Actress Cloris Leachman Has Passed Away at the Age of 94
It is with a heavy heart that we here at MickeyBlog share the news that Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman has passed away of natural causes at the age of 94
Her manager Juliet Green said in a statement, “It’s been my privilege to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearless actresses of our time.” She continues “There was no one like Cloris. With a single look she had the ability to break your heart or make you laugh ’till the tears ran down your face. You never knew what Cloris was going to say or do and that unpredictable quality was part of her unparalleled magic.”
“She loved her children and her grandchildren ferociously. A lifelong vegetarian, she was a passionate advocate for animal rights,” Green added. “The family requests that any donations in her name be made to PETA or Last Chance for Animals.”
Leachman is best known for her television roles in projects like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Phyllis, The Facts of Life, Malcolm in the Middle and Raising Hope. She is tied with Julia Louis-Dreyfus for winning the most Emmy Awards – eight in total.
She won the Oscar in her role as the gym teacher’s neglected wife in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show. She also appeared in three Mel Brooks films Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety and History of the World Part I.
In the Disney-sphere Leachman starred as Aunt Louise Trends in Herbie Goes Bananas, Claire in The North Avenue Irregulars, Doc Betty in Miracle Child and Nurse Spex in Sky High.
She guest starred in a variety of different shows including The Muppet Show, My Boyfriends Back, Donald Duck’s 50th Birthday and as Maw Maw in the FOX sitcom Raising Hope which ran from 2010-2014. She also voiced the role of Heinz Doofenshmirtz’s mother Phineas and Ferb, played Mrs. Svorski in Girl Meets World and also voiced Hool in Season 2 of Elena of Avalor.
Leachman also became the oldest contestant on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars in 2008 where she was paired with professional dancer Corky Ballas, she was 82 at the time.
As a piece on ABC tells us, Leachman was born April 30, 1926, the oldest of three sisters, in Des Moines, Iowa. She began acting as a child and later studied drama at Northwestern University in Illinois, alongside friends Charlotte Rae and Paul Lynde.
After graduating from high school, Leachman enrolled at Illinois State University where she studied drama before moving on to Northwestern University. She moved to New York City after school to study acting and starting in the 1950s she appeared in many TV programs, including a brief sting as Timmy’s mother in the classic show Lassie. However she first rose to acclaim as Mary Tyler Moore’s nosy landlady!
In addition to her busy acting career, Leachman raised five children — 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 is survived by four of her children as well as several grandchildren.
Our thoughts go out to Cloris’ family, friends and colleagues.