Leopold completed a German Honours course at the New England University College of the University of Sydney in 1942. The campus would later become the University of New England, effectively making him an alumnus of both universities.
He went on to serve in Australian Special Intelligence and later joined the Department of External Affairs.
In 1946 he joined the German Department of the University of Sydney as academic staff, and in 1947 became head of German at Queensland University.
He travelled extensively in Europe, especially Germany and spent time living there. In 1973 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his services to the study of German in Australia.
Ricards Huch's Der letate Sommer : an example of epistolary fiction in the twentieth century (1962) Queensland University Press
Ein Abenteuer in Deutschland; illustrated by H.E. Oiderman (1963) Angus & Robertson
Introducing German (1964) Angus & Robertson
Germany and the European novel : inaugural lecture delivered at the University of Queensland, 27 April 1965 (1966) Queensland University Press
Andreas Gryphius and the Sieur de Saint-Lazare : a study of the tragedy Catharina von Georgien in relation to its French source (1967) Queensland University Press
Nora aus der Fremde; Illustrated by Julie Mattox (1968) Angus & Robertson
Introducing German (1969) Angus & Robertson
Deutsche Teenager von heute : one hundred German passages for reading, comprehension and translation (1969) Angus & Robertson
In 1986, the novel When We Ran was adapted as a screenplay by Graham Hartley for the film Run Chrissie Run!,[3] directed by Chris Langman and starring Carmen Duncan and Red Symons.
In 1985 When We Ran won the Avis Page award [4] from WAYBRA, the West Australian Young Readers Book Award[5] for Highest ranked Australian book on the older readers' list.
