Cloris Leachman, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actress has passed away at age 94. Her manager revealed that Leachman died Wednesday January 28, 2021 of natural causes.
Leachman was born on April 30, 1926 in Des Moines, Iowa, the eldest of three sisters. Leachman began acting in childhood, appearing in children’s plays at Drake University when she was just 8 years old. At 19, she attended the Actors Studio and studied acting under Elia Kazan alongside actors Marlon Brando and Julie Harris. It was then onto Broadway and television.
She appeared in TV hits such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Malcolm in the Middle. Earlier acting credits included The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke and Perry Mason.She also appeared on Dancing With The Stars at age 82. Leachman was nominated for 22 Emmys and won eight. No wonder she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame!
Leachman had an equally successful career in movies. She appeared in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and won the Oscar for best supporting actress in The Last Picture Show. She had many memorable comedic roles in Mel Brooks’ movies such as High Society and Young Frankenstein.
Below are some clips of her best Nurse Diesel moments from High Society.
https://youtu.be/tNKQBJZ8dOY
The clip below introduces the fearsome Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein.
In her autobiography, ‘Cloris, Leachman wrote, “I’ve lived my life; I haven’t trotted alongside it. I’ve opened the doors of opportunity wherever I’ve seen them. I’ve walked into discoveries and dreams, disappointments and death. I bear the scares of not having obeyed rules made by others, and I wear the deep satisfaction of knowing I never bent to conventions I didn’t believe in.”
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