
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.
Filmografi
Repeat Performance1947 · Sheila Page
Foreign Correspondent1940 · Jones' Sister (uncredited)
Yankee Doodle Dandy1942 · Mary
Born to Be Bad1950 · Donna
High Sierra1941 · Velma
Sergeant York1941 · Gracie Williams
Camille1936 · Marie Jeanette (uncredited)
This Is the Army1943 · Eileen Dibble
Love Affair1939 · Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
The Skipper Surprised His Wife1950 · Daphne Lattimer
James Cagney: Top of the World1992 · Self
Man in the Saddle1951 · Laurie Bidwell Isham
Young as You Feel1940 · Girl (as Joan Brodel)
Turn Back the Clock1989 · Party Guest
The Revolt of Mamie Stover1956 · Annalee Johnson
Hell's Outpost1954 · Sarah Moffit
Hollywood Canteen1944 · Self
Woman They Almost Lynched1953 · Sally Maris
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History2008 · Self
Curtains for Roy Earle2003 · Self
The Great Mr. Nobody1941 · Mary Clover
Susan and God1940 · Party Guest (uncredited)
Fire in the Dark1991 · Ruthie
George Tobias
Frank Faylen
Jean Del Val
Herbert Evans
Murray Alper
Ernie Stanton
Alfred Hitchcock
Crauford Kent
Humphrey Bogart
Phyllis Kennedy
Walter Brennan
Gary Cooper