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Leon Acord may not be widely known, but he exemplifies an actor and writer who has built a career on his own terms. He has balanced theater, indie films, writing, and personal authenticity, openly sharing his experiences along the way.
Born in Kokomo, Indiana on May 23—the same year as one of the Kennedy assassinations, he playfully invites you to guess which—Leon grew up on various farms in the region. Frequent moves sparked his imagination early on, and he participated in high school and community theater across Indiana.
In the late 1980s, Leon relocated to San Francisco to hone his craft, studying with Jean Shelton's Actors Lab, Cliff Osmond, Mark Monroe Studios, and Inner-life Acting Workshop. He performed in several black-box theater productions and appeared in indie films like "Housebound," "Metalman," "Orange Field," and "Roommates & Cafe" (also known as "Coffee Mates"). His short films include Christos Dimas' "Breath," which won Best Short at numerous international festivals, and "about dominance and submission," recipient of the Robert Bell Outstanding Achievement Award from SF State University.
Leon’s breakthrough role was as "Devon" in the comedy feature "Some Prefer Cake," which saw theatrical distribution in Great Britain, screened at over 25 film festivals worldwide, and is available on DVD through Wolfe Video.
He wrote, produced, and starred in his one-man show "Last Sunday in June" at Theatre Rhinoceros and originated the lead role of "Chris" in Lou Reda's hit comedy "Happy Anniversary," which ran for three months at Theatre Rhino before moving Off-Broadway.
While in the Bay Area, Leon took on diverse roles in film and theater, including award-winning shorts like "Breath" and "Foucault WHO?." On stage, he earned acclaim in 2002 for his portrayal of British raconteur Quentin Crisp in Jeffrey Hartgraves' comedy "Carved in Stone" at Eureka Theatre, which he also co-produced.
He maintained a long and fruitful relationship with New Conservatory Theatre Center, starring in West Coast premieres such as Jonathan Tollins' "The Last Sunday in June," performing as the Narrator in "Dream Boy," appearing in "Message to Michael," and playing one half of the star-crossed couple in "Thief River." He also collaborated with notable figures John Fisher and Ronnie Larsen in "A Few Gay Men."
In 2004, Leon moved to Los Angeles, making his LA stage debut that year as the flamboyant poet "Harlequin" in "The Scheme of Things." In 2009, he co-produced and reprised his role as Quentin Crisp in an LA production of "Carved in Stone," which ran for over 12 weeks to rave reviews.
In 2011, Leon created the streaming TV series "Old Dogs & New Tricks," an ensemble comedy he wrote, co-executive produced, and starred in as Nathan Adler. The series ran until 2016 and is available on Tubi and Amazon Prime.
He continues to act in independent features, short films, and numerous USC student projects, most recently starring as "Dr. Cybil" in Morgan Montgomery's 2025 thesis film "Death Doula.
