Cloris Leachman.

Cloris Wallace Leachman

Born 30 Apr 1926 Des Moines, United States

Died 27 Jan 2021 Encinitas, United States

Citizenship United States

Would Be 100 yr If Living

13 min read

Reading time

2,573

Words

Jul 11, 2026

Published

262

Film credits

Awards

TL;DR

Cloris Leachman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Last Picture Show 1971 and holds the record for the most Emmy Awards won by an actor or actress, with nine. She became a household name as Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Phyllis, winning multiple Emmys. Her career spanned eight decades, from her film debut in Kiss Me Deadly 1955 to appearing on Dancing with the Stars at age 82.

Identity & family.

KIN · 6

Names, aliases, and relatives of Cloris Leachman — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Cloris Wallace Leachman

Spouses: George Englund
Children: Bryan Englund Dinah Englund Morgan Englund Adam Englund
Siblings: Claiborne Cary

At a glance.

STATS

Cloris Leachman by the numbers — life, work, and family.

94 Years lived

262 Film credits

10 Awards

1 Marriage

4 Children

Who was Cloris Leachman?

BIOGRAPHY

Cloris Leachman — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Berkeley Claiborne Buck Leachman ran the family-owned Leachman Lumber Co. in Des Moines, where his daughter Cloris was born on April 30, 1926 to him and Cloris Wallace. She was of Czech and English descent. After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School, she attended Illinois State University and Northwestern University, majoring in drama. She won the title of Miss Chicago in 1946 as part of the Miss America pageant, which led to a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio.

Career

Leachman made her credited debut in 1948 on The Ford Theatre Hour and appeared in numerous TV anthologies. Her first film role was the doomed blonde femme fatale Christina Bailey in Robert Aldrich’s noir Kiss Me Deadly 1955. Though she remained primarily a television actress through the 1950s and 1960s, she appeared in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969. Her breakthrough came with The Last Picture Show 1971, for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in three Mel Brooks films: Young Frankenstein 1974, High Anxiety 1977, and History of the World: Part I 1981. On television, she played Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1970-1975 and its spin-off Phyllis, winning two Emmys for that role and a Golden Globe. She later won two Emmys for her role as Ida Welker on Malcolm in the Middle 2000-2006. At age 82, she competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2008.

Personal life

Leachman married director-producer George Englund in 1953; the couple divorced in 1978. They had five children together: Adam, George Jr., Bryan, Morgan, and Dinah. Their son Bryan died in 1986 from an overdose of ulcer medication. Leachman became close friends with classmates Paul Lynde and Charlotte Rae at Northwestern University, where she joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She also suffered a miscarriage in 1958 while filming Lassie.

Legacy

Cloris Leachman holds the record for the most Emmy Awards won by any performer, with nine wins across comedy, drama, and variety categories. She is one of only three actors to have won Emmys in all three genres: comedy, drama, and limited series/TV movie. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1980. Five of her films have been selected for the National Film Registry: Kiss Me Deadly, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Last Picture Show, Young Frankenstein, and The Muppet Movie. She is remembered as a versatile actress who brought humour and depth to every role, from the nosy landlady to the sharp-tongued grandmother.

Filmography.

FILMS · 262

The complete filmography of Cloris Leachman — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

TV

The Simpsons

1989
TV

Family Guy

1999
TV

The Office

2005
TV

Two and a Half Men

2003
TV

Hawaii Five-0

2010
TV

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962
TV

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009
TV

Malcolm in the Middle

2000
TV

Perry Mason

1957
TV

The Nanny

1993
TV

Phineas and Ferb

2007
TV

The Love Boat

1977
TV

Mannix

1967
TV

Diagnosis: Murder

1993

Showing 14 of 262 View all 262 films

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 10

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Cloris Leachman — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Theatre World Award
Golden Plate Award
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming
Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 11

A wall of memorable lines from Cloris Leachman — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

If You Brush Your Teeth, You Don’t Want to Eat Something Right After Because Your Mouth Feels so Fresh. so Brushing Your Teeth Actually Prevents You from Eating Until Later.
When Something Is Truly Funny, It’s Funny All the Time.
The Reason I Am a Good Actress, I Think, Is Because the Times When I Didn’t Have a Good Part and You Think, What the Hell Do You Do with It? You Have to Figure Something Out.
I Don’t Think Comedy or Serious. I Always Brought Seriousness to Comedy and Comedic Things to Serious Roles.
My Mother Was a Darling, Darling Woman with a Wonderful Sense of Humor. I Remember When I Finally Developed, I Was About 15 Years Old with a 32 C-D Bust. I Had to Go Away for Something for a Couple of Weeks and Mama Wrote a Lovely Little Letter. at the End It Said, P.S. WYB. I Couldn’t Imagine What WYB Was. It Was Wash Your Brassiere. This Is the Kind of Humor My Mother Had.
I Know That There’s No God. I Am Very Convinced of That – and Very Happy About It.
I Worked Very Hard to Be Perfect. Well, There’s Nothing More Boring Than Being Perfect and When You Try to Be Perfect, You’re a Little Disconnected from Reality… Be Free, Everyone. Free Yourself. Get Free. It’s so Much More Fun. It’s so Empowering. Don’t Try to Be Like Other People.
I Live a Very Leisurely Life. When I Do Work, It’s Not Work, It’s Great Fun, and Exciting and Fresh. New, Wonderful Talented People. It’s Great Pleasure and Great Fun.
Kissing Is the Most Wonderful, Intimate, Sexy Thing in the World. Much More Than… What’s It Called… Fornicating!
I Was Busy Everyday on Live Television Back in the 1940S and 1950S in New York. I Was Starring in One Thing After Another Every Week. Then at Night I’d Be on Broadway. What a Wonderful Education All of That Was. What a Wonderful, Exciting, Learning Adventure. It’s Stood Me in Good Stead All of These Years, I Think.
For Many, Many Years, I Thought That God Would Get Even with Me or Punish Me Because I Didn’t Believe in Him, or Her, or Them. and Nothing Ever Happened Except for Good Things. so I Don’t Believe at All in God, and I’m Very Relieved That I Don’t. Extraordinary Miracles, Billions and Trillions of Them, Happen All the Time, but Not Because There’s a God.

Did you know?

FACTS · 42

Little-known facts about Cloris Leachman — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

Won nine Emmy Awards including one Daytime Emmy Award, more than any actor or actress.
Named Miss Chicago in 1946 as part of the Miss America contest.
Posed au naturel on the cover of Alternative Medicine Digest in 1997, body painted with images of fruit, a parody of Demi Moore’s Vanity Fair cover.
Her son Bryan Englund died from an overdose of ulcer medication on February 25, 1986.
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television on September 20, 1980.
One of only two actors, along with Bill Mumy, to appear in both the original The Twilight Zone 1959 and its 2002 revival.
Appeared with Madeline Kahn in five films: Young Frankenstein 1974, High Anxiety 1977, The Muppet Movie 1979, History of the World: Part I 1981, and My Little Pony: The Movie 1986.
Ranked #23 on TV Guide Network’s Funniest Women on TV special in 2011.
Was five months pregnant with son Adam when filming Kiss Me Deadly 1955.
Her final scene in The Last Picture Show 1971 was filmed in one take with no rehearsal; director Peter Bogdanovich reportedly told her she couldn’t do better and had just won the Oscar.
Never retired from acting before her death.
Grew close to classmates Paul Lynde and Charlotte Rae at Northwestern; Lynde would put on operas with Leachman and Rae singing backup.
Classmates at Northwestern’s Drama Department included Paul Lynde, Charlotte Rae, Martha Hyer, Patricia Neal, and Agnes Nixon; she joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
One of only two actresses to win both the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Last Picture Show and the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for The Mary Tyler Moore Show; the other is Allison Janney.
Mother of actors Adam, Bryan, George Jr., Morgan Englund, and actress Dinah Englund with George Englund.
Suffered a miscarriage in 1958 at four months pregnant while filming Lassie.
Born in Polk County to Berkeley Claiborne Buck Leachman and Cloris Wallace.
On December 24, 1962, she appeared in three prime-time TV series as a guest star: Cousin Eunice, A Night of Horns and Bells, and Anything for a Laugh.
Appeared on television in eight decades, earning her first onscreen credit in 1948 for Night Must Fall.
Appeared with Eileen Brennan in four films: The Last Picture Show 1971, Daisy Miller 1974, Going to the Chapel 1988, and Texasville 1990.
Awarded the 1978 Joseph Jefferson Award for Guest Artist for her performance in the play Twigs at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago.
One of only three performers to win Emmy Awards for acting across comedy, drama, and limited series/TV movie; the others are Edward Asner and Uzo Aduba.
Appeared in five films in the National Film Registry: Kiss Me Deadly, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Last Picture Show, Young Frankenstein, and The Muppet Movie.
Had seven grandchildren, including granddaughter Skye Englund.
Played Bill Mumy’s mother four times: in My Own Master 1960, It’s a Good Life 1961, Keep an Eye on Santa Claus 1962, and It’s Still a Good Life 2003.
Tossed the coin flip for the 95th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2009.
One of three actresses to win both Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Last Picture Show and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Malcolm in the Middle; the others are Eileen Heckart and Melissa Leo.
Separated from George Englund in 1974; divorced in 1978.
Died on January 26, 2021, three months short of her 95th birthday; cremated and ashes scattered at sea.
Alumna of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
70th actress to receive an Academy Award; won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Last Picture Show on April 10, 1972.
Close friends with Phyllis Love; attended Roosevelt High School together in Des Moines, Iowa; inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1987.
After the 1946 Miss America pageant, secured a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio; appeared in the 1948 Broadway play Sundown Beach directed by Kazan.
Maternal grandmother was of Bohemian Czech descent; other grandparents had English ancestry.
Served as the 2009 Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade, the 10th female grand marshal in parade history.
Older sister of chanteuse Claiborne Cary.
Guest-starred in the second-to-last episode of Diagnosis Murder 2001, titled On the Beach.
Delivered her sons naturally and her daughter Dinah via emergency Caesarean section.
At the 2008 Television Academy tribute to mothers, Jon Provost surprised her with her real son George Jr. on stage; she had been his first TV mom on Lassie.
Ex-daughter-in-law of Mabel Albertson; ex-niece-in-law of Jack Albertson.
In July 1973, announced she and Cybill Shepherd would star in Roman Fever to be directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
Left Lassie in 1958 unhappy with her role as Ruth Martin, replaced by June Lockhart; twelve years later, Lockhart’s Petticoat Junction was replaced in its time slot by The Mary Tyler Moore Show on which Leachman co-starred.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 30

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Cloris Leachman.

When was Cloris Leachman born?

Cloris Leachman was born on April 30, 1926. She was 94 years old when she died in 2021.
Where was Cloris Leachman born?

She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Her father’s family owned a lumber company there.
When did Cloris Leachman die?

She died on January 27, 2021. She was three months away from her 95th birthday.
How old was Cloris Leachman when she died?

She was 94 years old at the time of her death. She was born in 1926 and passed away in 2021.
Where did Cloris Leachman die?

She died in Encinitas, California, USA. Her ashes were later scattered at sea.
How did Cloris Leachman die?

She died from complications of a stroke, with COVID-19 listed as a contributing factor. She died at home in Encinitas.
What is Cloris Leachman's real name?

Her full birth name is Cloris Wallace Leachman. She was named after her mother, Cloris Wallace.
What did Cloris Leachman do for a living?

She was an actress and soundtrack artist. She worked in film, television, and stage for over seven decades.
What nationality was Cloris Leachman?

She was American. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa and held United States citizenship.
What language did Cloris Leachman speak?

Her native language was English. She also studied drama and performed in English throughout her career.
Who was Cloris Leachman married to?

She was married to director-producer George Englund from 1953 to 1978. They separated in 1974 before divorcing.
Did Cloris Leachman have children?

Yes, she had five children: Adam, George Jr., Bryan, Morgan, and Dinah Englund. Bryan died in 1986.
Did Cloris Leachman have any siblings?

She had one sister, Claiborne Cary, who was a chanteuse. Leachman was the older sibling.
Where did Cloris Leachman go to school?

She attended Theodore Roosevelt High School, Illinois State University, and Northwestern University. She also studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
What awards did Cloris Leachman win?

She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, nine Emmy Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Daytime Emmy, among others. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
How many Emmy Awards did Cloris Leachman win?

She won nine Emmy Awards, more than any other actor or actress. Her wins include categories in comedy, drama, and variety.
What is Cloris Leachman best known for?

She is best known for her Oscar-winning role in The Last Picture Show and her Emmy-winning performance as Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also played Ida Welker on Malcolm in the Middle.
How tall was Cloris Leachman?

She was 5 feet 4 inches 1.63 meters tall. Her height was average for a leading actress of her time.
Who were Cloris Leachman's parents?

Her parents were Berkeley Claiborne Buck Leachman and Cloris Wallace. Her father’s family owned Leachman Lumber Co.
Did Cloris Leachman appear in any Mel Brooks films?

Yes, she appeared in three Mel Brooks films: Young Frankenstein 1974, High Anxiety 1977, and History of the World: Part I 1981.
Did Cloris Leachman win an Oscar?

Yes, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Last Picture Show in 1971. She was the 70th actress to receive an Oscar.
What was Cloris Leachman's role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show?

She played Phyllis Lindstrom, Mary Richards’ landlady and self-described best friend. The role earned her two Emmy Awards and a spin-off series titled Phyllis.
Did Cloris Leachman appear on Dancing with the Stars?

Yes, she competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2008 at the age of 82. She was the oldest contestant at that time.
What was Cloris Leachman's first film?

Her first film was Kiss Me Deadly 1955, where she played the doomed blonde femme fatale Christina Bailey. She was five months pregnant during filming.
Did Cloris Leachman have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

Yes, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television on September 20, 1980. It is located at 6435 Hollywood Boulevard.
Did Cloris Leachman compete in the Miss America pageant?

Yes, she was named Miss Chicago in 1946 and competed in the Miss America pageant. The experience led to a scholarship to study acting under Elia Kazan.
Who were Cloris Leachman's classmates at Northwestern?

Her classmates included Paul Lynde, Charlotte Rae, Martha Hyer, Patricia Neal, and Agnes Nixon. She joined the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
How many films of Cloris Leachman are in the National Film Registry?

Five of her films have been selected: Kiss Me Deadly, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Last Picture Show, Young Frankenstein, and The Muppet Movie.
Did Cloris Leachman ever retire from acting?

No, she never retired. She continued acting until her death in 2021, appearing in television and film across eight decades.
What was Cloris Leachman's role on Malcolm in the Middle?

She played Ida Welker, the sharp-tongued grandmother of the main characters. The role won her two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

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Audited & updated by

Olivia has 6 years of experience writing biographical profiles and still approaches every subject like it's the first one. She covers everyone from debut musicians to Hall of Fame athletes to novelists most people have never heard of. She finds something worth reading in all of them. Her drafts tend to come in already clean, which her editor appreciates. She says good writing is just good thinking written down. Hard to argue with that.

Published on July 11, 2026

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Cloris Leachman.

TL;DR

Early life

Career

Personal life

Legacy

The Simpsons

Family Guy

The Office

Two and a Half Men

Hawaii Five-0

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Malcolm in the Middle

Perry Mason

The Nanny

Phineas and Ferb

The Love Boat

Mannix

Diagnosis: Murder