by Nathaniel R
We've lost one of the true greats. The one and only Cloris Leachman has died at 94 years of age of natural causes. The showbiz bug hit early, as it often does with plays as a teenager and by the time she was 20 in 1946 she was a Miss America contestant. Her career developed slowly as many truly enduring careers do, with numerous small roles in film and television (and some large ones onstage) before the big breakthrough. That breakthrough was a double whammy, as befits hard-working but late-breaking fame. In short succession she made a huge impression as Phyllis the landlady on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970/1971 first season and in October 1971 she was also on the big screen, flexing very different acting chops, in the soon to be Oscar-winning classic, The Last Picture Show (1971).
Though she is best remembered today for television sitcoms which she did on and off throughout her career, she was an actress of verve and versatility...
Leachman with her 8 Emmy Awards
The verve was something else, actually. Cloris Leachman was never afraid to go big. Today to celebrate her I watched her guest spot on Night Gallery (Rod Serling's follow up to The Twilight Zone) and found some deliciously hammy line readings as a drunk cruel woman threatening her robot maid! But more often than not, Leachman's bigness could work sitcom wonders... and she knew how to shift it beautifully in her best dramatic work.
Over her very long career she won the Oscar and BAFTA (The Last Picture Show, 1971), the Globe (Phyllis, 1985), a daytime Emmy (After School Special: The Woman Who Willed a Miracle, 1983) and eight PrimeTime Emmys for both guest spots, series regular gigs, and telefilms (A Brand New Life, 1973; Mary Tyler Moore, 1974 and 1975; Cher, 1975, SAG 50th Anniversary Celebration, 1984, Promised Land, 1998, Malcolm in the Middle, 2002 and 2006).
Here are 10 personal favourite Cloris Leachman roles though I haven't seen even half of her filmography -- she worked A LOT -- but her best role may have been herself given her entertaining nature on The Muppet Show and Cher and other variety-ready appearances on awards shows and a dozen years back on Dancing with the Stars.
"Christina Bailey" in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Her official film debut came as a doomed hitchhiker in this classic noir.
"Phyllis Lindstrom" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1975) and the spin-off Phyllis (1975-1977)
This landlady role won Cloris five Emmy nominations and two wins plus a Golden Globe over the seven years she played it.
"Ruth Popper" in The Last Picture Show (1971)
She's sensational as a repressed housewife having a sexual affair with a high school senior. But really, every actor is sensational in this Peter Bogdanovich classic; it's one of the greatest ensemble dramas in film history.
MEL BROOKS DOUBLE FEATURE: "Frau Blüchner" in Young Frankenstein (1974) / "Nurse Diesel" in High Anxiety (1977)
We're still so angry that they didn't let her reprise her rolee in the Young Frankenstein Broadway musical. They claimed they were worried she was going to die onstage which was a cruel thing to say and also ridiculous. Leachman had real stamina and went on Dancing with the Stars in her 80s while Young Frankenstein was still on Broadway! High Anxiety is much less famous but her role is juicier as a scheming psych nurse in the Hitchcock spoof.
"Clair" in The North Avenue Irregulars (1979)
Personal note: This Disney comedy is the first time I ever saw Cloris. Child me could no stop laughing at her hysteric antics. It's literally the only thing I have ever remembered about the movie. Scared to watch it on DisneyPlus and ruin a sweet childhood memory. Wait, is it on DisneyPlus?
"Beverly Ann Stickle" in The Facts of Life (1986-1988)
Guilty pleasure! We know it's a terrible show but we grew up on it, okay? Leachman was brought on as Edna Garrett's sister to keep the show going when the previous headliner Charlotte Rae left. (Trivia: Leachman and Rae were friends and had met in college at Northwestern University)
"Ida" in Malcolm in the Middle (2001-2006)
This popular sitcom was a big success with Emmy voters including two wins for Leachman.
"Evelyn" in Spanglish (2004)
It was an awards buzzy title before it opened but even though the reaction was mixed (to say the least), Leachman survived unscathed and even picked up a SAG nomination.
"Maw Maw" in Raising Hope (2010-2014)
One Emmy nomination. The Emmys did this very funny sitcom dirty across its four seasons. Leachman was often hysterical as the frequently disrobing crazy grandma.
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVOURITE CLORIS LEACHMAN ROLES OR MOMENTS?