Leon Ockenden (born 16 August 1978) is an English actor, director and writer who works in TV, film, theatre and radio. He grew up in the resort town of Looe, Cornwall.[1] He is best known for his role as Norman Jayden in Heavy Rain.
Leon Ockenden | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ockenden in The Cosmonaut (2013) | |
| Born | 16 August 1978 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | Vanessa Hehir (m. 2010) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
Ockenden left school at the age of 16 to become a baker. After working in hotel kitchens in Sweden and Germany for one year, he returned to Britain to work as a pastry chef at the Hilton Hotel on London's Park Lane. He studied performing arts at the College of Further Education in Plymouth. He then received a scholarship from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where he took a three-year acting course and graduated in 2003.[2][1]
Ockenden appeared in the British/Australian drama television series Tripping Over, playing a carpenter named Callum. He lent his voice and likeness to the 2010 video game Heavy Rain, in which he played Federal Bureau of Investigation profiler Norman Jayden. Before the show was cancelled in 2015, he was a regular of the British drama television series Waterloo Road, in which he played the role of Hector Reid, a jocular and sometimes vitriolic teacher of PE. After Waterloo Road, Ockenden has had other roles as a recurring cast member. One of these roles includes the character of Will Chatterton in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street. He has also joined the presenting team on the chat show This Morning as one of its regular chefs for its cooking segment.
He also appeared in a television advert for Verisure in 2021.[3]
Personal life
Ockenden married actress Vanessa Hehir on 24 October 2010. They have a daughter. Ockenden is a fan of Liverpool[4]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Vegabond Shoes | Champagne waiter | Short film |
| 2009 | Mr. Right | Lawrence | |
| 2009 | Dread | Jimmy Cake | |
| 2011 | Baroque | Lover/fighter | Short film |
| 2011 | The Field of Vision | Cpt. Joe Temski | Short film |
| 2012 | Red Tails | Co-pilot | |
| 2013 | The Cosmonaut | Stas | |
| 2013 | Don't Miss the Cup | Peter | Short film |
| 2015 | Eliana | Dude | Short film |
| 2016 | Across the River | Cake shop owner | |
| 2020 | Ria | Robert | Post-production |
| TBA | The Reckoning | Morton | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Judge John Deed | Nick | Episode: "Economic Imperative" |
| 2003 | The Private Life of Samuel Pepys | Pembleton | Television film |
| 2004 | Midsomer Murders | Jamie Cruickshank | Episode: "The Maid in Splendour" |
| 2004 | Hawking | Rosencrantz | Television film |
| 2004 | Hustle | Simon | Episode: "A Touch of Class" |
| 2004 | Family Affairs | Sam Taylor | Series regular (May–December) |
| 2005 | Totally Frank | Miles | Episode: "Bed" |
| 2006 | Tripping Over | Callum | 6 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | Heartbeat | Dr Chris Oakley | 10 episodes |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Earl of Leicester | Episode: "Richard the Lionheart" |
| 2009, 2013 | Casualty | Luke Riley/Adam Ridle | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Connor | Episode No. 3.7 |
| 2010 | Identity | DI Terry Eggleston | Episode: "Chelsea Girl" |
| 2010 | An Old Fashioned Christmas | Cameron | Television film |
| 2010 | New Tricks | Kevin Humphreys | Episode: "Good Morning Lemmings" |
| 2011 | The Runaway | Bruce | Episode No. 1.4 |
| 2012 | Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story | Philip | Television film |
| 2012 | Secrets of the Dead | Vasily Arkhipov | Episode: "The Man Who Saved the World" |
| 2013 | Open Desert | David | Television film |
| 2013 | The Cosmonaut: Transmedia Experience | Stas | Main cast (31 episodes) |
| 2014 | Waterloo Road | Hector Reid | 20 episodes |
| 2015 | Mr Selfridge | Serge De Bolotoff | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Supreme Tweeter | Tweeter | Episode: "Follow the Leader" |
| 2015 | The Coroner | Danny Ball | Episode: "That's the Way to Do It" |
| 2016 | This Morning | Guest Chef | 10 Episodes, stood in for Phil Vickery |
| 2016–2017 | Coronation Street | Will Chatterton | Recurring role; 40 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Heavy Rain | Norman Jayden |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Desire" | Geri Halliwell | Boss |
Theatre
- How the Other Half Loves (2017)
- Flare Path (2015)
- Muswell Hill (2012)
- Plague Over England (2008)
- Women Beware Women (2006)
- The Tempest (2006)