Cloris Leachman (with Ralph Meeker) in Kiss Me Deadly
Cloris Leachman (1926 - 2021)
Miss Illinois 1946 (runner-up for Miss America)
Film Deaths[]
- Kiss Me Deadly (1955) [Christina Bailey]: Tortured to death by Albert Dekker; we only see her legs kicking, then dangling limply off the edge of the table. Afterwards, her body is put in a car with the unconscious Ralph Meeker, and pushed over an embankment to make it look like an accident. Her body is shown again much later in the movie when Ralph visits the morgue.
- Haunts of the Very Rich (1972) [Ellen Blunt]: Dies from a reaction to a rabies shot after being bitten by a dog, shortly before the movie begins; the rest of the movie takes place in the afterlife.
- High Anxiety (1977) [Nurse Charlotte Diesel]: Falls out of a tower when she attacks Mel Brooks and he ducks out of the way; we see her falling towards the ground in a parody of Jean Corbett's fall from Vertigo. (Played for comic effect)
- Hansel and Gretel (1987) [Griszelda the Witch]: Dies in an oven after being dipped in a batter after Nicola Stapleton uses Cloris' scepter to save her brother Hugh Pollard.
- Alex & Emma (2003) [Grandmother]: Dies of a heart attack (collapsing out of her wheelchair) in the story-within-the-story sequences.
- Lake Placid 2 (2007) [Sadie Bickerman]: Eaten by a crocodile.
- Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015) [Ms. Fielder]: Turned into a zombie (off-screen), the zombie Cloris is killed when Logan Miller brings a broken window down on her neck while Joey Morgan holds her down, decapitating her.
- Bad Santa 2 (2016) [Granny]: Cloris doesn't actually appear in this film, but Brett Kelly tells Billy Bob Thornton she passed away between films.
- The Comedian (2016) [May Conner]: Dies of a heart attack.
Television Deaths[]
- The Untouchables: Jigsaw (1961) [Billie Mailer]: Killed (off-screen) by gangsters; we learn of her death when Walter Winchell's narration mentions that her body was found in the river.
- Night Gallery: You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore (1972) [Mrs. Fulton]: Killed (off-screen) by Lana Wood after Cloris attacks Lana; the scene fades to black with Cloris screaming. Her body is later shown in the robot factory, after the robots have taken over and put their owners on display.
- The Facts of Life: Seven Little Indians (1987) [Beverly Anne Stickle]: Killed/poisoned by Lisa Whelchel in a dream-sequence episode parodying The Twilight Zone. We just see her eating then begin choking to death. We're first lead to think it's her own dream (as she wakes up), then it turns out to be Kim Fields' within it. (Played for comic effect.)
- Twice in a Lifetime: Grandma's Shoes (2000) [Ruth Harper]: Dies of old age/natural causes; her spirit is given a chance to go back in time and undo the death of her brother (Aaron Ashmore) many years before.
- The Twilight Zone: It's Still a Good Life (2003) [Agnes Fremont]: Wished into the cornfield (along with the rest of the townspeople) by her granddaughter (Liliana Mumy). It's debatable whether this could be considered "death," but I thought I'd list it just in case.
- Adventure Time with Jake & Finn: Jake the Dog (2012) [Old Marceline]: Dies after dissolving into a skeleton in toxic waste while talking to Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada).
- Girl Meets World: Girl Meets Gravity (2015) [Mrs. Svorski]: Dies off-screen of an illness.
- American Gods: House On The Rock (2019) [Zorya Vechernyaya]: Shot in her chest by an assassin sent by Crispin Glover; she dies in Ian McShane's arms.
Gallery[]
Notable Connections[]
- Ex-Mrs. George Englund