John Leigh

John Leigh won a legion of fans with his first television role, as nice guy cafe owner Lionel Skeggins on Shortland Street. After five years the character finally went missing in 1999 — presumed drowned — while fleeing dodgy wife Mackenzie Choat. Leigh won further fans as Sparky the pyromaniac in Outrageous Fortune. He has amassed dozens of screen credits, often playing well-meaning but offbeat characters. His screenography includes the bar-owner in Stickmen, an angry scriptwriter in soap satire Serial Killers, ongoing roles in 800 Words, The Almighty Johnsons and Mercy Peak, and a range of voiceover work.

The only thing about TV I think, is it can be a little ageist ... I don’t think you have to be old to watch old people, or young to watch young people, if it’s an interesting story... John Leigh, in his ScreenTalk interview for NZ On Screen