About Me
ACCOMPLISHED. This single word not only accurately depicts Leonard’s nearly 20 years as an an actor, singer, writer and producer, but it also depicts the totality of his life.
Born on February 20, 1979 in Somers Point, NJ, he grew up just a few minutes away in a small town called Pleasantville where he became known for his basketball skills, delivering Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and being a top student.
Perhaps, every human being has a single moment that defines their life and for Leonard it was performing Dr. King’s speech in front of a congregation of nearly 800 people at a church ceremony commemorating Dr. King’s birthday during his sophomore year in high school. Afterward, he convinced his principal to pay for acting classes for him. The next year, he founded his own theater production company, Cineplay Productions, which he still operates. Later that year, he was cast as Corporal Dawson in a community theater production of “A Few Good Men.” His performance, according to director Helen Vaspoli, was among the finest she had seen in her 40 years of theater. Following high school, and upon being selected as an Edward J Bloustein scholar, he was accepted to The University of the Arts, Montclair State University, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and Fordham University for which he chose in honor of one of his childhood heroes, Denzel Washington.
Fast forward to the present day and this tall, striking actor known for his voice and smile is busier than ever with three movies due for release in 2013. One of these is the new animated movie “Dorothy of Oz” with Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi and Kelsey Grammar and Bernadette Peters. He also shares the screen with Ernie Hudson, Todd Bridges, Cynda Williams and K.D Aubert in “Turning Point.” Finally, Hylo (based on the Slenderman Mythos) in which he stars as a private investigator is already on the film festival circuit. He was also seen by more than 3 million people worldwide as AME founder Richard Allen in the film “Apostle of Freedom.” ( He also narrated the film). He reprised his role as Allen in the television episode “Fever: 1793” which appeared on ABC and was hosted by legendary anchorman Jim Gardner. On stage, Leonard has received rave reviews for his starring roles in August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Piano Lesson” along with “A Raisin in the Sun” and such world-premieres as the musical “Battlecry” and “Heartbreaker.” He is set to soon star as the legendary Luther Vandross in a stage musical about his life.
Equally as busy in the voiceover world, Leonard won a silver ADDY Award for best TV and radio spot for his work as the official voice of Boomtown Casino. His voice is also one of the new voices for Centerlight Healthcare and the African Art Museum. His voice over resume is as diverse as his career with national promos for American-Idol Ruben Studdard and the NCAA Recyclemania campaign, narrating Dr. Creflo Dollar’s “8 Steps to Create the Life You Want” and Ron Gardener’s “Take Brave Steps,” and serving as special guest public address announcer for independent league, professional baseball team, the Atlantic City Surf. If you watch VH1 or MTV you may have seen him as the spokesperson for the new CollisionMax commercials. Leonard has also had two past record deals and has been a member of ASCAP since 1998. His song “This Thanksgiving” has been in rotation on radio and in 2011 he produced and directed a music video based on the song. His new CD “Committed,” a smooth jazz, smooth r&b ode to marriage and married couples will be released in 2013. Leonard , himself, has been married 8 years and has two girls and three stepchildren (2 boys and 1 girl) at home.
He is managed by Tmarquise Entertainment and signed to one of the country’s top agencies, Don Buchwald and Associates.
