The actor drew attention later in life to “Dancing with the Stars.”
Cloris Leachman, the versatile Oscar-winning actress whose career in stage, television and film lasted more than seven decades, has died at the age of 94.
“It has been my privilege to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearsome actresses of our time,” her longtime manager, Juliet Green, said in a statement. “There was no one like Cloris. With a single glance I had the ability to break your heart or make you laugh until tears ran down your face. You never knew what Cloris would say or do and that unpredictable quality was part of its unparalleled magic “.
“She fiercely loved her children and grandchildren. A lifelong vegetarian, she was a passionate advocate for animal rights,” Green added. “The family requests that donations be made in their name to PETA or Last Chance for Animals.”
Green said Leachman died of natural causes in Encinitas, California.
Leachman, equally skilled in comedy and drama, was perhaps best known for her television roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and her derivative “Phyllis,” as well as for “The Facts of Life,” “Malcolm in the Middle “and” Increasing Hope. ” She won eight Emmy Awards, tied at all-time with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. He also won an Emmy Daytime Award.
On the big screen, she won an Oscar for her neglected wife as a gym teacher on The Last Picture Show in 1971. She also appeared in three Mel Brooks films, “Young Frankenstein,” “High Anxiety” and “History of the World: Part One”. And she played Daisy May Moses in the 1993 film version of “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Leachman introduced herself to a new generation of fans when she became ABC’s oldest “Dancing With the Stars” contestant in 2008. Paired with professional dancer Corky Ballas, she was 82 at the time. His appearance prompted an increase in new television and film roles, including his portrayal of Maw Maw in the Fox sitcom “Raising Hope” from 2010 to 2014.
Leachman was born on April 30, 1926, the eldest of three sisters, in Des Moines, Iowa. She began acting as a child and later studied drama at Northwestern University in Illinois with friends Charlotte Rae and Paul Lynde.
After graduating from high school, Leachman enrolled at Illinois State University to study drama, and later at Northwestern University, where he was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. After winning a scholarship to the Miss America pageant, she moved to New York City to study acting under the direction of Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio and was immediately broadcast on Broadway and in the movies.
Beginning in the 1950s, she appeared on many television shows, including a brief stint as Timmy’s mother in the original “Lassie.” Her role as Mary Tyler Moore’s annoying and manipulative owner, Phyllis Lindstrom, made her a star.
In addition to his busy acting career, Leachman raised five sons (four sons and a daughter) with film director George Englund. Leachman and Englund were married for 26 years, before divorcing in 1979. Leachman never remarried and four of his children survived, as did several grandchildren.