Acting legend Cloris Leachman dies at 94

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      American actor Cloris Leachman has passed away.

      Leachman--who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role as an embittered small-town housewife in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 drama The Last Picture Show--died of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California at 94.

      Leachman was perhaps best known for her role as the neurotic Phyllis Lindstrom on TV's The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her other early small-screen portrayals included that of Mrs. Fremont on the 1961 Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life", in which she played the mother of an ill-tempered six-year-old boy (Billy Mumy) with supernatural powers.

      Leachman and Billy Mumy in "It's a Good Life".

      Leachman won Emmy Awards for her guest spots on the variety show Cher and a recurring role on Malcolm in the Middle as Grandma IdaHer extensive television work earned her a total of eight primetime Emmys, both for drama and comedy, and one daytime Emmy. She was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2011.

      She was also a voice actor in numerous animated films, including My Little Pony: The MovieA Troll in Central Park, Beavis and ButtheadThe Iron Giant, and Castle in the Sky

      Leachman appeared in three Mel Brooks films, including 1974's Young Frankenstein, in which she played fan-favorite caretaker Frau Blücher.

      Young Frankenstein.

      In 2008 she became, at age 82, the oldest contestant on Dancing With the Stars.

      Leachman is survived by her daughter Dinah and her sons Adam, George Jr., and Morgan.

       

       

       

       

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