Academy Award-winning actress Cloris Leachman was born on April 30, 1936 in Des Moines, Iowa. Her numerous accolades span the areas of stage, film and television, and she is known for winning eight primetime Emmy Awards and one Daytime Emmy Award. Leachman graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1994, later taking up drama at Northwestern University. She has also appeared on numerous productions for the Des Moines Playhouse, and has competed in Miss America as Miss Chicago in 1946.
Cloris Leachman studied acting at the Actors Studio in New York City, later appearing on the Broadway production of William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba. During the 1950s, she rose to fame making her film debut in the Robert Aldrich film noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. She was also given roles alongside Paul Newman, such as in the films The Rack and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Her other credits include The Twilight Zone, Rawhide, Alfred Hitch!$#!# Presents, One Step Beyond, and The Dark Room. In 1971, she won an Oscar for her work as Best Supporting Actress in The Last Picture Show. She became noted for her portrayal of the nosy landlady Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She garnered a Golden Globe Award for her starring role on the show’s spin-off, titled Phyllis. Her other roles were in three Mel Brooks films, namely Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, and History of the World: Part I. She was also seen on Beach Girls, Spanglish, Sky High and the HBO special Mrs. Harris.
Cloris Leachman later signed up to appear on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars, teaming up with Corky Ballas. Joining 13 other couples, the two are set to perform various types of dances that will enable them to win the much-coveted mirror ball trophy. The show is hosted by Emmy Award-winning game show host Tom Bergeron, and features Len Goodman, Carrie Anne Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli as the panel of judges.