ByKelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Cloris Leachman dead at 94 Actress Cloris Leachman attends the premiere of "American Gods" at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 20, 2017, in Hollywood, California. The legendary actress died Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, at the age of 94. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
ByKelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Legendary star of stage and screen Cloris Leachman has died at the age of 94, her manager, Juliet Green, conformed to The Washington Post early Wednesday evening.
Cloris Leachman was a comedy legend. From a groundbreaking role on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to the films of Mel Brooks and her Oscar-winning turn in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show," she never lost her ability to shock, delight and surprise us. She will be missed. pic.twitter.com/tcyfF1uzWj
The multidimensional Oscar-winning actress’ eight-decade career appealed to a host of audiences, spanning everything from radio plays and Broadway to Emmy-winning performances and silver screen accolades.
Leachman’s storied resume included “a tour de force performance as a desperately lonely Texas housewife in ‘The Last Picture Show’ and a tour de farce portrayal of the grim-faced Transylvanian housekeeper Frau Blücher in ‘Young Frankenstein,’” the Post reported.
Although she commanded respect in Hollywood, starring in more than 40 films, Leachman simultaneously earned small screen stardom after landing the role of the charmingly neurotic Phyllis Lindstrom on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the early 1970s, which earned her two Emmys and her own spinoff.
Green did not provide additional details of the actress’ death, beyond confirming Leachman died at her Encinitas, California home. The family requests that any donations in her name be made to PETA or Last Chance for Animals, Variety reported.
“It’s been my privilege to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearless actresses of our time,” Green told the entertainment news outlet. “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.”
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman. She joined us back in 2009 sharing some of her favorite films including WATERLOO BRIDGE ('40) and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD ('38). @THR remembers her here: https://t.co/ApPuY0PtlUpic.twitter.com/YymrfiIyQz
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Leachman got her start on local radio, earning a broadcast drama scholarship – and later a drama scholarship – at Northwestern University, before being named one of 16 finalists in the 1946 Miss America pageant and ultimately studying under legendary director Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York, Variety reported.
While her Best Supporting Actress win for 1971’s “The Last Picture Show” ensconced Leachman among the Hollywood elite, it was her turn in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” as the ominously expressionless Frau Blücher that made her a household name among movie lovers.
Per the Post: “Ms. Leachman made the deadpan most of her deliciously cockeyed lines. ‘Stay close to zee candles,’ she says, holding an oversized candelabra with unlit candlesticks as she climbs a shadowy staircase. She overdoes her offer of a nightcap to an increasingly angry Frankenstein, first proffering brandy, then ‘varm milk…perhaps’ and, finally, the chocolate malted kid’s drink Ovaltine. Later, she confesses to a dark secret: ‘Yes! Yes!’ she shouts of Victor Frankenstein. ‘HE voss my boyfriend!’”
In addition to her Academy Award, Leachman won a total of eight Primetime Emmys – in both drama and comedy – as well as one Daytime Emmy. She also holds the distinction of being the oldest female contestant to compete on “Dancing With the Stars,” a feat she gracefully achieved in 2008 at the age of 82, Variety reported.
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(Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images) (Ryan Miller/Getty Images)
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Dianne Durham Dianne Durham, right, the first Black to win a USA Gymnastics national title, died Feb. 4 in Chicago. She was 52. (Lisa Genesen, Associated Press, file)
Actor Hal Holbrook dead at 95, report says Actor Hal Holbrook died Jan. 23 at age 95, according to The New York Times. (Walt Disney Television/ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images)
Dustin Diamond dies at 44 Actor and stand-up comedian Dustin Diamond, best known for portraying Samuel "Screech" Powers in the "Saved by the Bell" franchise, died Monday, Feb. 1, 2021. He was 44. (Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images, File)
Hilton Valentine, guitarist for ‘The Animals’ dead at 77 FILE PHOTO: Hilton Valentine guitarist for British rock and roll band, The Animals, has died. He was 77. The photo shows the English rock band when they reformed in 1983 for a world tour. Clockwise from back left, is bassist Chas Chandler, guitarist Hilton Valentine, drummer John Steel, keyboard player Alan Price and singer Eric Burdon. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Keystone/Getty Images)
Sophie Pop artist and producer Sophie, who was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2018, died in Greece on Jan. 30 at the age of 34. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)
John Chaney Hall of Fame college basketball coach John Chaney, who led Temple University's basketball team to 17 NCAA tournament appearances in 24 years, died at the age of 89, the university announced Jan. 29. ( Joseph Labolito/WireImage)
Cloris Leachman Actress Cloris Leachman, whose eight-decade career included an Oscar-winning performance in "The Last Picture Show" and a role as the grim-faced Frau Blücher in “Young Frankenstein,” died Jan. 2. She was 94. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP file)
Jimmie Rodgers Jimmie Rodgers, who scored his biggest hit with "Honeycomb" in 1957, died Jan. 18. He was 87. (Jim McCrary/Redfern)
Legendary talk show host Larry King dead at 87 FILE PHOTO: Legendary talk show host Larry King has died. He was 87. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Gregory Sierra Gregory Sierra, who played Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amanguale on "Barney Miller," died Jan. 4. Sierra also starred on "Sanford and Son" and appeared in several other television shows. (Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
Bob Avian Tony Award-winning choreographer Bob Avian died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 21. He was 83. (Shiho Fukada/Associated Press, File)
Mira Furlan Actress Mira Furlan, who starred in all 111 episodes of "Babylon 5" and also appeared in "Lost." died Jan. 20. She was 65. ( Michael Schwartz/WireImage)
Baseball legend Hank Aaron dead at 86 FILE PHOTO: Legendary baseball slugger Henry “Hank” Aaron has died. He was 86. (Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
Don Sutton Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, who won 324 games and pitched for six pennant winners during his 23-year major league baseball career, died Jan. 18. He was 75. ( Andrew Snook/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Harry Brant Harry Brant, the son of supermodel Stephanie Seymour and businessman Peter Brant, died Jan. 17 from an accidental overdose. He was 24. ( Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
Phil Spector has died at 81 FILE PHOTO: Music producer Phil Spector, known for his "Wall of Sound" and who was later convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. (Pool/Getty Images)
Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain, a guitarist for the New York Dolls, a group that ushered in the punk rock era of the 1970s, died Jan. 13. He was 69. ( Matt Kent/WireImage)
Siegfried Fischbacher FILE PHOTO: Siegfried Fischbacher speaks during the 23rd annual Keep Memory Alive 'Power of Love Gala' benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fischbacher died Jan. 15 at the age of 81. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Ali)
Sheldon Adelson FILE - This Feb. 10, 2017 file photo, Chief Executive of Las Vegas Sands Corporation Sheldon Adelson shows at a business roundtable with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. Adelson, the billionaire mogul and power broker who built a casino empire spanning from Las Vegas to China and became a singular force in domestic and international politics has died after a long illness, his wife said Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Eve Branson FILE PHOTO: Richard Branson (L) and honoree Eve Branson attend the AltaMed Power Up, We Are The Future Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 12, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. Richard Branson announced the death of his mother due to COVID-19. (Michael Kovac)
Nancy Bush Ellis FILE PHOTO: This Jan. 7, 1990, file photo shows President George H. W. Bush hiding behind his sister, Nancy Ellis, as he prepares for a jog along the C&O canal in the Georgetown section of Washington. A longtime Democrat who helped her Republican brother and nephew get elected president, died of complications of the coronavirus Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, at an assisted living facility in Concord, Massachusetts. She was 94. (Marcy Nighswander/AP)
Actor John Reilly dead at 86 Actor John Reilly is pictured holding his daughter, Caitlyn Reilly, when she was a child. The longtime soap opera actor died in early January 2021 of an undisclosed cause. (Courtesy Caitlyn Reilly)
Tommy Lasorda FILE PHOTO: Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses for a portrait during spring training photo day at Camelback Ranch on February 20, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Dodgers announced Lasorda died at the age of 93. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Neil Sheehan Neil Sheehan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose articles on the Pentagon Papers triggered a court battle, died Jan. 7. He was 84. (Frederic Reglain/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Eric Jerome Dickey Bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey died Jan. 3 in Los Angeles. He was 59. (Joseph Jones via Associated Press )
Tanya Roberts FILE PHOTO: Actress Tanya Roberts arrives at the gala premiere of "Criss Angel Believe" by Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor Resort & Casino October 31, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former Bond girl died Jan. 4 at the age of 65. Her death was confirmed after conflicting reports from her publicist and her companion. (Ethan Miller)
Gerry Marsden FILE PHOTO - In this April 25, 1964 file photo, Gerry Marsden leaps over his band, the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden, the British singer and lead singer of Gerry and the Pacemakers, who was instrumental in turning a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel” into one of the great anthems in the world of football, has died. He was 78. (AP)
Paul Westphal Hall of Fame basketball coach Paul Westphal died Jan. 2, the Phoenix Suns announced. He was 70. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Floyd Little Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little, who starred at Syracuse University and for the NFL's Denver Broncos, died Jan. 1. He was 78. ( Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
