Editing Leon Robinson (section)

== Career ==
Leon appeared in a 1989 episode of the [[NBC]] series ''[[Midnight Caller]]'', in which he played an athlete who falls victim to [[crack cocaine]]. He also co-starred in the 1989 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] miniseries ''[[The Women of Brewster Place (1989 television)|The Women of Brewster Place]]'', as the boyfriend of a suburbanite (played by [[Robin Givens]]). He was cast as Saint [[Martin de Porres]] in [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]'s controversial 1989 music video "[[Like a Prayer (song)|Like a Prayer]]".

Leon's early film roles included a football teammate of [[Tom Cruise]] in ''[[All the Right Moves (film)|All the Right Moves]]'' (1983) as Shadow Nading, and the [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]]-bound basketball-playing co-worker of [[Matt Dillon]], in ''[[The Flamingo Kid]]'' (1984).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rotter |first1=Joshua |title=Leon joins diverse cast of 'A Luv Tale' |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/leon-joins-diverse-cast-of-a-luv-tale/ |website=San Francisco Examiner |date=June 26, 2019 |access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> He co-starred in the [[Michael Mann (director)|Michael Mann]]-produced [[Tri-Star Pictures]] film ''[[Band of the Hand]]'', as well as the "Killer Bee" in the [[Dennis Hopper]]-directed gang film ''[[Colors (film)|Colors]],'' starring [[Sean Penn]] and [[Robert Duvall]]. After his exposure in the 1989 video for the song "[[Like a Prayer (song)#Music video|Like a Prayer]]" by [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], he played a leading role in the 1993 [[Walt Disney Company|Disney]] film ''[[Cool Runnings]]''. That same year, he co-starred as [[John Lithgow]]'s henchman in [[Renny Harlin]]'s ''[[Cliffhanger (film)|Cliffhanger]]'' and followed with a turn as a disillusioned ex-jock in [[New Line Cinema]]'s ''[[Above the Rim]]'' (1994). Leon also appeared as [[Lela Rochon]]'s married lover in 1995's ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]'' directed by [[Forest Whitaker]] and starring [[Whitney Houston]]. He had a starring role in the Merchant/Ivory produced movie ''[[Side Streets (1998 film)|Side Streets]]'' with [[Rosario Dawson]]. He produced as well as starred in the 1997 romantic drama ''The Price of Kissing'' with TV star [[Pauley Perrette]]. He also starred in the  movie ''[[Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored]]'', directed by [[Tim Reid]] and winner of Best Picture at the [[NAACP Image Awards]].

Leon has received critical acclaim{{by whom|date=September 2014}} for his portrayal of three singers: [[David Ruffin]] in the 1998 NBC miniseries ''[[The Temptations (miniseries)|The Temptations]]'', [[Little Richard]] in the self-titled 2000 NBC movie biography, and JT in the [[20th Century Fox]] movie ''[[The Five Heartbeats]]'', directed by [[Robert Townsend (actor)|Robert Townsend]]. Leon received an [[Emmy]] nomination for his portrayal of Little Richard. During this period, he joined the ensemble cast of two TV series, playing the popular [[Jefferson Keane]] on [[HBO]]'s first series, ''[[Oz (television series)|Oz]]'', and as Lawrence Hill on [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]'s ''[[Resurrection Blvd.]]''. He co-starred as "Stoney", best friend of [[Joaquin Phoenix]], in [[Miramax]]'s military drama ''[[Buffalo Soldiers (2001 film)|Buffalo Soldiers]]'' and had an uncredited role as "Joseph 13 X" in [[Michael Mann (director)|Michael Mann]]'s award-winning biopic, ''[[Ali (film)|Ali]]'', starring [[Will Smith]].

Leon briefly hosted his own late-night talk show, ''The L-Bow Room'', on [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]].

In 2008, he starred in the [[20th Century Fox]] thriller ''[[Cover (film)|Cover]]'', directed by [[Bill Duke]], and starred alongside [[Danny Masterson]] and [[Dominique Swain]] in the [[Independent film|indie]] comedy ''[[The Brooklyn Heist]]'', directed by Julian Mark Kheel.

In 2009, [[Blackvoices.com|AOL Black Voices]] voted Leon one of the Sexiest Actors of All Time.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Between 2013 and 2014, he appeared in four movies, the romantic comedy ''I Really Hate My Ex'', written and directed by [[Troy Beyer]]; the southern drama ''Soul Ties'', based on the book by Tee Austin; the indie rock/drama ''37''; and the romantic drama ''And Then There Was You'' with [[Garcelle Beauvais]].

===Theater===
In theater, Leon has headlined three national tours, with sold-out performances at Hollywood's [[Kodak Theatre]], NYC's [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]], Detroit's Fox Theater, Washington, DC's [[Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|Warner Theater]]. These tours were of ''Friends and Lovers'' (2005), based on [[Eric Jerome Dickey]]'s ''[[New York Times]]'' bestselling book; of ''3 Ways to Get A Husband'' (2009 and 2010), as a soldier returning from [[Iraq]], co-starring [[Billy Dee Williams]]; and the revival of ''Why Do Good Girls Like Bad Boys'' (2012).

===Music===
Leon is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the band [[Leon and the Peoples]]. In 2007, he received an International Reggae and World Music Award nomination for the band's debut CD, ''The Road Less Traveled''. He won Best International Artist at the Joe Higgs Reggae Awards. He completed a 36 city US tour with [[reggae]] greats [[Beres Hammond]] and [[Marcia Griffiths]], titled the "For The Love Of It Tour". He was a frequent guest on Beres Hammond's 2008 and 2010 North American tours. He headlined NYC's Central Park 2010 and 2013 [[AIDS Walk New York|AIDS Walk]] concerts. Other performances include the 2011 Aspen Jazz Festival, 2012 Catalpa NYC Music Festival, New Orleans Music Festival, Chicago's Festival Of Life, Reggae on River, Jamaica's Rebel Salute, and BET's popular ''[[106 & Park]]''.

Leon and the Peoples' single "Love Is A Beautiful Thing'" was featured on the BET/Centric TV show ''Culture List'', which premiered on July 21, 2013. The band's second album, ''Love Is A Beautiful Thing'', was released on the Spectra Music label on July 20, 2018, with the title track debuting at No. 3 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Hot Singles Chart, and the next single, "Beautiful" appearing on the same chart at No. 12.