The actor said David Leland was ‘a dream to work with’ and ‘a real collaborator’

PHOTO: KEITH HAMSHERE/GETTY, KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE

Collaborators and friends are paying tribute to late director David Leland.

Leland’s agency Casarotto Ramsay & Associates confirmed that Leland died on Christmas Eve at the age of 82, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported.

Several actors who worked on his films throughout his five-decade career shared statements to honor the filmmaker, including Liam Neeson, who worked with Leland on the 1990 film The Big Man, aka Crossing the Line.

“David was a dream to work with,” Neeson, 71, said. “He was a real collaborator; he genuinely loved and admired actors. We formed a close bond. I loved his mischievous sense of humor.”

“You are always in my heart, old friend,” he added. “See you down the road.”

British film director, screenwriter and actor David Leland in Cannes, France, 1987.RICHARD BLANSHARD/GETTY

Pierce Brosnan, who worked closely with Leland on his first stage production of The Red Devil Battery Sign at The Round House, said the director “holds a mighty place in my heart,” according to Deadline.

“I was just out of Drama Centre where David was also an alumni,” Brosnan said. “It was the thrill of my young lifetime to be cast as McCabe, working with David and Tennessee. David will forever be an essential part of my story and of all who knew and loved him.”

Director David Leland with viewfinder in 1991.ARY EVANS/PALACE PRODUCTIONS/RONALD GRANT/EVERETT

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Tim Roth recalled in a statement to Deadline that Leland “was there at the very beginning of this crazy adventure.”

Leland wrote the first movie Roth was ever in, called Made in Britain. “He changed my life, and I love him for it. I’ll keep him with me always,” he said.

Leland was born on April 20, 1941, in the U.K. and had initially trained to become an actor at the Central Speech of School and Drama, according to IMDb.

He garnered several small film credits before entering the theater world, working as a manager and director at the Crucible Theatre. While working in theater, he got to work with emerging actors like Brosnan, giving him his first onstage opportunity. He also worked with Monty Python actors Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

Actor Hayden Christensen (top) with director David Leland on the set of the film ‘Virgin Territory’ in Italy, 2007.KEITH HAMSHERE/GETTY

In 1991, he also directed the stage musical of A Tribute to the Blues Brothers, which played on the West End.

After several years, his career focus turned from stage to screen, writing several screenplays including Made in Britain (1982), Birth of a Nation (1983) and Mona Lisa (1986).

He went on to work on Wish You Were Here (1987) starring Emily Lloyd, which was the first film he directed. The film helped Leland win several awards, including the BAFTA for best original screenplay and the FIPRESCI prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Leland also directed The Big Man (1990) and Land Girls (1998). He then moved on to TV, directing an episode for HBO’s Band of Brothers. His final credit on IMDb shows that he was a writer and director for the Showtime drama The Borgias.