Cloris Leachman was a very health-conscious woman. To be fit and live a longer life, she quit consuming animal protein and began leading life as a vegetarian. People know her for her acting career in Hollywood.
However, let’s find out the answer to the question, how did Cloris Leachman die?
On 27 January 2021, Cloris Leachman died in her sleep, and she was at the age of 94 at that time. When she died, she was staying in Encinitas, California, at her home. A medical report said Cloris Leachman died of a stroke that was triggered by the COVID-19.
Cloris Leachman’s Early Life
On 30 April 1926, Cloris Leachman was born in Des Moines, Lowa, United States of America. In addition, she spent her childhood and completed academic education in her birthplace, Des Moines.
Cloris Leachman’s father’s name was Berkeley Claiborne Leachman. He worked in a company named Leachman Lumber Company. The following company was family-owned.
On the other hand, Cloris Leachman’s mother’s name was Cloris Wallace. Besides, she had two sisters, including Claiborne Cary and Mary. Cloris Leachman’s younger sister, Claiborne Cary, was also an actress like her sister, Cloris. Besides, she also sang songs.
Cloris Leachman completed her high school education at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Lowa, United States of America. After finishing high school, she attended Northwestern University’s School of Education.
While studying at Northwestern University, Cloris Leachman was a member of an international college sorority named Gamma Phi Beta.
At the following sorority, Cloris Leachman met Charlotte Rae and Paul Lynde, future comic actors. Shortly after participating in Miss America 1946, she began her journey as an actress in short films and television.
Filmography of Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman led a marvelous life. Her career is full of success. In 1947, Cloris Leachman first introduced herself to the American film industry by acting in a film Carnegie Hall by Edgar G. Ulmar.
In her first film acting, Cloris Leachman debuted as a dancer of Dancing Nightclub Patron. However, she was uncredited for her work.
Later in 1955, after a gap of quite a few years, Cloris Leachman found a chance to work in a film named Kiss Me Deadly. There, she was in the role of Christina Bailey.
Before dying, Cloris Leachman acted in 92 films and 43 television films. The last film where she worked as an actress was Jump, Darling in 2020. In that film, Cloris Leachman was in the role of Margaret.
In 2021, Cloris Leachman did her final roles in films named High Holiday and Not to Forget. However, she could not see these films released as these two were released after her death.
Cloris Leachman’s Television Career
Like the filming career, Cloris Leachman’s television series career is also enriched. She has contributed a lot to this industry. In 1948, Cloris Leachman appeared in a TV series named The Ford Theatre Hour. In that series, she debuted as a maid named Dora and worked in only one episode of Night Must Fall.
The last TV series where Cloris Leachman appeared was Mad About You. In the following series, she was in the role of Mrs. Alice Mandelbaum.
Until now, Cloris Leachman has worked in a total of 140 television series. Sometimes she worked as an actress and sometimes worked as an executive producer. Moreover, in many TV series, Cloris Leachman made a single appearance.
However, there are TV series where Cloris Leachman worked for years and in lots of episodes. Let’s find out those television shows where she worked for years below:
| Television Series Name (Years) | Role Name (Number of Episodes) |
| Charlie Wild, Private Detective (1950 – 1952) | Effie Perrine (57) |
| Lassie (1957 – 1958) | Ruth Martin (28) |
| The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 – 1977) | Phyllis Lindstrom (34) |
| Phyllis (1975 – 1977) | Phyllis Lindstrom (48) |
| The Facts of Life (1986 – 1988) | Beverly Ann Stickle (48) |
| Rising Hope (2010 – 2014) | Barbara June Thompson (83) |
Death of Cloris Leachman
Cloris Leachman was a very health-conscious person. However, life is limited, and everyone has to pass away at a point. Cloris Leachman died at the age of 94.
In 2021, Cloris Leachman had to encounter COVID-19 which damaged her immunity system a lot. On 27 January 2021, while sleeping, she had a stroke that was the cause of her death.
Medical reports said that COVID-19 was the one to pull the trigger of Cloris Leachman’s stroke. On 7 February 2021, she was buried at a cemetery.