Cloris Leachman makes such an impact as landlady Phyllis Lindstrom on
The Mary Tyler Moore Show that it’s easy to forget she was only ever a recurring presence on the series. But
my how crucial she is to the calibration of the 1970s’ best sitcom ensemble: The splash of vinegar to the title star’s sweetness, casually insulting Mary Richards’ tastes and exchanging passive-aggressive barbs with Rhoda Morgenstern a depiction of Midwestern nice that could only come from a native of Des Moines. It wasn’t the type of thing that could sustain a show of its own, but Leachman’s departure for
Cloris Leachman 1926-2021 Beloved Television Icon (Source: The Hollywood Reporter) By Craig Thornton | January 28, 2021 at 11:34 AM EST - Updated January 31 at 1:15 PM
WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWNY) -
One of my favorite actresses from one of my favorite shows (
The Mary Tyler Moore Show), has passed-Cloris Leachman was 94. I thought she would live forever, and she will of course.
Her career expanded a jaw-dropping seven decades; from a live appearance on television in 1948, to a film in 2021 that hasn’t even been released yet.
She won a record eght Emmy awards for performance, nine if you count the daytime Emmy award.
Robert Aldrich’s brutal, rough and unapologetically bleak 1955 Mike Hammer film “Kiss Me Deadly” opens with a frantic woman running down a dark highway while wearing nothing but a trenchcoat. The soundtrack fills with her terrified grunts and the sound of her bare feet slapping the asphalt. After attempting to flag down several cars, she is almost run over by the film’s hero, who begrudgingly picks her up. As the credits roll down the screen rather than up, the frightened woman’s labored pants and groans uneasily mix with the Nat King Cole song playing on Mike Hammer’s car radio. The juxtaposition sounds obscene, and the ultimate fate of this doomed dame is beyond horrific. But what an opening scene this is, marking the unforgettable big screen debut of Cloris Leachman.
White swings a golf club while on location for
Date with the Angels in Los Angeles, California. The sitcom only lasted for 33 episodes, ending in 1958. In total, she has acted as a lead or recurring character on roughly 25 different television series. This, of course, is not counting the numerous programs where she served as host.
PHOTO: ABC Photo Archives
1961
In 1961, White met television host and personality, Allen Ludden, pictured here, when she was a celebrity guest on the show
Password. In 1963, the couple got married, and she changed her name to Betty White Ludden.
PHOTO: CBS Photo Archive
1963
In the early 1960s, White spent a lot of time on network game shows, making appearances on