- Fought in the British army during WW I and was seriously wounded.
- Born to a wealthy English Catholic family, he was named after the reigning Pope at the time of his birth, Leo XIII (1810-1903, reigned 1878-1903).
- He appeared in six films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, more than anyone other than Hitchcock and Clare Greet: Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Spellbound (1945), The Paradine Case (1947), Strangers on a Train (1951) and North by Northwest (1959).
- Appeared as Laurence Olivier's manservant in 'The Green Bay Tree' at Broadway's Cort Theatre in the 1933-34 season, in which Olivier co-starred with his real-life first wife, Jill Esmond. The play, directed by the legendary Jed Harris, was a hit, playing for 166 performances. Written by Mordaunt Shairp, it was one of the first plays to deal with the topic of homosexuality.
- Was in seven Oscar Best Picture nominees: The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934), Captains Courageous (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Spellbound (1945) and Father of the Bride (1950), with "Rebecca" winning Best Picture of 1940.
- Was one of the first actors to play the same character (Alexander Waverly) on two different TV series: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and its spin-off, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966) .
- Made his Broadway debut in K.G. Sowerby's play "Rutherford & Son" at the Little Theatre on 12/24/1912. He last appeared on the Great White Way over 40 years later in Emlyn Williams's "Someone Waiting' at the John Golden Theatre, a flop that opened and closed after 15 performances in February 1956.
- Mentioned in the song "Science Fiction/Double Feature" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
- Father of a son, named William M., through whom he has three grandchildren.
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