Kenny was born in Tallahassee, Florida and is the oldest in his family of four boys and one girl.  His parents moved to St. Petersburg Florida, where he attended Northeast High School and participated in Upward Bound, a program for college-ready students who needed financial support.  He graduated in 1974.   Kenny graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 1978 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Theatre.  Post-graduation, Kenny moved to Los Angeles to attend law school then a year later decided to return to Atlanta to pursue his passion for acting and directing.  In 1987, Leon was named National Endowment for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group Directing Fellow.  The program was based in New York City, but Leon regularly worked at regional theatres, including Baltimore’s Center Stage and San Jose Repertory Theatre.

At the Academy of Music & Theatre in Atlanta, Kenny worked with prison inmates and residents of nursing homes to conduct workshops.  He developed a list of exercises utilizing improv techniques to work with the disenfranchised and overlooked members of society.  He furthered his commitment to the project with “People of the Brick,” a theatre work documented by PBS.  Kenny worked with playwright Barbara Lebow to create a play using these improv techniques and employed the homeless people as actors in the play.  Together, they showcased their work and performed the play publicly.  Their performances sold out, and all profits and income reaped from the project were donated directly to the homeless. In 1988, Leon was named Associate Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre.  A little over a year later, he was named Artistic Director.  The rest of his professional life is history…