Actor / Director Profile

Leon Preston Robinson was born in the Bronx and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. Before transitioning into acting, Leon played basketball for Loyola Marymount University. His first role was in 1981 on the CBS Afternoon Playhouse production Journey to Survival. Leon started gaining exposure in movies such as All The Right Moves in 1983, and The Flamingo Kid in 1984. The turning point was in 1989 when he was cast in Madonna's Like a Prayer music video as a saint. Later he would land the starring role in the popular film Cool Runnings in 1993 and a co-starred with Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger. In 1994, he starred alongside Tupac and Duane Martin in Above the Rim. And two years later he played the wayward lover of Lela Rochon in Waiting to Exhale. In 1997, he produced and co-starred in The Price of Kissing. Leon also starred in two successful made for TV films, The Temptations in which he played David Ruffin and Little Richard in which he played the title role. Other note-worthy TV roles include his portrayal of Jefferson Keane in OZ and Lawrence Hill in Resurrection Blvd. Probably his most controversial film to date, Cover, was released in 2008 by 20th Century Fox where he played the role of Ryan Chambers.