Leigh French (born July 14, 1945) is an American actress.

Early life

French was born in Ashland, Kentucky.

Career

In her early career as a regular on ''

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

'' of the late-1960s, French portrayed a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

named Goldie O'Keefe. The character was originally introduced, in an ostensible studio-audience interview segment, as Goldie Keif; both "Goldie" and "Keif" were slang terms for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

at the time. Reportedly, the slight name change to O'Keefe when she became a semi-regular was at the television network's insistence. Her segment of the show was called "Share a Little Tea with Goldie." At the time, "sharing tea" was a popular euphemism for

getting high Substance intoxication is a transient condition of altered consciousness and behavior associated with recent use of a substance. It is often maladaptive and impairing, but reversible. If the symptoms are severe, the term "substance intoxicatio ...

on marijuana. Following suit, her segment consisted largely of "helpful" household advice loaded with sex and drug-related double entendres. French played a similar character, a San Francisco hippie type named Cobalt-Blue, in a 1968 episode ("Tag, You're It") of the ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'' series. She and

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performanc ...

(both of whom had been members of The Committee improv group in San Francisco) also played hippies in the 1969 "Flower Power" episode of ''

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...

'' French can also be seen in such films as '' WUSA'' (1970), '' The Drowning Pool'' (1975), ''

Aloha, Bobby and Rose ''Aloha, Bobby and Rose'' is a 1975 American Road movie, road drama film written and directed by Floyd Mutrux and starring Paul Le Mat, Dianne Hull and Robert Carradine. The plot concerns a young working-class couple who accidentally cause the de ...

'' (1975), ''

The Hollywood Knights ''The Hollywood Knights'' is a 1980 American teen comedy film written and directed by Floyd Mutrux depicting the crass and mischievous antics and practical jokes of the remaining members of a 1950s-era car club turned social fraternity in and aro ...

'' (1980), and ''

The Long Days of Summer ''The Long Days of Summer'' is a 1980 American made-for-television drama film and a sequel to ''When Every Day Was the Fourth of July'' (1978). Taking place one year later, the story follows now 13-year-old Danny (Ronnie Scribner, taking over the ...

'' (1980). Leigh also appeared as Goober Pyle's (

George Lindsey George Smith Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012) was an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Goober Pyle on ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' and his subsequent tenure on '' Hee-Haw''. Life and ...

) sister on a pilot episode for a sitcom called ''Goober & the Truckers' Paradise''. The show, in which Goober and his sister managed a highway truck stop, was not picked up by networks. French's acting work continued steadily through 2010, primarily performing behind the scenes and voiceover roles in animated features up to 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Leigh 1945 births American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Kentucky Living people 21st-century American women