Leonard Dodds
Encyclopedia
Dr. Leonard Rossi-Dodds was a fictional character on the New Zealand
soap opera
Shortland Street
. He was portrayed by Marton Csokas
, who has since gone on to receive international acclaim. He arrived to the soap as a potential love interest for cooky Gina Rossi
.
experiencing very little romantic storylines throughout 1992, producers decided to write in an equally as eccentric other half. Leonard was created and brought in originally as a recurring character, before returning later in the year as a regular.
instantly becomes smitten but Leonard is distressed by her strange flirtations. The two eventually get together but Leonard's contract expires and he leaves the clinic. In Leonard's absence, Gina developed a crush on Hone
and made several attempts to get him. However Leonard returned and Gina switched her affections back to Leonard. When Leonard discovered that Gina had pursued Hone, he bitterly dumped her.
Leonard and Gina reconciled but Gina, remembering the two failed attempts that Chris
and Alison
had made to marry, became convinced that engagements at Shortland Street were cursed and so sought to do everything in her power to stop Leonard from proposing to her. A bemused Michael
eventually intervened and suggested that Gina propose to Leonard before he could propose to her. The couple got engaged and despite numerous setbacks such as Gina arriving at the wrong church and the childish Lionel
attempting to derail the wedding, the couple got married. They bought a houseboat called "The Toroa" and despite Leonard's extreme sea sickness, enjoyed happiness on the boat.
In 1994 the two decided to try for babies. Leonard became concerned at Gina's obsession and after several near misses, the two decided to go to the United States and start a fresh. They hired Lionel as the new owner of the cafe. However tragedy struck at Leonard and Gina's farewell, when Steve
and T.P were killed in a car crash. Despite this sad news, the couple left to the United States.
As the year drew to a close, Leonard and Gina returned to act as best man and bridesmaid to Lionel and Kirsty's wedding. However the wedding was canned when Stuart
disrupted during the vowels. Despite this, the wedding went ahead in early 1995, before the Rossi-Dodds finally left the street for good.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Shortland Street
Shortland Street
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in...
. He was portrayed by Marton Csokas
Marton Csokas
-Early life:Csokas was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His mother, a nurse, is of Irish and Danish descent; his Hungarian-born father, also named Márton Csókás, worked as a mechanical engineer...
, who has since gone on to receive international acclaim. He arrived to the soap as a potential love interest for cooky Gina Rossi
Gina Rossi
Gina Rossi-Dodds was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Josephine Davison and was part of the original cast.-1992-1995:...
.
Creation
With the character of GinaGina Rossi
Gina Rossi-Dodds was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Josephine Davison and was part of the original cast.-1992-1995:...
experiencing very little romantic storylines throughout 1992, producers decided to write in an equally as eccentric other half. Leonard was created and brought in originally as a recurring character, before returning later in the year as a regular.
1993-1995
Leonard arrived to the hospital in early 1993, making little friends due to his extreme clumsiness. Local cafe owner, Gina RossiGina Rossi
Gina Rossi-Dodds was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Josephine Davison and was part of the original cast.-1992-1995:...
instantly becomes smitten but Leonard is distressed by her strange flirtations. The two eventually get together but Leonard's contract expires and he leaves the clinic. In Leonard's absence, Gina developed a crush on Hone
Hone Ropata
Hone Ropata was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street and was part of the original cast. He was portrayed by Temuera Morrison who after the role went on to several Hollywood roles...
and made several attempts to get him. However Leonard returned and Gina switched her affections back to Leonard. When Leonard discovered that Gina had pursued Hone, he bitterly dumped her.
Leonard and Gina reconciled but Gina, remembering the two failed attempts that Chris
Chris Warner
Dr. Christopher "Chris" Warner is a fictional character and current main protagonist on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He is portrayed by Michael Galvin. He is the only original character to still be on the show....
and Alison
Alison Raynor
Alison Raynor was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Danielle Cormack and was part of the series original cast.-Creation and Casting:...
had made to marry, became convinced that engagements at Shortland Street were cursed and so sought to do everything in her power to stop Leonard from proposing to her. A bemused Michael
Michael McKenna
Dr. Michael McKenna is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera, Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Paul Gittins and was part of the original cast.-Creation and Casting:...
eventually intervened and suggested that Gina propose to Leonard before he could propose to her. The couple got engaged and despite numerous setbacks such as Gina arriving at the wrong church and the childish Lionel
Lionel Skeggins
Lionel Skeggins was a fictional character on the TVNZ soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by John Leigh and after making his debut as a guest character in 1993, he returned from 1994 to the character's disappearance in 1999 as a core cast member....
attempting to derail the wedding, the couple got married. They bought a houseboat called "The Toroa" and despite Leonard's extreme sea sickness, enjoyed happiness on the boat.
In 1994 the two decided to try for babies. Leonard became concerned at Gina's obsession and after several near misses, the two decided to go to the United States and start a fresh. They hired Lionel as the new owner of the cafe. However tragedy struck at Leonard and Gina's farewell, when Steve
Steve Mills (Character)
Steve Mills was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Andrew Binns and was part of the original core cast....
and T.P were killed in a car crash. Despite this sad news, the couple left to the United States.
As the year drew to a close, Leonard and Gina returned to act as best man and bridesmaid to Lionel and Kirsty's wedding. However the wedding was canned when Stuart
Stuart Neilson
Stuart Neilson was a fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He was portrayed by Martin Henderson and was part of the original cast, with a lot of the first episode focusing around him....
disrupted during the vowels. Despite this, the wedding went ahead in early 1995, before the Rossi-Dodds finally left the street for good.