Joan Leslie
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 26, 1925
- Died
- October 12, 2015 (aged 90)
- Birthplace
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Movie · as Self
Hollywood Gangster
Movie · as Self
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Movie · as Self
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
Movie · as Self
Sergeant York: Of God and Country
Movie
Hollywood Helps the Cause
Movie · as Self
Curtains for Roy Earle
Movie · as Self
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Movie · as Self
Inside the Dream Factory
Movie · as Self
James Cagney: Top of the World
Movie · as Self
Fire in the Dark
Movie · as Ruthie
Shades of L.A.
TV · 1 ep
Turn Back the Clock
Movie · as Party Guest
Charley Hannah
Movie · as Sandy Hannah
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Lillian Appletree · 1 ep
Showbiz Goes to War
Movie · as (archive footage)
Simon & Simon
TV · 1 ep
The Incredible Hulk
TV · 1 ep
The Keegans
Movie · as Mary Keegan
Charlie's Angels
TV · as Catherine · 1 ep
Police Story
TV · 1 ep
Branded
TV · 1 ep
The Revolt of Mamie Stover
Movie · as Annalee Johnson
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV · 1 ep
Jubilee Trail
Movie · as Garnet Hale
Hell's Outpost
Movie · as Sarah Moffit
Woman They Almost Lynched
Movie · as Sally Maris
Flight Nurse
Movie · as Lt. Polly Davis
General Electric Theater
TV · as Sarah Owens · 1 ep
Hellgate
Movie · as Ellen Hanley
Toughest Man in Arizona
Movie · as Mary Kimber
Man in the Saddle
Movie · as Laurie Bidwell Isham
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
Movie · as Claudia
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · 1 ep
Born to Be Bad
Movie · as Donna
The Skipper Surprised His Wife
Movie · as Daphne Lattimer
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Vanessa Cook · 1 ep
Northwest Stampede
Movie · as Chris Johnson
Repeat Performance
Movie · as Sheila Page
So You Want to Be in Pictures
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Janie Gets Married
Movie · as Janie Conway
Two Guys from Milwaukee
Movie · as Connie Reed
Cinderella Jones
Movie · as Judy Jones
Rhapsody in Blue
Movie · as Julie Adams
Too Young to Know
Movie · as Sally Sawyer
Parade of Aquatic Champions
Movie · as Herself
Where Do We Go from Here?
Movie · as Sally Smith / Prudence / Katrina
Hollywood Canteen
Movie · as Self
I Am an American
Movie · as Self (uncredited)
The Hard Way
Movie · as Katherine 'Katie' Blaine
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Movie · as Pat Dixon
The Sky's the Limit
Movie · as Joan Manion
This Is the Army
Movie · as Eileen Dibble
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Movie · as Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Stars on Horseback
Movie
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Movie · as Mary
The Male Animal
Movie · as Patricia Stanley
High Sierra
Movie · as Velma
Sergeant York
Movie · as Gracie Williams
The Wagons Roll at Night
Movie · as Mary Coster
The Great Mr. Nobody
Movie · as Mary Clover
Thieves Fall Out
Movie · as Mary Matthews
Nine Lives Are Not Enough
Movie · as Receptionist (uncredited)
High School
Movie · as Patsy
Alice in Movieland
Movie · as Alice Purdee (as Joan Brodel)
Laddie
Movie · as Shelley Stanton
Susan and God
Movie · as Party Guest (uncredited)
Star Dust
Movie · as College Girl (uncredited)
Foreign Correspondent
Movie · as Jones' Sister (uncredited)
Young as You Feel
Movie · as Girl (as Joan Brodel)
Two Thoroughbreds
Movie · as Wendy Conway (as Joan Brodel)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Movie · as Mayme, Journalism Student (uncredited)
Love Affair
Movie · as Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
Winter Carnival
Movie · as Betsy Phillips
Men with Wings
Movie · as Young Patricia Falconer
Camille
Movie · as Marie Jeanette (uncredited)