The actor later attracted attention in “Dancing with the Stars”.
Cloris Leachman, the versatile Oscar-winning actress whose career on stage, television and cinema has spanned more than seven decades, died at the age of 94.
“I was privileged to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearless actresses of our time,” said her longtime businesswoman, Juliet Green, in a statement. “There was no one like Cloris. With a single look, she had the ability to break your heart or make you laugh until tears were streaming down your face. You never knew what Cloris would say or do and that unpredictable quality was part of his incomparable magic. “
“She loved her children and grandchildren fiercely. A lifelong vegetarian, she was a passionate advocate for animal rights,” added Green. “The family asks that any donation on their behalf be made to PETA or the Last Chance for Animals.”
Green said Leachman died of natural causes in Encinitas, California.
Leachman, equally adept at comedy and drama, is perhaps best known for her TV roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and her spinoff “Phyllis”, as well as “The Facts of Life”, “Malcolm in the Middle” and ” Increasing hope. “She won eight Emmy Awards – the biggest draw ever with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She also won a daytime Emmy Award.
On the big screen, she won an Oscar for her role as the neglected wife of a gym teacher in 1971 on “The Last Picture Show”. She also appeared in three Mel Brooks films, “Young Frankenstein”, “High Anxiety” and “History of the World: Part I.” And she played Daisy May Moses in the 1993 film version of “The Beverly Hillbillies”.
Leachman was introduced to a new generation of fans when she became the oldest participant in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” program in 2008. Paired with professional dancer Corky Ballas, she was 82 at the time. His appearance led to a wave of new roles on TV and film, including playing Maw Maw on Fox’s sitcom “Raising Hope” from 2010 to 2014.
Leachman was born on April 30, 1926, the eldest of three sisters, in Des Moines, Iowa. She started acting as a child and later studied theater at Northwestern University in Illinois, alongside friends Charlotte Rae and Paul Lynde.
After finishing high school, Leachman enrolled at Illinois State University to study theater, and later at Northwestern University, where he was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. After winning a scholarship at the Miss America contest, she moved to New York to study acting with director Elia Kazan at Actors Studio and was immediately cast for Broadway and film.
Beginning in the 1950s, she appeared on many TV shows, including a brief stint as Timmy’s mother on the original “Lassie”. Her role as Mary Tyler Moore’s nosy and manipulative landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom, made her a star.
In addition to her busy acting career, Leachman raised five sons – four sons and one daughter – with film director George Englund. Leachman and Englund were married for 26 years, before divorcing in 1979. Leachman never married again and left four of his children and several grandchildren.