Obituary: Cloris Leachman

Blending Strange and Serious for an Enduring Acting Career

Cloris Leachman died here in Southern California at the age of 94. Though I’ve never met the actress and comedienne, I wanted to. I made an effort. At some point during my years at Box Office Mojo, I requested an interview with Miss Leachman. The interview was my idea. In those days, I was at liberty to reach out to artists, primarily actors and directors, who I thought were underappreciated, accessible and uniquely skilled. My request went unanswered for weeks. Suddenly, her publicist called and said that Miss Leachman had expressed an interest. The interview never happened.

Cloris Leachman was extremely talented. She became known for portrayals of lonely or odd women. I think this is a byproduct of our bankrupt culture, however. Miss Leachman was, as they used to say in Hollywood, leading lady material. There was an air of innocence about her. She possessed beauty, expressing strength and, despite eccentric roles, a quality which can only be described as originality.

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