Cloris Leachman, the actress best known for portraying Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show fame, has died. She was 94.
According to reports, the beloved Young Frankenstein star died of natural causes at her home in Encinitas, California, Wednesday (January 27). “Unfortunately the news is true,” Leachman’s manager, Juliet Green, confirmed to Us Weekly. “It’s been my privilege to work with Cloris Leachman, one of the most fearless actresses of our time.”
Green added, “With a single look she had the ability to break your heart or make you laugh till the tears ran down your face. You never knew what Cloris was going to say or do and that unpredictable quality was part of her unparalleled magic."
Leachman famously competed in the 1946 Miss America pageant before making her big break into acting the following year in Carnegie Hall. She also starred in a Broadway production of Sundown Beach and later found film success in the ‘50s in Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Lassie.
After winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in 1971’s The Last Picture Show, her star turn came the year prior when she was cast in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The part would earn Leachman several Emmy awards for her portrayal of the fan-favorite Phyllis.
Leachman’s career continued to propel in projects like 1974’s Young Frankenstein, 1981’s History of the World, Part I, and 1993’s Double, Double, Toil and Trouble alongside Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
She is survived by her sons Adam, George, Morgan; daughter Dinah; and six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
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