Cloris Leachman is an Emmy and Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles as the self-involved neighbor, Phyllis, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and as Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. She was recently paired with professional dancer Corky Ballas, as a contestant on season seven of Dancing With the Stars. Her list of awards is record-setting, with eight Primetime Emmy Awards - more than any other female performer - and one Daytime Emmy Award; she has been nominated more than 20 times. She won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1971 film The Last Picture Show.
Leachman began her career in television and film shortly after competing in the Miss America Pageant as Miss Chicago in 1946. Prior to that, she was very active in theater starring in many productions at the Des Moines Playhouse. She made her feature film debut in Robert Aldrich's film Kiss Me Deadly, and one year later appeared oppposite Paul Newman and Lee Marvin in The Rack.
Her career continued, mainly with work in television on shows such as The Twilight Zone, Rawhide, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Lassie in which she played Ruth Martin, Timmy's adoptive mom in the last half of season 4. Through the seventies, Leachman played her most notable character, the nosey neighbor/landlady Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The character was a fixture on the program for five years and later featured in a spinoff series, Phyllis, for which Leachman won a Golden Globe award.
Some of her more recent work include the role of Grandma Ida on Malcolm in the Middle, and wine-soaked, former jazz singer and grandmother, Evelyn, in the feature film Spanglish opposite Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni. She earned an Emmy nomination and SAG Award nomination for her performance in the HBO special Mrs. Harris. She has also staked her claim in the world of comedy with her many television roles and appearances. She"stole the show" in the Comedy Central "Roast of Bob Saget" with her sassy comeback and unbeatable wit with which she outshined the other comedians.
In 2008, Cloris:The One Woman Show was developed and was work-shopped at several theaters around the country. In May 2009 Cloris launched her one-woman show in Des Moines, Iowa, as a benefit for her high school. In 2010, Cloris will tour extensively with her show.
In 2008, Cloris was the Grand Marshal for the world famous Rose Parade, and did the coin toss at the the Rose Bowl game between Penn state and USC. If all this wasn't enough she managed to travel to Berlin, Germany to shoot the Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds, also starring Brad Pitt. Most recently, Cloris appeared as one of the voices in the animated feature film, Ponyo, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
In 2009, Cloris: My Autobiography was released by Kensington Books, reaching best seller lists around the country. She toured extensively with her book, answering the many questions her fans have about her life, loves, and what it is that keeps her moving forward.
Her latest venture has been the announcement of Cloris Line, an exciting, unique and elegant clothing and accessories line for women. Plans are now in the works for an exercise DVD geared towards seniors as well the The Cloris Cookbook. In Fall 2009, Cloris toured the country once again with the paperback and audio book release of her memoir.
