Leo McKern he played in "Rumpole of the Bailey". He also portrayed Carl Bugenhagen in the first and of "The Omen" series. McKern was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Vera (née Martin) and Norman Walton McKern. He attended Sydney Technical High School. After an accident at the age of 15, he lost his left eye. He first worked as an engineering apprentice, then as an artist, followed by service as a sapper with the Australian Army's Royal Australian Engineers during World War II. In 1944, in Sydney, he performed in his first stage role. Having fallen in love
Leo McKern will say, '.. of course, known to millions as Rumpole.'" In the later series, his daughter Abigail McKern joined the cast as Liz Probert. In 1987, investment firm Smith Barney selected McKern to succeed John Houseman as its spokesman. At the same time, Smith Barney's corporate advertising department decided to change the format of its television advertisements, the first of which featuring McKern airing in September 1987. McKern's advertisements were not as popular with the viewing public as Houseman's, and in 1989, Smith Barney switched to a campaign featuring the voice of American actor George C. Scott. In the 1990s,