Leslie Le Roy

Born Lesley Michael Ash in Goldthorpe Yorkshire, March 5 1913, the 1939 Census is notated with the alteration from Ash to ‘Le Roy’.

Leslie Le Roy became a professional actor and was a member of the cast of “The Little Hut”, which was performed 1,261 times at the Lyric Theatre – first performance August 1950. His role was as under study for the part of ‘a second stranger’; evidenced by his inclusion in a Brighton local newspaper article of January 1954, entitled “Shadow Cast Take Over’, announcing a production coming for a week to Brighton’s Theatre Royal. This was part of a tour which saw the production at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal (October 1953) and the Bristol Hippodrome (turn of 1953–1954).

When he left the professional theatre he settled in Brighton and changed his name to Nikki Leroy. He joined The Brighton Theatrical Costumiers in Upper North Street following the death of co-owner Mr Philip Ailion. (Mrs Pamela Ailion needing someone to run the tailoring side of the business and Nikki was recommended to her.) The business hired costumes to both professional and amateur theatre.

Nikki engaged with a number of amateur companies notably the Wick Theatre Company based in Southwick, eight miles west of Brighton. Nikki joined in 1965. Over the next ten years he was involved in 22 productions – directing 6, acting [when not also directing] in 5, and backstage as costumes provider 11.

In the 70’s Nikki started the Le-Roy Players but ill health forced him to retire from the company in 1981.

Leslie Michael Le Roy died on November 10 1982 in the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford from heart failure.