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
James Leo Herlihy James Leo Herlihy James Leo Herlihy (; February 27, 1927 – October 21, 1993) was an American novelist, playwright and actor. Herlihy is known for his novels "Midnight Cowboy" and "All Fall Down", and his play "Blue Denim", all of which were adapted for cinema. Other publications include "The Season of the Witch" and several short stories. Herlihy was born into a working-class family in Detroit, Michigan in 1927. He was raised in Detroit and Chillicothe, Ohio. He enlisted with the Navy in 1945 but saw no action due to the end of World War II. He attended Black Mountain