Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 26, 2021) was an American actress, whose impressive career spanned seven decades.
Leachman took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Ruth Popper in The Last Picture Show. Among her other notable film roles are Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*) in Young Frankenstein, Mrs. Tensedge in The Iron Giant, and Evelyn Wright in Spanglish. On television, she had the recurring role of Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which led to her own spinoff series, Phyllis), and later was a regular on Raising Hope as "Maw Maw" Thompson.
Before getting into show business she was a beauty pageant winner, winning "Miss Chicago" in 1946 and competing in the Miss America pageant, where she was eliminated in the round of 16. After graduating from Northwestern University, she moved to New York and studied at the Actors Studio under Elia Kazan.
She holds the record for the most acting Emmy Awards with eight, which has since been matched by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Leachman was married to director George Englund from 1953 to 1979, and they had five children together. She passed away at the age of 94 from a combination of a stroke and COVID-19.
Selected Filmography:
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Film roles
- Kiss Me Deadly (1955): Christina Bailey
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): Agnes
- Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969): Ginny
- The Last Picture Show (1971): Ruth Popper — Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress
- Texasville (1990): Ruth Popper
- Dillinger (1973): Anna Sage
- Daisy Miller (1974): Mrs. Ezra Miller
- Young Frankenstein (1974): Frau Blücher (*WHINNY*)
- The Mouse and His Child (1977): Euterpe (voice)
- High Anxiety (1977): Nurse Diesel
- The North Avenue Irregulars (1979): Claire Porter
- The Muppet Movie (1979): Lew Lord's Secretary
- Scavenger Hunt (1979): Mildred Carruthers
- Herbie Goes Bananas (1980): Aunt Louise Trends
- History of the World Part I (1981): Madame Defarge
- Castle in the Sky (1986): Dola (voice, English dub)
- My Little Pony The Movie (1986): Hydia (voice)
- The Little Troll Prince (1987): Queen Sirena (voice)
- Prancer (1989): Mrs. McFarland
- My Boyfriend's Back (1993): Maggie the Zombie Expert
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1993): Daisy May "Granny" Moses
- A Troll in Central Park (1994): Queen Gnorga (voice)
- Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996): Old Woman on Plane and Bus (voice)
- Annabelle's Wish (1997): Aunt Agnes (voice)
- The Iron Giant (1999): Mrs. Tensedge (voice)
- Music of the Heart (1999): Assunta Guaspari
- Alex & Emma (2003): Grandmother
- Spanglish (2004): Evelyn Wright
- The Longest Yard (2005): Lynette
- Sky High (2005): Nurse Spex
- Beerfest (2006): Great Gam Gam
- The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (2012): Dottie Rounder
- The Croods (2013): Gran (voice)
- The Croods: A New Age (2020): Gran (voice)
- Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015): Mrs. Fielder
Television roles
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1 episode, 1952): Martha Berry
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (3 episodes, 1955–62): Susan Stranger/Mary Templeton/Caroline Hardy
- Gunsmoke (1955) (2 episodes, 1956–61): Boni/Flory Tibbs
- Lassie (28 episodes, 1957–58): Ruth Martin
- Rawhide (1 episode, 1960): Mary Ann Belden
- Thriller (1 episode, 1960): Beatrice
- Wanted: Dead or Alive (1 episode, 1960): Ann Barchester
- The Donna Reed Show (1 episode, 1961): Iris
- The Twilight Zone (1 episode, 1961): Mrs. Agnes Fremontnote
- The Untouchables (1 episode, 1961): Billie Mailer
- 77 Sunset Strip (3 episodes, 1961–63):
- Route 66 (1 episode, 1962): Lydia
- Wagon Train (1 episode, 1962): Nancy Lee Davis
- The Defenders (1 episode, 1964): Angela Simms
- Dr. Kildare (5 episodes, 1965): Rhoda Kirsh
- Perry Mason (1 episode, 1966): Gloria Shine
- The Big Valley (1 episode, 1967): Fay
- The Virginian (2 episodes, 1967–69): Ellen McKinley/Clara
- Adam-12 (1 episode, 1968): Judy
- Mannix (1 episode, 1968): Barker's Ex-Wife
- Ironside (1 episode, 1969): Molly Strong
- Marcus Welby, M.D. (1 episode, 1970): Jean Cullen
- That Girl (1 episode, 1970): Sandi
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show (34 episodes, 1970–77): Phyllis Lindstrom
- Night Gallery (1 episode, 1972): Mrs. Fulton
- Death Sentence (1974) (TV movie, 1974): Susan Davies
- Wonder Woman (1 episode, 1975): Queen Hippolyta
- A Girl Named Sooner (TV movie, 1975): Old Mam Hawes
- The Love Boat (4 episodes, 1976–85): Iris Havlicek/Lisa Anderson/Karen Cooper
- The Facts of Life (48 episodes, 1986–88): Beverly Ann Stickle
- The Nutt House (10 episodes, 1989): Ms. Frick/Edwina Nutt
- The Simpsons (1 episode, 1991): Mrs. Glick (voice)
- In Broad Daylight (TV movie, 1991): Ruth Westerman
- The Powers That Be (2 episodes, 1992–93): Enid Powers
- Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (TV movie, 1993): Aunt Agatha/Aunt Sofia
- The Nanny (1 episode, 1994): Nanny Mueller
- Promised Land (2 episodes, 1996–97): Ethel Mooster
- Touched by an Angel (4 episodes, 1997–2003): Ruth
- Thanks (6 episodes, 1999): Grammy Winthrop
- The Norm Show (1 episode, 2000): Mrs. Beaumont
- Twice in a Lifetime (1 episode, 2001): Ruth Harper/Miss Storey
- Diagnosis: Murder (1 episode, 2001): Sudie
- Malcolm in the Middle (11 episodes, 2001–06): Grandma Ida
- Two and a Half Men (1 episode, 2005): Norma
- Joan of Arcadia (1 episode, 2005): Aunt Olive
- Lake Placid 2 (TV movie, 2007): Sadie Bickerman
- Phineas and Ferb (2 episodes, 2007–12): Anne Doofenshmirtz/Eliza Feyersied (voice)
- The Office (US) (1 episode, 2009): Lilly Hanaday
- Blue Mountain State (1 episode, 2010): Professor's Mom
- Raising Hope (83 episodes, 2010–14): Barbara June 'Maw Maw' Thompson
- Adventure Time (2 episodes, 2012): Farmworld Marceline (voice)
- Hot in Cleveland (1 episode, 2013): Peg
- Franklin & Bash (1 episode, 2014): Irina Lottye Kruskal
- Girl Meets World (2 episodes, 2014–15): Mrs. Svorski
- '"Creative Galaxy'' (11 episodes, 2014–16): Galleria (voice)
- The Millers (1 episode, 2015): Louise
- Hawaii Five-0 (1 episode, 2015): Ruth Tennenbaum
- Bob's Burgers (1 episode, 2016): Meryl (voice)
- Royal Pains (1 episode, 2016): Annette Bellamy
- Clarence (2014) (1 episode, 2016): Cloris (voice)
- Justice League Action (4 episodes, 2017–18): Granny Goodness (voice)
- American Gods (3 episodes, 2017–19): Zorya Vechernyaya
- Elena of Avalor (3 episodes, 2018–20): Hool (voice)
- Teachers (1 episode, 2019): Anne 'Meemaw' Lucas
- Mad About You (1 episode, 2019): Mrs. Alice Mandelbaum
Self
- The Muppet Show (1 episode, 1977)
- Dancing with the Stars (17 episodes, 2008)
- RuPaul's Drag Race (1 episode, 2010)
- Top Gear (US) (1 episode, 2012)