Rumpole of the Bailey interest in nineteenth-century anarchists, especially the Russian Peter Kropotkin from whom the title of the play was drawn. The character's name was later changed to Horace Rumpole when it was discovered that there was a real barrister called Horace Rumbold. The title of the play was briefly changed to "Jolly Old Jean Jacques Rousseau" before settling on the less esoteric "Rumpole of the Bailey". Mortimer was keen on Michael Hordern for the role of Rumpole. When Hordern proved unavailable, the part went to Australian-born actor Leo McKern. Mortimer was initially unenthusiastic about McKern's casting but changed his opinion upon seeing
Edoardo Leo Edoardo Leo Edoardo Leo (born 21 April 1972) is an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, Leo, a graduate in Literature and Philosophy from the Sapienza University of Rome, started attending acting courses at young age and made his professional debut in 1995, in the TV-movie "La luna rubata". He had his breakout in 2003, with the role of Marcello in the TV-series "Un medico in famiglia". In 2009, Leo debuted as screenwriter and director with the road movie "18 Years Later", which got him some awards at several international film festivals, a nomination at David di Donatello