Another Iowa native
- JP
- Apr 29, 2025
- 1 min read
Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021).
Cloris Leachman was an American actress and comedienne from Des Moines, Iowa. During her career she won eight Emmy awards, tying with Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most individual acting awards in Emmy history.
Leachman also earned a Golden Globe Award, British Academy Film Award, as well as an Oscar. She was an Academy Award winner for the movie The Last Picture Show (1971) where she portrayed the character, Ruth Popper.
She is best remembered for her reoccurring television role as the delightfully neurotic Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1975).
Watch Leachman guest-star on The Donna Reed Show in "Mouse at Play" (Season 4, Episode 4).
-by Penelope Hunter, Donna Reed Foundation intern
Revisiting Cloris Leachman's performances truly moves me because her acting energy, both humorous and profound, remains as vibrant as ever after so many decades—do you have any personal memories Among Us Free of first seeing her on The Donna Reed Show or The Mary Tyler Moore Show?