Cloris Leachman of 'Young Frankenstein' Who Just Turned 94 Reveals Her Favorite Film Roles

July 2024 · 2 minute read

On Thursday, April 30, 2020, actress Cloris Leachman turned 94! To celebrate this great milestone we’ve listed some of the actress’s favorite movies she’s ever featured in.

Leachman is an Oscar and Emmy Award-winning actress who has starred in films like “Young Frankenstein.” We’ve decided to commemorate her birthday by sharing five of her favorite films.

LEACHMAN’S FAVORITE FILMS

Leachman was the one who thought it would be nice to sing “The Sweetest Little Fellow,” from the song “Mighty Like a Rose” by Paul Robeson, for Paul Newman’s fans. The producers gave her the go-ahead but when she heard it she thought “it sounded like a cat mewing,” but they “didn’t have time to fix it.”

Cloris Leachman at the American Film Institute's 44th Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams on June 9, 2016, in Hollywood, California | Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

The actress recalled how they filmed the movie in Texas “in some godforsaken little city, little town.” She shared how she and co-star Ellen Burstyn hung out together and for some reason, they couldn’t stop mimicking the accent in the area.

Leachman revealed how co-star Gene Wilder laughed “every time I said anything.” She recalled how “The minute I would say my line, I know he [Wilder] was laughing. I could just feel it.”

It sounded like a cat mewing

The actor’s uncontrollable laughter caused them to have many takes while filming scenes.

The star explained how she got the mustache in the film stating: “I had been made up and I was sitting in my trailer waiting to be called and just doing nothing so I had a little black pencil.” Without thinking about it, she drew a mustache and ended up going on set with it.

Leachman commended the film for being “lovely.” She credited Mickey Sumner, Sting’s daughter, for being an “excellent” actress and revealed that she loved working with her and James Wolk.

HER OTHER ACTING CREDITS

Some of the actress’s other acting credits include “History of the World, Part I,” “The Muppet Movie,” “The Iron Giant,” “Sky High,” and “Prancer.” In 2015, Leachman was interviewed by “Parade,” where she spoke about how she became vegan.

LEACHMAN IS A VEGAN

The actress explained that she became a vegetarian at the age of 35 after experiencing a bad bout with asthma that left her unable to breathe or sleep. The star appears to have no intention of slowing down when it comes to acting, and in 2018 she featured on “I Can Only Imagine.”

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