishing his education he also went on to become a filmmaker. He wrote and directed several short films, TV shows and plays starting from 2013.

In 2009, Wadham starred as Ricky in the fantasy film Under the Mountain, which was based on the novel of the same name.[6] In 2013, he joined the main cast of the fifth season of comedy drama Go Girls, where he played the role of Levi Hirsh.[7] He appeared in a supporting role in the 2019 crime drama The Bad Seed.

In 2020, he was cast in the Amazon Prime TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premiered in 2022.[8] He plays Kemen, Pharazôn's son, who was invented for the series.[9]

Personal life

As of 2022, Wadham resided in Auckland, New Zealand.[10] In 2023, he moved to London, England.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Maintain Mark
2008 Jack & Jill Jack Short film
2008 Unorthodox My Balance Sheet The Assistant Short film
2009 Under the Mountain Ricky
2009 Monkeys Don't Mix Inmate #1 Short film
2012 A Bend in the Road Dave Short film
2012 The Catch SPCA Agent Short film
2012 Wellington Noel Short film
2012 Packed Alex
2013 Shopping Fresh Face
2013 Blankets Jack Short film
2014 School Night – Short film; writer and director
2016 Moving – Short film; writer and director
2017 Pork Pie Young Cop
2020 Weirdoes Driver

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2000 The Tribe – 1 episode
2001 Dark Knight Tom Series 2, episode 5: "Black Tree"
2013 Sunny Skies – Writer
2013 Go Girls Levi Hirsh
2014 Pirates of the Airwaves Paul Lineham Television film
2015 When We Go to War Guy Weatherstone
2016 Terry Teo Jasper La Roux Series 1, episode 4: "Head to Head"
2017 Why Does Love? Adam Holt Television film
2018 The Brokenwood Mysteries Darryn Walker Series 5, episode 2: "Bride Not to Be"
2019 Power Rangers Beast Morphers Lab Assistant Series 1, episode 1: "Beasts Unleashed"
2019 Roman Empire Gemellus Series 3, episode 2: "A New Hope"
2019 The Bad Seed Matt Logan
2019–2020 Golden Boy – Director
2020 The Citizen's Handbook – Director
2020–2022 Alice Snedden's Bad News – Writer and director
2022–present The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Kemen

Stage

Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2000 Nuncrackers – Stetson Productions
2001 Rush Singer/Dancer Capital Theatre Productions
2007 The Cape Jordyn Circa Theatre
2007 The Henchmen Captain Caffeine Young and Hungry
2007 Brain Power Self Preservation Out of Bounds [12]
2012 Tribes Billy Silo Theatre / Q Theatre, Auckland [13]
2013 Lord of the Flies Ralph Auckland Theatre Company / Maidment Theatre [14]
2018 Giddy Solo Basement Theatre [15]

References

  1. ^ a b "Wellington drama student wins scholarship". Wellington.Scoop. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  2. ^ Jones, Bridget (18 August 2013). "How to be a 'real' man". Stuff. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Graduates Te Hunga Whakapōtae". toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Museum Art Hotel Scholarship Alumni". SGCNZ. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Leon Wadham Actor Profile". johnsonlaird.com. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  6. ^ McKnight, Brent (10 September 2010). "'Under the Mountain' Is One Of Those Movies You Won't Mind Watching With Your Kids". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. ^ Winter, Chloe (21 May 2013). "Anonymity 'lovely' for Go Girls actor". Stuff. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (December 3, 2020). "'Lord of the Rings' Series at Amazon Adds 20 Actors to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Coggan, Devan (13 July 2022). "Welcome to Númenor: Get an exclusive look at The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  10. ^ Klein-Nixon, Kylie (11 September 2022). "Lord of the Rings: Kiwi actor Leon Wadham on playing the Donald Trump Jr of Middle-earth". Stuff. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  11. ^ Oliver, Henry (23 April 2023). "Alice Snedden and Leon Wadham on Bad News". Metro. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Brain Power Returns". Scoop. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Play opens curtains on the Deaf world". Arts Access Aotearoa. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  14. ^ Wenley, James (8 September 2013). "REVIEW: Lord of the Flies (Auckland Theatre Company)". Theatre Scenes. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  15. ^ Joe, Nathan (10 May 2018). "REVIEW: Leon Wadham: Giddy (NZ International Comedy Festival)". Theatre Scenes. Retrieved 5 May 2023.


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