8 Best Community Minor Characters (And Where They Are Now)
2. Leonard
Besides Pierce, when conjuring up the image of a grumpy old man, Leonard is one of the first that comes to mind. With his angry demeanor, ability to annoy and bully, as well as his penchant for trouble, he quickly becomes the perfect punching bag for the study group, as well as a terrible influence for Pierce.
Leonard makes his jump from laughing stock to sympathetic character in the second season episode Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples, when we learn he’s been held by security so many times, his kids have stopped picking him up. That’s not to say he’s completely forgiven, he’s still the worst, but it’s nice to know why he acts out.
Sadly, the actor who portrayed Leonard, Richard Erdman, passed away in 2017 at the age of 93, leaving behind him a prolific body of work. His time on Community helped make the show what it is, but that's not all he was known for. Besides Community he wrote and directed for Dick Van Dyke, as well as appearing in countless shows since the 1950’s such as The Man From UNCLE, The Bionic Woman, and even Scooby Doo!