Cloris Leachman
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Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nominated and, along with
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...
, most awarded performer in Emmy history. She won an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a
British Academy Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, a Golden Globe Award, and a
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
. Born and raised in
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
, Leachman attended
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
and began appearing in local plays as a teenager. After competing in the 1946 Miss America pageant, she secured a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, making her professional debut in 1948. In film, she appeared in
Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...
's ''
The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel ''The Last Picture Show'' by Larry McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast includes ...
'' (1971) as the neglected wife of a closeted schoolteacher in the 1950s; she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film. This award ...
for her performance, and the film is widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time. She was part of
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...
's ensemble cast, appearing in roles such as Frau Blücher in ''
Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor ...
'' (1974) and
Madame Defarge Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1859 novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. She is a ringleader of the tricoteuses, a tireless worker for the French Revolution, memorably knitting besi ...
in ''
History of the World, Part I ''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, an ...
'' (1981). Leachman won additional Emmys for her role on ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
''; television film '' A Brand New Life'' (1973); the variety sketch show '' Cher'' (1975); the ABC Afterschool Special production '' The Woman Who Willed a Miracle'' (1983); and the television shows ''
Promised Land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
'' (1998) and '' Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–06). Her other notable film and television credits include '' Gunsmoke'' (1961), ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' (1961; 2003), '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969), '' WUSA'' (1970), '' Yesterday'' (1981), the English-language dub of the
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...
's '' Castle in the Sky'' (1998), ''
Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...
'' (2004), '' Mrs. Harris'' (2005), and ''
Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American sitcom that aired from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014, on Fox. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Plimpton was nominated for Outstanding ...
'' (2010–2014). Leachman released her autobiography in 2009, and continued to act in occasional roles until her death.


Early life

Leachman was born on April 30, 1926, in Des Moines, Iowa, the eldest of three daughters. Her parents were Cloris (''née'' Wallace) and Berkeley Claiborne "Buck" Leachman. Her father worked at the family-owned Leachman Lumber Company. Her youngest sister, Claiborne Cary, was an actress and singer. Her other sister, Mary, was not in show business. Their maternal grandmother was of Bohemian (Czech) descent. She attended Theodore Roosevelt High School. As a teenager, Leachman appeared in plays by local youth on weekends at
Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...
in Des Moines. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at Northwestern University in the School of Education. At Northwestern, she became a member of
Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Man ...
and was a classmate of future comic actors
Paul Lynde Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely closeted homosexuality, Lynde was we ...
and
Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, '' ...
. She began appearing on television and in films shortly after competing in Miss America in 1946 as Miss Chicago.


Career


Early career

After winning a scholarship in the Miss America pageant, placing in the top 16, Leachman studied acting under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City. She had been cast as a replacement for the role of Nellie Forbush during the original run of
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...
's '' South Pacific''. A few years later, she appeared in the
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
-bound production of
William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...
's '' Come Back, Little Sheba'', but left the show before it reached Broadway when Katharine Hepburn asked her to co-star in a production of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's '' As You Like It''. Leachman was slated to play the role of Abigail Williams in the original Broadway cast of
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's seminal drama ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...
''. The production played four preview performances at the Playhouse Theatre in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
, from January 15–17, 1953, prior to opening on Broadway on January 22. However, Leachman left the production the day before opening night in Wilmington, with
Madeleine Sherwood Madeleine Sherwood (born Madeleine Louise Hélène Thornton; November 13, 1922 – April 23, 2016) was a Canadian actress of stage, film and television. She was widely known for her portrayals of Mae/Sister Woman and Miss Lucy in both the Broadwa ...
assuming the role. Leachman's name was heavily publicized prior to the production's opening, and her name still appeared in the printed program; a sign appeared at the box office in Wilmington noting the change. Leachman appeared in many live television broadcasts in the 1950s, including such programs as '' Suspense'' and '' Studio One''. She also briefly held the role of the mother of "Lassie's" second master Timmy (Jon Provost) until she was replaced late in her only season with the cast by
June Lockhart June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925) is an American actress, beginning a film career in 1930s & 1940s in such films at ''A Christmas Carol'' and '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. She primarily acted in 1950s and 1960s television, and with performances on ...
due to contract disputes. She made her feature-film debut as an extra in '' Carnegie Hall'' (1947), but her first real role was in Robert Aldrich's '' film noir'' ''
Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in th ...
'', released in 1955. Leachman was several months pregnant during the filming, and appears in one scene running down a darkened highway wearing only a
trench coat A trench coat or trenchcoat is a variety of coat made of waterproof heavy-duty fabric, originally developed for British Army officers before the First World War, and becoming popular while used in the trenches. Originally made from gabardine, ...
. A year later, she appeared opposite Paul Newman and
Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...
in ''
The Rack The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one or both ends. The victim's ankles are fastened to one roller and the wrists are chained to the other. As the in ...
'' (1956). She appeared with Newman again in a brief role in '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969). She continued to work mainly in television, with appearances on '' Rawhide'' and in ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' episode " It's a Good Life", as well as the sequel "
It's Still a Good Life "It's Still a Good Life" is the thirty-first episode of the 2002 revival television series of ''The Twilight Zone''. The episode was first broadcast on February 19, 2003, on UPN. It is a sequel to the original series episode " It's a Good Life". ...
" in the 2002–2003 UPN series revival. During this period, Leachman appeared opposite
John Forsythe John Forsythe (January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety s ...
on the anthology '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' in an episode titled "Premonition" (1955). In 1956 she guest starred as "Flory Tibbs", in a complex role as an abused captive on the TV Western '' Gunsmoke'' in S2E1's "Legal Revenge". She later appeared as Ruth Martin, Timmy Martin's adoptive mother, in the last half of season four (1957) of '' Lassie''.
Jon Provost Jonathan Bion Provost (born March 12, 1950) is an American actor, best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series '' Lassie''. Life and career Provost was born in Los Angeles. At the age of four, Provost was cast in the film ...
, who played Timmy, said, "Cloris did not feel particularly challenged by the role. Basically, when she realized that all she'd be doing was baking cookies, she wanted out." She was replaced by June Lockhart in 1958. That same year, she appeared in an episode of ''
One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...
'' titled "The Dark Room", with '' Marcel Dalio'', in which she portrayed an American photographer living in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. In 1960, she played Marilyn Parker, the roommate of
Janice Rule Mary Janice Rule (August 15, 1931 – October 17, 2003) was an American actress and psychotherapist, earning her PhD while still acting, then acting occasionally while working in her new profession. Early life Rule was born in Norwood, Ohio, to ...
's character, Elena Nardos, in the '' Checkmate'' episode "The Mask of Vengeance". In 1961, she starred as Boni, a cold-hearted woman that would sell out her man for $500 in the TV Western '' Gunsmoke'' (S6E36 - "For The Love of Money). In 1962, she appeared in "The Nancy Davis Story" as a forlorn bar maid desperate for love on ''
Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
'' (S5E33), plus she co-starred in "Trial by Fire", on an episode of '' Laramie'' that same year, as well as the "Where Beauty Lies" episode of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' opposite George Nader. In 1966, she guest-starred on ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' as Gloria Shine in "The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper". In late 1970, Leachman starred in one episode of ''
That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewste ...
'' as Don Hollinger's sister, Sandy.


Later career

In ''
The Last Picture Show ''The Last Picture Show'' is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel ''The Last Picture Show'' by Larry McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast includes ...
'' (1971), based on the bestselling book by
Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.
, Leachman played Ruth Popper, the high-school gym teacher's neglected wife, with whom
Timothy Bottoms Timothy James Bottoms (born August 30, 1951) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead in ''Johnny Got His Gun'' (1971); Sonny Crawford in ''The Last Picture Show'' (1971), where he and his fellow co-stars, Cy ...
' character has an affair. The part was originally offered to
Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...
, but Burstyn wanted another role in the film. Director
Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...
correctly predicted during production that Leachman would win an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
for her performance; she won for Best Supporting Actress. Leachman played
Phyllis Lindstrom Phyllis Lindstrom, née Sutherland, portrayed by Cloris Leachman, is a fictional character on the television sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and subsequent spin-off '' Phyllis''. ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' Phyllis Lindstrom (born in 193 ...
on ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
''. Lindstrom was a recurring character on the program for five years, and was subsequently featured in a spinoff series, ''
Phyllis Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...
'' (1975–1977), for which Leachman won a Golden Globe Award. The series ran for two seasons. In 1977, she guest-starred on ''
The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...
'', episode 2.24. In 1978, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theater. In 1987, she hosted the VHS releases of '' Schoolhouse Rock!'' and portrayed the evil witch Griselda for Disney's ''Cannon Tales'' production of ''
Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...
''. In 1986, she returned to television, replacing Charlotte Rae's character Edna Garrett as the den mother in '' The Facts of Life''. Leachman's role as Edna's sister,
Beverly Ann Stickle This is a list of characters from the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life''. Characters table Edna Garrett Edna Ann Garrett Gaines, known as Mrs. Garrett or Mrs. G, was played by the actress Charlotte Rae from 1978 to 1986. Garrett was the you ...
, could not save the long-running series, and it was cancelled two years later. She was a voice actor in numerous animated films, including ''My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film), My Little Pony: The Movie'' (as the evil witch mother from the Volcano of Gloom), ''A Troll in Central Park'' (as Queen Gnorga), ''The Iron Giant'', ''Gen¹³ (film), Gen¹³'', and most notably as the voice of the cantankerous sky pirate Dola in Hayao Miyazaki's 1986 feature ''Castle in the Sky''. In 1993 she played a convincing Granny in the Penelope Spheeris film The Beverly Hillbillies (film), ''The Beverly Hillbillies''. Leachman played embittered, greedy, Slavic peoples, Slavic Canadian "Grandma Ida" on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox sitcom '' Malcolm in the Middle'', for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2006). She was nominated for playing the character for six consecutive years. Leachman's later television credits include the Lifetime Television miniseries ''Beach Girls'' with Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond. Leachman was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, SAG Award for her role as the wine-soaked former jazz singer and grandmother Evelyn in the Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony feature ''
Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...
'' opposite Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni. She had replaced an ailing Anne Bancroft in the role. The film reunited her with the ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' writer, producer, and director James L. Brooks. That same year, she appeared with Sandler again in the remake of ''The Longest Yard (2005 film), The Longest Yard''. She also appeared in the Kurt Russell comedy ''Sky High (2005 film), Sky High'' as a school nurse with X-ray vision. In 2005, she guest-starred as Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men), Charlie Harper's neighbor Norma in an episode (Two and a Half Men (season 3), "Madame and Her Special Friend") of ''Two and a Half Men''. In 2006, Leachman's performance alongside Sir Ben Kingsley and Annette Bening in the HBO special '' Mrs. Harris'' earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie, as well as a SAG Award nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. On May 14, 2006, she was awarded an honorary degree, honorary doctorate in fine arts from
Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...
. In 2008, Leachman was a contestant on the Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 7), seventh season of ''Dancing with the Stars'', paired with Corky Ballas, the oldest of the professionals and father of two-time champion Mark Ballas. Leachman is the oldest person to have competed on the show to date. She placed seventh in the competition. In 2009, Leachman played alongside Jack Black in the "Stress Relief" episode of Season 5 of ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'', where the two actors appeared as love interests in a fictional movie titled Mrs. Albert Hannaday. Also in 2006, she appeared in the American buddy beer comedy film ''Beerfest'' as Great Gam Gam Wolfhouse. From 2010 to 2014, she starred as Maw Maw, the matriarch of the family on ''
Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American sitcom that aired from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014, on Fox. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Plimpton was nominated for Outstanding ...
'', for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Leachman won a record-setting eight Primetime and one Daytime Emmy Awards, in addition to having been nominated more than 20 times, including for her role on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. In May 2015, Leachman appeared as a special guest star on the Disney Channel's ''Girl Meets World'' in an episode entitled "Girl Meets Gravity" (Season 2, Episode 1). Leachman played the role of Memaw in the film ''I Can Only Imagine (film), I Can Only Imagine'' (2018), which is about the story behind the I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe song), song of the same name by MercyMe. One of Leachman's final roles was as Zorya Vechernyaya, one of the "old gods" who represented the evening star, in season one (2019) of the Showtime series ''American Gods (TV series), American Gods''. Leachman appears in the film ''Not To Forget'' (2021) in her final role. The movie, directed by Valerio Zanoli, stars Karen Grassle and 5 Academy Award winners: Cloris Leachman, Louis Gossett Jr., Louis Gossett Jr, Tatum O'Neal, George Chakiris, and Olympia Dukakis.


Work with Mel Brooks

Leachman appeared in three
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...
films, ''Young Frankenstein'' (1974), in which the mere mention of the name of her character, Frau Blücher, elicits the loud neighing of horses (an homage to a cinematic villain stereotype), ''High Anxiety'' (1977) as the demented villainess and psychiatric nurse Charlotte Diesel, and
Madame Defarge Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1859 novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. She is a ringleader of the tricoteuses, a tireless worker for the French Revolution, memorably knitting besi ...
in ''History of the World: Part I''. In 1989, Leachman starred on Brooks' short-lived NBC sitcom ''The Nutt House'' in dual roles as head hotel housekeeper Mrs. Frick (a variation of the Frau Blücher character) and Mrs. Nutt, the senile owner of the hotel. She auditioned to revive her role from ''Young Frankenstein'' in the 2007 Broadway production opposite Megan Mullally (who replaced Kristin Chenoweth) and Roger Bart. Andrea Martin was cast instead. Brooks was quoted as joking that Leachman, then 81, was too old for the role. "We don't want her to die on stage," Brooks (also 81, at the time) told columnist Army Archerd, a statement to which Leachman took umbrage. However, due to Leachman's success on ''Dancing with the Stars (US TV series), Dancing with the Stars'', Brooks then, doing a U-turn, reportedly asked her to reprise her role as Frau Blücher in the Broadway production of ''Young Frankenstein (musical), Young Frankenstein'' after the departure of Beth Leavel, who had succeeded Martin. The Broadway production closed before this could happen.


Publication

Leachman's autobiography, ''Cloris: My Autobiography'', was published in March 2009. She co-authored the bestselling book with her ex-husband George Englund.


Acting credits and awards

*Leachman was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2011. That same year, she was ranked number 23 on the TV Guide Network special ''Funniest Women on TV''. *On June 20, 2014, Leachman received an honorary degree from her alma mater, Northwestern University. *In 2017, she received PETA's Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to animal-rights issues. *She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Television Category on September 22, 1980, at 6435 Hollywood Boulevard.


Personal life

From 1953 to 1979, Leachman was married to Hollywood impresario George Englund. Her former mother-in-law was character actress Mabel Albertson. The marriage produced four sons and one daughter: Bryan (died 1986), Morgan, Adam, Dinah, and George. Some of them are in show business. Her son Morgan played Dylan on ''Guiding Light'' for several years. The Englunds were Bel Air, Los Angeles, Bel Air neighbors of Judy Garland, Sidney Luft, Sid Luft, and their children, Lorna Luft, Lorna and Joey Luft, during the early 1960s. Lorna Luft stated in her memoir ''Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir'' that Leachman was "the kind of mom I'd only seen on TV". Knowing of the turmoil at the Luft home, but never mentioning it, Leachman prepared meals for the children and made them feel welcome when they needed a place to stay. Leachman was also a friend of Mort Sahl and Marlon Brando, whom she met while studying under Elia Kazan in the 1950s. She introduced him to her husband, who became close to Brando, as well, directing him in ''The Ugly American (film), The Ugly American'' (1963) and writing a memoir about their friendship called ''Marlon Brando: The Way It's Never Been Done Before'' (2005). Leachman was a Vegetarianism, vegetarian and an animal rights activist. In 1997, she appeared on the cover of ''Alternative Medicine Digest'', posing nude while body-painted with images of fruit in a parody of Demi Moore#Vanity Fair controversy, Demi Moore's 1991 ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'' cover photo. She also posed clad in a dress made of lettuce for a 2009 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA advertisement. In 2013, she starred in a comedic PETA ad on Neutering, spay and neuter in which she opened a condom wrapper with her teeth. Leachman's granddaughter, Anabel Englund, is a singer. In addition to Anabel, Leachman had other grandchildren, and one great-grandson, Braden. Leachman was an Atheism, atheist.


Death

On January 27, 2021, Leachman died in her sleep at her home in Encinitas, California, at the age of 94. The cause of death was a stroke and COVID-19 was a contributing factor. Her body was cremated on February 7, 2021.


Notes


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leachman, Cloris 1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians Actresses from Des Moines, Iowa Actresses from Los Angeles County, California American atheists American autobiographers American female dancers American film actresses American people of Czech descent American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American women comedians Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners Comedians from California Dancers from Iowa Illinois State University alumni Miss America 1940s delegates Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners Participants in American reality television series People from Topanga, California Western (genre) television actors Women autobiographers Theodore Roosevelt High School (Iowa) alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California