Cloris Leachman Appreciation: Versatile Actress Had a Gift, and Kept on Giving
Also Read: Cloris Leachman, Oscar-Winning Star of 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Phyllis,' Dies at 94Like many performers of her generation, she found a foothold on the small screen, working steadily throughout the 1950s and ’60s, most notably on the classic “It’s a Good Life” episode of “The Twilight Zone,” and as a regular on half a season of “Lassie.” There were some film roles interspersed during this period as well (“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” George Cukor’s “The Chapman Report”), but it wasn’t until 1971, when Peter Bogdanovich cast her in “The Last Picture Show,” that her career would receive another big jolt.As the love-starved wife of a high-school football coach — a role that co-star Ellen Burstyn turned down — Leachman