Joan Leslie

Joan Leslie

Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress, dancer, and vaudevillian who, during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as High Sierra, Sergeant York, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel was born on January 26, 1925, in Highland Park, Michigan, the youngest child of John and Agnes Brodel. At 15, Leslie had her first significant role as the crippled girl in High Sierra (1941), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino. The same year she played in Sergeant York as York's fiancée. Leslie had a supporting role in The Male Animal (1942) as Olivia de Havilland's younger sister. In Yankee Doodle Dandy (also 1942) she portrayed George M. Cohan's girlfriend/wife. By now, Leslie had become a star whose on-screen image was described as "sweet innocence without seeming too sugary." Leslie was in four motion pictures released during 1943: The Hard Way, starring Ida Lupino and Dennis Morgan; The Sky's the Limit (1943), starring with Fred Astaire; the wartime film This Is the Army (1943) with Ronald Reagan; and finally Thank Your Lucky Stars. During World War II, she was a regular volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen, where she danced with servicemen and signed hundreds of autographs. She was featured with Robert Hutton, among many others, in the Warner Bros. film Hollywood Canteen (1944). In 1946 Leslie's career took a dive when she took Warner Brothers to court in order to get released from her contract based on moral and religious grounds because of the parts they kept giving her. She wanted more serious and mature roles. In 1947, the Catholic Theatre Guild gave Leslie an award because of her "consistent refusal to use her talents and art in film productions of objectionable character." As a result of this, Jack Warner used his influence to blacklist her from other major Hollywood studios. From this point on Leslie had a more irregular film career. In 1947, she signed a two-picture contract with the poverty row studio Eagle-Lion Films. The first one was Repeat Performance (1947), a film noir. The other was Northwest Stampede (1948) in which she performed with James Craig. In 1952, she signed a short-term deal with Republic Pictures. One of the films she made for Republic was Flight Nurse (1953). Her last film was The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956). However, she continued making sporadic appearances in television shows while her children were at school. She retired from acting in 1991, after appearing in the TV film Fire in the Dark. Leslie died on October 12, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. She was 90. Her survivors include her two children and one sister, Betty. On October 8, 1960, Joan Leslie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. In 1999, she was one of the 250 actresses nominated for the American Film Institute's selection of the 25 greatest female screen legends to have debuted before 1950. On August 12, 2006, she received a Golden Boot Award for her contributions to Western television shows and movies.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: January 26, 1925

Deathday: October 12, 2015

Popularity:

10.689

Known For

Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy

1942-05-29

Curtains for Roy Earle
Curtains for Roy Earle

2003-11-03

High Sierra
High Sierra

1941-01-23

Repeat Performance
Repeat Performance

1947-05-22

The Hard Way
The Hard Way

1943-01-13

Hollywood Gangster
Hollywood Gangster

2008-12-27

Man in the Saddle
Man in the Saddle

1951-12-02

Born to Be Bad
Born to Be Bad

1950-09-28

Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue

1945-06-27

Thank Your Lucky Stars
Thank Your Lucky Stars

1943-09-25

The Sky's the Limit
The Sky's the Limit

1943-07-13

This Is the Army
This Is the Army

1943-08-14

Sergeant York
Sergeant York

1941-09-27

Hollywood Canteen
Hollywood Canteen

1944-12-15

Showbiz Goes to War
Showbiz Goes to War

1982-12-31

The Male Animal
The Male Animal

1942-03-12

The Wagons Roll at Night
The Wagons Roll at Night

1941-04-25

The Revolt of Mamie Stover
The Revolt of Mamie Stover

1956-05-11

Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film

2008-10-21

Woman They Almost Lynched
Woman They Almost Lynched

1953-03-20

The Great Mr. Nobody
The Great Mr. Nobody

1941-02-15

Jubilee Trail
Jubilee Trail

1954-05-15

Hellgate
Hellgate

1952-09-04

Toughest Man in Arizona
Toughest Man in Arizona

1952-10-10

Janie Gets Married
Janie Gets Married

1946-06-22

Thieves Fall Out
Thieves Fall Out

1941-05-03

Men with Wings
Men with Wings

1938-07-16

High School
High School

1940-01-26

Two Guys from Milwaukee
Two Guys from Milwaukee

1946-07-26

Flight Nurse
Flight Nurse

1953-11-15

Cinderella Jones
Cinderella Jones

1946-03-09

Nine Lives Are Not Enough
Nine Lives Are Not Enough

1941-09-20

Alice in Movieland
Alice in Movieland

1940-03-03

Laddie
Laddie

1940-01-18

Northwest Stampede
Northwest Stampede

1948-07-28

The Keegans
The Keegans

1976-05-03

Two Thoroughbreds
Two Thoroughbreds

1939-12-08

Susan and God
Susan and God

1940-06-07

Star Dust
Star Dust

1940-04-06

Nancy Drew... Reporter
Nancy Drew... Reporter

1939-02-18

Love Affair
Love Affair

1939-04-07

The Skipper Surprised His Wife
The Skipper Surprised His Wife

1950-06-29

James Cagney: Top of the World
James Cagney: Top of the World

1992-07-05

Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration

1951-03-25

Too Young to Know
Too Young to Know

1945-12-01

Hell's Outpost
Hell's Outpost

1954-12-15

Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent

1940-08-16

Winter Carnival
Winter Carnival

1939-07-28

Camille
Camille

1936-12-26

Charley Hannah
Charley Hannah

1986-04-05

Sergeant York: Of God and Country
Sergeant York: Of God and Country

2006-11-07

I Am an American
I Am an American

1944-12-23

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History

2008-10-14

Turn Back the Clock
Turn Back the Clock

1989-11-20

Young as You Feel
Young as You Feel

1940-02-16

Fire in the Dark
Fire in the Dark

1991-07-01

So You Want to Be in Pictures
So You Want to Be in Pictures

1947-06-07

The Voice That Thrilled the World
The Voice That Thrilled the World

1943-10-16

Stars on Horseback
Stars on Horseback

1943-04-23

Parade of Aquatic Champions
Parade of Aquatic Champions

1945-07-22

Where Do We Go from Here?
Where Do We Go from Here?

1945-05-23

Inside the Dream Factory
Inside the Dream Factory

1995-11-01

Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero

1998-03-17

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression

2009-01-01