Cloris Leachman was first seen in the 1947 film ‘Carnegie Hall’ where she made an uncredited appearance as a dancing nightclub patron. In 1950, she became a part of the American detective series ‘Charlie Wild, Private Detective.’ The show aired its final episode in 1952. She next starred as ‘Christina Bailey’ in the 1955 American film ‘Kiss Me Deadly,’ directed by Robert Aldrich. The film received positive response from critics and later came to be known as one of the most important and influential film noirs of all time. She next appeared in ‘The Rack’ (1956), ‘The Chapman Report’ (1962), ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969), The People Next Door’ (1970), and ‘Lovers and Other Strangers’ (1970).
In 1970, she starred as ‘Ruth Popper’ in the coming-of-age drama film ‘The Last Picture Show,’ directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The film opened to wide critical acclaim and became a major box office success, grossing over $29.1 million against a budget of $1.3 million. Leachman also won the ‘Academy Award’ for her performance in the film. She played the role of ‘Victoria Douglas’ in the 1973 American made-for-television drama film ‘A Brand New Life’ which earned her a ‘Primetime Emmy Award.’ In 1975, she joined the cast of the American sitcom television series ‘Phyllis.’ She bagged a ‘Golden Globe Award’ for her performance as ‘Phyllis Lindstrom’ in the series. The show ran for 48 episodes and went off-air in 1977.
Leachman went on to star in television series like ‘The Love Boat’ (1976), ‘Backstairs at the White House’ (1979), ‘ABC Afterschool Special’ (1983), ‘The Facts of Life’ (1986-1988), ‘The Nutt House’ (1989), ‘Walter & Emily’ (1991-1992), ‘Promised Land’ (1995), ‘Touched by an Angel’ (1997-2003), ‘Thanks’ (1999-2000), and ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ (2001-2006). In 2005, she starred as ‘Lynette Grey’ in the American sports comedy film ‘The Longest Yard,’ directed by Peter Segal. The film opened to mixed reviews and was a box office success. That same year, she was seen playing the role of ‘Pearl Schwartz’ in the American-British made-for-television drama film ‘Mrs. Harris.’ She earned praise for her performance and went on to become a recipient of the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award.’ The following year, she appeared in the American science fantasy comedy horror film ‘Scary Movie 4,’ directed by David Zucker. The film was a massive box office hit, grossing over $178.3 million against a budget of $40 million.
She next appeared in ‘New York, I Love You’ (2008), ‘American Cowslip’ (2009), ‘Expecting Mary’ (2010), ‘The Fields’ (2011), ‘The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure’ (2012), ‘The Croods’ (2013), ‘Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse’ (2015), ‘The Comedian’ (2016), and ‘The Croods: A New Age’ (2020). Cloris Leachman’s final big-screen appearance came in the 2021 film ‘Not to Forget’ directed by Valerio Zanoli.
