Inside Bridget Jones star Leo Woodall’s private life including famous TV actor dad

Leo Woodall has rocketed to Hollywood stardom thanks to The White Lotus, One Day and now Bridget Jones(Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage) Leo Woodall just unlocked a new level of fame as he is starring as Bridget Jones’ toyboy in Mad About the Boy, hitting cinemas on Valentine’s Day.

Alongside his Bridget Jones debut, the 28-year-old British actor is also starring in new AppleTV+ thriller series Prime Target, which has been compared to Matt Damon’s classic Good Will Hunting.

Leo’s new film Mad About The Boy will follow Bridget (Renee Zellweger) as she embarks on life without her husband Mark Darcy as she adjusts to being a widow with two small children.

Mark (played by Colin Firth) will appear as a vision to encourage his wife to get back out there – enter two new love interests in the form of her kids’ teacher Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and 29-year-old toyboy Roxster (Woodall). 

So he’s hot property at the moment, having gone from brief Holby City appearances to blockbuster leading man in just five years. But Leo’s biggest breakthrough roles came in The White Lotus, and last year when he starred in Netflix’s adaptation of David Nicholls’ bestselling novel, One Day.

The novel was originally famously was made into a film in 2011 with none other than Anne Hathaway in the leading role.

He is starring as Bridget Jones’ toyboy in the fourth film, which is being released on Valentine’s Day (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock) Leo starred as Dex, who meets the charming Emma (Ambika Mod) one night at college, and even though their lives drift they remain intrinsically linked and meet on the same day, every year for 20 years.

Fans of The White Lotus will recognise Leo as Essex cheeky chappy Jack, who showcased rather a lot of himself in the second season.

Leo has actually been around actors his whole life – from his family tree to his The White Lotus co-star ‘girlfriend’.

Who is Leo Woodall? While he may be best known for playing an Essex lad, Leo is actually from Hammersmith, West London.

He was born on September 14, 1996, to what he called a ‘fairly posh middle-class’ family, admitting he was the baby and so got a little bit ‘spoilt’ growing up.

‘I’m from West London, but there are definitely a lot of people I know from Essex [like his White Lotus character]. My step-sister’s from Essex, so it was fun to lean into that,’ Leo told Vulture.

He attended ArtsEd in Chiswick to hone his acting skills, the same performing arts school which boasts Julie Andrews, Simone Ashley, and Samantha Barks as alum.

The star trained at Julie Andrews’ acting school (Picture: Leo Woodall/Instagram)

He became a fan favourite in White Lotus series two (Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) What other TV shows and movies has Leo Woodall been in? Leo made his TV debut on Holby City in a guest appearance in one episode in 2019 as Jake Reader.

He then landed a minor role in Tom Holland’s Cherry before starring in two episodes of Peacock’s shortlived reboot of Vampire Academy.

The White Lotus was where his career kicked into high gear and he has since been cast in films like Nomad and TV show Citadel alongside Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden.

‘It’s changed a lot for me, and I’m really grateful for it,’ Leo told ScreenDaily of his success on the show.

Leo stars alongside Ambika Mod in the mini-series (Picture: Netflix via AP)

His role as Jack in The White Lotus skyrocketed him to fame (Picture: Stefano Delia) Who are Leo Woodall’s parents? Leo’s parents met at drama school, and his father is actor Andrew Woodall, who appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Despite her acting background, his mum Jane Mary Ashton chose not to pursue acting instead working as a landlady which led her to meet Leo’s step-father Alexander Morton.

The 78-year-old Scottish actor is known for his roles in Taggart, Second Sight, and most famously Monarch of the Glen.

He comes from a famous family with his step-dad starring in Monarch of the Glen (Picture: Leo Woodall/Instagram)

He said this put pressure on him but everyone has been supportive (Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Alexander Morton is his step-dad (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock) Speaking to The Guardian, the One Day star shared: ‘I was so nervous about what my family would think of me as an actor. Just, was I any good?

‘I’ve always felt this personal pressure to make it. And they’ve always been wonderful and supportive.’

Does Leo Woodall have a girlfriend? Romance blossomed in Sicily on the set of The White Lotus as Leo is dating The Perfect Couple actress Meghann Fahy, 34.

The pair have kept their relationship fairly low-key, staying out of the spotlight until one rain-soaked kiss in New York. She also turned up to support him following the Bridget Jones premiere in London this week.

The couple was snapped holding hands at the after-party held at Brasserie Zedel, but she did not attend the premiere itself.

Leo is dating The White Lotus co-star Meghann Fahy (Picture: Dave Benett)

Meghann initially said they were just friends despite kisses in the rain (Picture: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards) They smooched under an umbrella in a perfect romance film moment, fueling the rumours as they also commented ‘I love you’ on each other’s Instagrams.

The pair didn’t officially confirm their relationship until February 20, 2024 when Meghann shared a snap of them holding one another while walking away from a camera.

This article was originally published on February 10, 2024.

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