MacLeod was born in
Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis. After National Service in the
Royal Navy, he studied in
Glasgow and then at
Gray's School of Art in
Aberdeen, before returning to teach art at the
Nicolson Institute in Stornoway. He stood for election to the
UK Parliament at the
1959 United Kingdom general election for his home constituency of
The Western Isles as a
Liberal Party candidate, in a campaign described as "one of the most charismatic in Island memory". MacLeod was also known for his role as the presenter of the 1982 and 1983
World's Strongest Man competitions as well as several acclaimed travel documentaries including "MacLeod's America", "MacLeod's Russia" (where MacLeod and his crew were given previously-unknown access behind the Iron Curtain), "MacLeod's Japan", and "Macleod's Singapore". He also presented a number of programmes for
BBC Radio 4 and
BBC Scotland, including
Reporting Scotland and a number of food items for
The Food Programme. ==Death==