Lu Leonard
Lu Leonard | |
---|---|
![]() Lu Leonard in Married... with Children (1988) | |
Born | Mary Lou Price June 5, 1926 |
Died | May 14, 2004 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 77)
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
Early life
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
Television and film
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
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
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
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
Film and Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | My Little Margie | — | Episode: "Health Farm" |
1954 | The Life of Riley | Thedosia | Episode: "Riley and the Boss' Niece" |
1954 | The Red Skelton Show | Sister of Mexican Man / Plump Lady in Soda Shop | 2 episodes |
1954 | December Bride | Slim | Episode: "Lily Is Bored" |
1955 | Husbands Beware | Dora - Larry's Wife | Short film |
1955 | The Kettles in the Ozarks | Heavy Woman | Uncredited |
1962 | Route 66 | Madame Thornton | Episode: "Only by Cunning Glimpses" |
1962 1963 |
Car 54, Where Are You? | Mrs. Dobernack / Shopper | 2 episodes |
1963 | The Patty Duke Show | Nurse | Episode: "Double Date" |
1969 | The Littlest Angel | The Scribe II | Television film |
1977 | The San Pedro Beach Bums | Nurse Gomez | Episode: "Angels and the Bums" |
1978 | Last of the Good Guys | Heavy Woman | Television film |
1974 1978 |
Police Woman | Messenger Lady / The Rich Lady | 2 episodes |
1979 | Mork & Mindy | Lady #1 | Episode: "Dr. Morkenstein" |
1980 | Laverne & Shirley | Dotty | Episode: "Not Quite South of the Border" |
1980 | Make Me an Offer | Mrs. Gordon | Television film |
1982 | Annie | Mrs. Pugh | |
1983 | Buffalo Bill | Joan Seegar | |
1983 | The Fall Guy | Masseuse | Episode: "TKO" |
1984 | Knight Rider | Mable | Episode: "Diamonds Aren't a Girl's Best Friend" |
1984 | We Got It Made | Corky | Episode: "The Break-Up: Part 2" |
1984 | Legmen | Uncle George | Episode: "Poseidon Indenture" |
1984 | Cagney & Lacey | The Desk Clerk | Episode: "Matinee" |
1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Mother Toad | Episode: "Thumbelina" |
1984 | Night Court | Mother Frances | Episode: "The Nun" |
1984 | Starman | Roadhouse Waitress | |
1984 | Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo | Head Nurse | |
1984 | Micki & Maude | Nurse Mary Verbeck | |
1985 | Stand Alone | Mrs. Whitehead | |
1985 | Tall Tales & Legends | Queen Victoria | |
1985 | Fraud Squad | — | Television film |
1986 | Riptide | Bella | Episode: "Dead Men Don't Floss" |
1986 | The Facts of Life | Episode: "The Apartment" | |
1986 | Pros and Cons | Dolly | Television film |
1986 | The Jay Leno Show | Herself | Television special |
1987 | Who's the Boss? | Mrs. Hiller | Episode: "The Way We Was" |
1987 | The Princess Academy | Fraulein Stinkenschmidt | |
1987 | She's the Sheriff | Princess Babushka | Episode: "The Golden Streak" |
1988 | You Can't Hurry Love | Miss Friggit | |
1988 | My Two Dads | Ethel Baumgartner | |
1988 | Married... with Children | DeGroot | Episode: "He Thought He Could" |
1988 | Hooperman | Nurse Jordan | Episode: "Who Do You Truss?" |
1987 1989 |
Jake and the Fatman | Gertrude Reilly | 10 episodes |
1990 | Shadowzone | Mrs. Cutter | |
1990 | Growing Pains | Guard | Episode: "Carol in Jail" |
1990 | Without You I'm Nothing | Ingrid Horn - Sandra's Manager | |
1990 | Circuitry Man | Juice | |
1990 | Amen | Heather Fetlock | Episode: "Judge Deacon Frye" |
1990 | Aladdin | Mrs. Chang | Television film |
1991 | A Climate for Killing | Winnie | |
1991 | Dexeil's Class | — | Episode: "The Best Thanksgiving Ever" |
1990 1991 |
Uncle Buck | Ms. Crappier | 3 episodes |
1992 | Kuffs | Harriet | |
1993 | Made in America | Sperm Bank Nurse | |
1993 | Daddy Dearest | Aggie | Episode: "Jaws, Too" |
1994 | The Nanny | Nanny #2 | Episode: "The Nanny-in-Law" |
1994 | Blank Check | Udowitz | |
1995 | Get Smart | Nurse Scrum | Episode: "Liver Let Die" |
1995 | Man of the Year | Dee Dee Sweatman | Final film role |
References
- ^ 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
- Lu Leonard at IMDb