Biography
With a career that spanned a staggering six decades on stage and screen, actress Cloris Leachman was one of primetime's funniest comediennes and a favorite player in the classic film satires of Mel Brooks. A former beauty pageant winner who began her career on the Broadway stage, Leachman's first high profile achievement was her Academy Award-winning performance in Peter Bogdanovich's stark drama "The Last Picture Show" (1971). From there, the …
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Career Milestones
| Acted on Broadway in supporting roles in William Inge's "Come Back, Little Sheba" and Shakespeare's "As You Like It" | ||
| Appeared as Parthy in a touring company of "Show Boat" | ||
| Hosted an advice-to-homemakers radio program while in her mid-teens | ||
| Moved to NYC and was chosen by Elia Kazan to be a member of the original Actors Studio | ||
| Played a nativist painter in an acclaimed touring stage production of "Grandma Moses"; appeared in play on and off for over a decade | ||
| Won the title of Miss Chicago; later was one of the finalists in the 1946 Miss America Beauty Pageant | ||
1949 | Cast in a regular role on the CBS series "Hold It Please" | |
1949 | Made TV debut as a semi-regular role on "Actor's Studio" (ABC, CBS) | |
1950 | Played secretary Effie Perrine on the NBC detective show "Charlie Wild, Private Detective" | |
1952 | Appeared regularly on NBC's "The Bob & Ray Show" | |
1955 | Feature film acting debut, "Kiss Me Deadly" | |
1957 | Cast as Ruth Martin, Timmy's adoptive mom on the fourth season of the CBS series "Lassie" | |
1969 | Landed brief role as a prostitute opposite Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" | |
1970 | Once again cast opposite Newman in "WUSA" | |
1970 | Played the recurring role of Sandi Hollinger on the ABC series "That Girl" | |
1970 | Played the recurring role of landlady Phyllis Lindstrom on the CBS series "Mary Tyler Moore" | |
1971 | Received acclaim as a high school gym teacher's wife who embarks on an affair with a teenager in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" | |
1972 | Co-starred with Carroll O'Connor in the CBS TV adaptation of the Gershwin musical "Of Thee I Sing" | |
1973 | Gave an Emmy-winning performance as a middle-aged woman who discovers she's pregnant in the ABC movie "A Brand New Life" | |
1974 | Delivered a strong dramatic turn in the CBS telefilm "The Migrants" | |
1974 | Offered a brilliant comic turn as Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks' spoof "Young Frankenstein" | |
1974 | Re-teamed with Bogdanovich for the period drama "Daisy Miller" | |
1975 | Played the title role in "Phyllis" (CBS), a spin-off of "Mary Tyler Moore" | |
1975 | Starred in Jonathan Demme's low-budget gangster drama "Crazy Mama" | |
1977 | Re-teamed with Mel Brooks for his spoof of Hitchcock films "High Anxiety" | |
1979 | Appeared in "The Muppet Movie" as the secretary to a producing mogul (Orson Welles) | |
1979 | Portrayed the unsinkable Molly Brown in the ABC movie "S.O.S. Titanic" | |
1981 | Again collaborated with Brooks for the comedy "History of the World Part I" | |
1982 | Co-hosted the short-lived CBS magazine program "The Book of Lists" | |
1982 | Played four roles (three sisters and their mother) in the TV adaptation of "Twigs" (aired on E!) | |
1985 | Starred opposite Dick Van Dyke in the PBS production "Breakfast with Les and Bess" | |
1986 | Replaced Charlotte Rae's character as the den mother on the NBC sitcom "The Facts of Life" for its final two seasons | |
1989 | Played Ms. Frick on the short-lived NBC sitcom "The Nutt House"; series created by Mel Brooks | |
1990 | Reprised the role of Ruth Popper in Peter Bogdanovich's sequel "Texasville" | |
1991 | Played Emily Collins on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Walter and Emily" | |
1993 | Stepped into Irene Ryan's shoes to play Granny in the feature film version of "The Beverly Hillbillies" | |
1996 | Made two guest appearances as Aunt Mooster on the CBS series "Promised Land" | |
1999 | Lent her voice to the animated feature "The Iron Giant" | |
1999 | Played Meryl Streep's mother in Wes Craven's "Music of the Heart" | |
2001 | Landed recurring guest role as Grandma Ida on the Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle"; earned Emmy (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005) nominations for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | |
2001 | Returned to TV as Dot, the title character's eccentric mother on the CBS sitcom "The Ellen Show" | |
2004 | Earned an Emmy nomination for guest starring role on "Joan of Arcadia" (CBS) | |
2004 | Portrayed the boozy, former jazz singer and grandmother Evelyn in the feature "Spanglish"; earned a SAG nomination for Supporting Actress | |
2006 | Earned Emmy and SAG nominations as Tarnower's adoring sister in the HBO movie, "Mrs. Harris" | |
2008 | Joined the seventh season of ABC's reality competition "Dancing With The Stars" | |
2010 | Cast as Maw Maw on the Fox comedy series "Raising Hope" | |
Awards
1971 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in The Last Picture Show |
1971 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in The Last Picture Show |
1971 | National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Last Picture Show |
1972 | BAFTA Award for Supporting Actress in The Last Picture Show |
1972 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance By an Actress In a Supporting Role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
1973 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Charley and the Angel |
1973 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance By an Actress In a Supporting Role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
1974 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Young Frankenstein |
1974 | Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress In Comedy in The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
1975 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Phyllis |
1975 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance By a in Cher |
1975 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance By a Supporting Actress in The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
1976 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance By a in Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? |
1976 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in Phyllis |
1978 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance By a Supporting Actress In a Comedy or Drama Special in It Happened One Christmas |
1984 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance In a Variety or Music Program in The Screen Actors Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration |
1984 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Limited Series or a Special in Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter |
1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series in Promised Land |
2001 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2003 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series in Joan of Arcadia |
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Spanglish |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Malcolm in the Middle |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Miniseries or Movie in Mrs. Harris |
2007 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Mrs. Harris |
2011 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Raising Hope |