Leonard Whiting Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Biography

Leonard Whiting is a British actor, singer, producer, voice actor, and theatre artist who is best recognized for playing the role of Romeo in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 coming-of-age period romantic drama film Romeo and Juliet. He has also been cast in many other movies and shows such as Giacomo Casanova: Childhood and Adolescence, Social Suicide, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Say Hello to Yesterday, À la guerre comme à la guerre, Rachel’s Man, Laughter from the Whitehall, The Wonderful World of Disney, Smike!, A Poor Gentleman, Frankenstein: The True Story, Love Story, and The Dreamstone.

Born Name

Leonard John Whiting

Nick Name

Leonard

Sun Sign

Cancer

Born Place

Wood Green, London, England, United Kingdom

Residence

Steele’s Village, Haverstock, London, England, United Kingdom

Nationality

Education

Leonard Whiting studied at St. Richard of Chichester School located in Camden Town, London. However, he left before his 17th birthday in 1967 in order to start working on Romeo and Juliet (1968).

Occupation

Actor, Singer, Producer, Voice Actor, Theatre Artist

Family

• Father – Arthur Leonard Whiting
• Mother – Peggy Joyce (O’Sullivan)
• Siblings – He has 2 sisters.

Genre

Soundtrack

Instruments

Vocals

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 11¾ in or 182 cm

Weight

78 kg or 172 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Leonard Whiting has dated –

1. Olivia Hussey (1967) – He had an affair with English actor and voiceover artist Olivia Hussey in the year 1967. They co-starred in the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet and the 2015 film Social Suicide.
2. Cathee Dahmen (1971-1977)​ – He got married to Native American supermodel Cathee Dahmen (the first Native American supermodel in the 1960s and 1970s) in 1971 and they were blessed with a daughter named Sarah Beth Whiting in 1972. Leonard Whiting and Cathee Dahmen divorced in 1977. Sarah passed away in 2014 from cervical cancer.
3. Valerie Marion Tobin – Leonard got involved with theatre designer Valerie Marion Tobin following his divorce from Dahmen. The duo had a daughter named Charlotte who has stated publicly that she did not meet her father until she was 12, by which time she had taken her step-father’s surname “Westenra”. Charlotte Westenra went on to become a theatre director.
4. Lynn Presser (1995-Present) – He married his assistant Lynn Presser in 1995.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Leonard Whiting is of English, Irish, and Romani descent.

Hair Color

Salt and Pepper

Eye Color

Blue

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Charming appearance

Leonard Whiting Facts

1. He participated as a child artist in Butlin’s Talent Contest hosted in the holiday camp’s packed-out Gaiety Theatre and concluded his journey on the 2nd spot.
2. Leonard Whiting was 12 years old when he was spotted by a theatrical agent at the Connaught Rooms Holborn where he was performing at a Jewish wedding.
3. Between 1965 and 1966, he appeared opposite Laurence Olivier at Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre in the production of William Congreve’s Love for Love which toured Moscow and Berlin.
4. He co-starred as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Italian: Romeo e Giulietta), a 1968 coming-of-age period romantic drama film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. This performance won Leonard Whiting the Golden Globe Award for “Most Promising Newcomer – Male” and David di Donatello Golden Plate Award 1969 (shared with Olivia Hussey).
5. Talking about Whiting’s discovery, director Franco Zeffirelli once said, “He has a magnificent face, gentle melancholy, sweet, the kind of idealistic young man Romeo ought to be.” He was chosen from 300 youngsters who had auditioned over a period of more than 3 months.
6. From November 27, 1978, to January 17, 1979, he appeared as the Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London’s Westminster Theatre.
7. Leonard Whiting provided vocals to the character of Urpgor in the animated television series The Dreamstone from 1990 to 1994.
8. Alongside India Eisley, Olivia Hussey, and Neve McIntosh, he co-starred as Mr. Coulson in the 2015 romantic drama and psychological thriller film Social Suicide. This film marked Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting’s on-screen reunion for the first time since the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet.

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