Lu Leonard
Lu Leonard | |
|---|---|
 Lu Leonard in Married... with Children (1988) | |
| Born | Mary Lou Price June 5, 1926 |
| Died | May 14, 2004 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Lou Leonard |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, voice actress |
| Years active | 1954–1995 |
Lu Leonard (born Mary Lou Price; June 5, 1926 – May 14, 2004) credited also as Lou Leonard, was an American character actress who appeared in numerous television series, theatre and, briefly, film. She was the daughter of actor Hal Price. She was best known for her role as Mrs. Pugh in Annie.
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Leonard was born Mary Lou Price in Long Beach, New York to stage and screen actor Hal Price, notable for his film with Republic Pictures and Amy Goodrich. She appeared on stage at 1 month with her vaudevillian parents, whom she would later write a play about entitled "Goodrick and Price”.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Television and film
[edit]She began acting in TV roles from the early 1950s onwards including as Theodosia in the Life of Riley television sitcom. Her first major appearance was as the wife of Three Stooges member Larry Fine in the film Husbands Beware.[1] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Leonard made television appearances on such shows as Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Facts of Life, Knight Rider and Married... with Children. Her most memorable was in a recurring role as William Conrad's wise-cracking secretary in Jake and the Fatman. She had small but memorable roles in Starman and Micki + Maude. One of Leonard's visible credits was playing the singing Angel Scribe II in the late 1960s Hallmark television musical special, The Littlest Angel.
Theatre
[edit]She appeared in theatre productions including national tours of Plain and Fancy, Oliver! and Man of La Mancha. Broadway roles included The Happiest Girl in the World, The Gay Life, Drat! The Cat!, Bravo Giovanni and The Pajama Game.
During the 1970s and 1980s she became a regional celebrity in the Los Angeles Theatre circuit for her outrageous portrayal as a lesbian head matron in the play Women Behind Bars.[2]
Film and voice
[edit]In 1982, she appeared as Oliver Warbucks' maid Mrs. Pugh in the film Annie. She also performed voices in the Hanna-Barbera version of the 1990 animated TV series Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series), and played Mrs. Chang in the 1990 live-action Aladdin television film.[3]
Personal life and death
[edit]Leonard never married or had children.[4] Health problems (including diabetes) eventually set in and she left Hollywood in 1995, living primarily in Oregon. She moved into the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California, where she spent her remaining years. She died of a heart attack on May 14, 2004, at age 77. A bench in the Roddy McDowall garden at the Motion Picture Home has been dedicated in her memory.[citation needed]
Filmography
[edit]| Title | Year | Role |
| My Little Margie (TV series) | 1954 | |
| The Life of Riley (TV series) | 1954 | Thedosia (credited her as Lou Leonard) |
| The Red Skelton Show (TV series) | 1954 | credited her as Lou Leonard) |
| December Bride (TV series, sitcom) | 1954 | Slim |
| Husbands Beware (film short) | 1955 | Dora - as Larry Fine's Wife |
| The Kettles in the Ozarks' | 1955 | Heavy Woman (uncredited) |
| Route 66 (TV series) | 1962 | Madame Thornton |
| Car 54, Where Are You? (TV series) | 1962-1963 | Mrs. Dobernack - Shopper |
| The Patty Duke Show (TV series) | 1963 | Nurse |
| The Littlest Angel (TV movie) | 1969 | The Scribe II |
| The San Pedro Beach Bums (TV series) | 1977 | Nurse Gomez |
| Last of the Good Guys (TV movie) | 1978 | Heavy Woman |
| Police Woman (TV series (1974-1978)) | 1975-1978 | Messenger Lady - The Rich Lady |
| Mork & Mindy (TV series) | 1979 | Lady #1 |
| Laverne and Shirley (TV series) | 1980 | Dotty |
| Make Me an Offer (TV movie) | 1980 | Mrs. Gordon |
| Annie | 1982 | Mrs. Pugh (Daddy Warbucks' cook) |
| Buffalo Bill (TV series) | 1983 | Joan Seegar |
| The Fall Guy (TV series; 1981-1986) | 1983 | Masseuse |
| Knight Rider (TV series; 1982-1986) | 1984 | Mabel |
| We Got It Made (TV series) | 1984 | Corky |
| Legmen (TV series) | 1984 | Uncle George |
| Cagney and Lacey (TV series) | 1984 | The Desk Clerk |
| Faerie Tale Theatre (TV series) | 1984 | Mother Toad |
| Night Court (TV series) | 1984 | Mother Frances |
| Starman | 1984 | Roadhouse Waitress |
| Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo | ||
| Micki + Maude | 1984 | Nurse Mary Verbeck |
| Stand Alone | 1985 | Mrs. Whitehead |
| Tall Tales and Legends (TV series) | 1985 | Queen Victoria |
| Fraud Squad (TV movie) | 1985 | |
| Riptide (TV series) | 1986 | Bella |
| The Facts of Life (TV series) | 1986 | Estelle |
| Pros and Cons (TV movie) | 1986 | Dolly |
| The Jay Leno Show (TV special) | 1986 | Herself |
| Who's the Boss? (TV series) | 1987 | Mrs. Hiller |
| The Princess Academy | 1987 | Fraulein Stinkenschmidt |
| She's the Sheriff (TV series) | 1987 | Princess Babushka |
| You Can't Hurry Love | 1988 | Miss Friggit |
| My Two Dads (TV series) | 1988 | Ethel Baumgartner |
| Married... with Children | 1988 | De Groot |
| Hooperman (TV series) | 1988 | Nurse Jordan |
| Jake and the Fatman (TV series) | 1987-1989 | Gertrude Reilly |
| Shadowzone | 1990 | Mrs. Cutter |
| Growing Pains (TV series) | 1990 | Guard |
| Without You I'm Nothing | 1990 | Ingrid Horn - Sandra's Manager |
| Circuitry Man | 1990 | Juice |
| Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (TV series) | 1990 | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Amen (TV series) | 1990 | Heather Fetlock |
| Aladdin (TV movie) | 1990 | Mrs. Chang |
| A Climate for Killing | 1991 | Winnie |
| Dexeil's Class (TV series) | 1991 | |
| Uncle Buck (TV series) | 1990-1991 | Ms. Crappier |
| Kuffs | 1992 | Harriet |
| Made in America | 1993 | Sperm Bank Nurse |
| 'Daddy Dearest (TV series) | 1993 | Aggie |
| The Nanny (TV series) | 1994 | Nanny #2 |
| Blank Check | 1994 | Udowitz |
| Get Smart (TV series) | 1995 | Nurse Scrum |
| Man of the Year (TV series) | 1995 | Dee Dee Sweatman |
References
[edit]- ^ Profile, threestooges.net. Accessed April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Lu Leonard obituary". Variety.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Lu Leonard, 77; Character Actress in Films, on Broadway, dies, latimes.com. Accessed April 28, 2022.
- ^ Lu Leonard, 1927–2004, laweekly.com. Accessed April 28, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Lu Leonard at IMDb
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