East to West Ender: Dr Legg actor, 84, to star in new exodus play
EastEnders star Leonard Fenton is returning to West End theatre at the age of 84 to star
Fenton, who was born and raised in the East End to Jewish parents, will play the role of Old Man in Plan D, a play about the Israeli military operation to expel Palestinians from Israel in 1948.
The actor, who lives in Finsbury Park, remains best known for his role as Walford GP Dr Legg, a character he played from 1984 to 2007.
His previous stage credentials include working on Chimes at Midnight with Orson Welles in Ireland and Samuel Beckett on Happy Days with Billy Whitelaw at the Royal Court. He has also been in plays with Lindsay Anderson and Jonathan Miller.
"It was very useful working
on EastEnders as I did it when my four children were teenagers and it was a boon as you can't earn even a living wage on stage," he said.
"But I'm lucky to have worked with two geniuses in Orson Wells and Samuel Beckett. And there's a great cast of people in this play. The plays I'm most interested in are on the fringe because they're the most interesting."
Plan D was written by Hannah Khalil, 32, a half-Palestinian half-Irish writer who lives in the
East End, and is based on first-hand accounts of the exodus, including those of her family.
It runs at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden from 25 January to 13 February.
