Lu Leonard
Lu Leonard in Married with Children 1988
Born
Mary Lou Price

(1926-06-05)June 5, 1926
DiedMay 14, 2004(2004-05-14) (aged 77)
Other namesLou Leonard
Occupation(s)Actress, voice actress
Years active1954–1995

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 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”.

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 and on 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 (1982 film) starring Aileen Quinn and Carol Burnett. 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

Lu Leonard never married or had children.[4]

Health problems (including diabetes) eventually set in and she left Hollywood in 1995, living primarily in Oregon. Lu eventually decided to move 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, and a bench in the Roddy McDowall garden at the Motion Picture Home has been dedicated in her memory.

Filmography

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 maid and 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

  1. Profile, threestooges.net. Accessed April 28, 2022.
  2. "Lu Leonard obituary". Variety.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  3. Lu Leonard, 77; Character Actress in Films, on Broadway, dies, latimes.com. Accessed April 28, 2022.
  4. Lu Leonard, 1927–2004, laweekly.com. Accessed April 28, 2022.


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