 Leonard Alfred George Osborn was born in Tooting, London, England.He performed in amateur Gilbert and Sullivan productions and worked as a chemist before joining D'Oyly Carte as a tenor chorister in 1937 (the company was paying choristers more than his old job).During his first season with the company, he was given the small role of First Yeoman (and, occasionally played the slightly larger role of Leonard Meryll) in "The Yeomen of the Guard".