Actress and comedian Cloris Leachman dies at 94

Cloris Leachman (pictured), an American actress and comedian who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a supporting role in the "Last Picture Show" in 1971 and starred in popular TV shows such as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Malcom in the Middle” passed away on Wednesday (local time), according to The Associated Press. She was 94.

Born to a poor family in Iowa in 1926, Cloris took piano lessons at the age of 5 but she practiced on a cardboard drawing of the keys since her family could not afford a piano. In 1946, she went to New York with her prize money from a beauty pageant and mostly played extra roles for a while.

Showing up as a supporting in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1970, Cloris began to cut a fine figure, and since then, she starred in numerous films and TV dramas to be recognized as master of acting. She was also known for her fearless approach to her looks. “I don’t pay too much attention to how I look. True beauty is elsewhere,” she said in an interview.


Min Kim kimmin@donga.com