Origins & Early Life

Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned 79 years. She received many accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, nine Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She was known for her versatility and distinctive physicality, whereby she used props to accentuate and express her roles' characterizations. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Leachman attended Northwestern University and began appearing in local plays as a teenager.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

After competing in the 1946 Miss America pageant, she secured a scholarship to study under Elia Kazan at the Actors Studio in New York City, making her professional debut in 1948. In film, she appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971) as a neglected 1950s housewife who has an affair with a student of her husband, a high-school gym teacher; she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She was part of Mel Brooks' ensemble cast, playing Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein (1974), Nurse Diesel in High Anxiety (1977) and Madame Defarge in History of the World, Part I (1981). Leachman won eight Primetime Emmy...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aaron Klug — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering biophysicist known for crystallographic electron microscopy and nucleic acid structure.
• Abdus Salam — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate.
• Alan Greenspan — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Influential American economist, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
• Abdul Qadeer Khan — Contemporary (Died in 2021) (2021): Pakistani nuclear physicist, known as the 'father of Pakistan's atomic weapons program'
• Abimael Guzmán — Contemporary (Died in 2021) (2021): Peruvian Maoist revolutionary leader, founder of the Shining Path.
• Albert Bandura — Contemporary (Died in 2021) (2021): Pioneering psychologist known for Social Cognitive Theory and self-efficacy.
• Agnes Moorehead — Shared historical date (04-30 · Died) (1974): Iconic American actress celebrated for stage, film, and television roles.
• Akihito — Shared historical date (04-30 · Died) (2019): 125th Emperor of Japan; reigned during the Heisei era (1989-2019).
• Abbas the Great — Shared historical date (01-27 · Born) (1571): Fifth Safavid Shah of Iran, considered one of the greatest rulers in Iranian history.
• Alexander Vovin — Shared historical date (01-27 · Born) (1961): Pioneering Russian-American linguist specializing in East Asian languages, particularly Japanese.
• 1926 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1926
• April 30 (04-30) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on April 30
• 2021 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2021
• January 27 (01-27) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on January 27