From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0504125
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q260318
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Filmography (Movies)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2009
Hollywood Gangster
Character:Self
Release Date:27/12/2008
Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film
Character:Self
Release Date:21/10/2008
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
Character:Self
Release Date:14/10/2008
Sergeant York: Of God and Country
Character:
Release Date:07/11/2006
Hollywood Helps the Cause
Character:Self
Release Date:06/10/2006
Curtains for Roy Earle
Character:Self
Release Date:03/11/2003
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Character:Self
Release Date:17/03/1998
Inside the Dream Factory
Character:Self
Release Date:01/11/1995
James Cagney: Top of the World
Character:Self
Release Date:05/07/1992
Fire in the Dark
Character:Ruthie
Release Date:01/07/1991
Turn Back the Clock
Character:Party Guest
Release Date:20/11/1989
Charley Hannah
Character:Sandy Hannah
Release Date:05/04/1986
Showbiz Goes to War
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:31/12/1982
The Keegans
Character:Mary Keegan
Release Date:03/05/1976
The Revolt of Mamie Stover
Character:Annalee Johnson
Release Date:11/05/1956
Hell's Outpost
Character:Sarah Moffit
Release Date:15/12/1954
Jubilee Trail
Character:Garnet Hale
Release Date:15/05/1954
Flight Nurse
Character:Lt. Polly Davis
Release Date:15/11/1953
Woman They Almost Lynched
Character:Sally Maris
Release Date:20/03/1953
Toughest Man in Arizona
Character:Mary Kimber
Release Date:10/10/1952
Hellgate
Character:Ellen Hanley
Release Date:04/09/1952
Man in the Saddle
Character:Laurie Bidwell Isham
Release Date:02/12/1951
Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration
Character:Claudia
Release Date:25/03/1951
Born to Be Bad
Character:Donna Foster
Release Date:28/09/1950
The Skipper Surprised His Wife
Character:Daphne Lattimer
Release Date:29/06/1950
Northwest Stampede
Character:Chris Johnson
Release Date:28/07/1948
So You Want to Be in Pictures
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:07/06/1947
Repeat Performance
Character:Sheila Page
Release Date:22/05/1947
Two Guys from Milwaukee
Character:Connie Reed
Release Date:26/07/1946
Janie Gets Married
Character:Janie Conway
Release Date:22/06/1946
Cinderella Jones
Character:Judy Jones
Release Date:09/03/1946
Too Young to Know
Character:Sally Sawyer
Release Date:01/12/1945
Parade of Aquatic Champions
Character:Herself
Release Date:22/07/1945
Rhapsody in Blue
Character:Julie Adams
Release Date:27/06/1945
Where Do We Go from Here?
Character:Sally Smith / Prudence / Katrina
Release Date:23/05/1945
I Am an American
Character:Self (uncredited)
Release Date:23/12/1944
Hollywood Canteen
Character:Self
Release Date:15/12/1944
The Voice That Thrilled the World
Character:Self (segment 'Yankee Doodle Dandy') (archive footage)
Release Date:16/10/1943
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Character:Pat Dixon
Release Date:25/09/1943
This Is the Army
Character:Eileen Dibble
Release Date:14/08/1943
The Sky's the Limit
Character:Joan Manion
Release Date:13/07/1943
Stars on Horseback
Character:
Release Date:23/04/1943
The Hard Way
Character:Katherine 'Katie' Blaine
Release Date:13/01/1943
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Character:Mary
Release Date:29/05/1942
The Male Animal
Character:Patricia Stanley
Release Date:12/03/1942
Sergeant York
Character:Gracie Williams
Release Date:27/09/1941
Nine Lives Are Not Enough
Character:Receptionist (uncredited)
Release Date:20/09/1941
Thieves Fall Out
Character:Mary Matthews
Release Date:03/05/1941
The Wagons Roll at Night
Character:Mary Coster
Release Date:25/04/1941
The Great Mr. Nobody
Character:Mary Clover
Release Date:15/02/1941
High Sierra
Character:Velma
Release Date:23/01/1941
Foreign Correspondent
Character:Jones' Sister (uncredited)
Release Date:16/08/1940
Susan and God
Character:Party Guest (uncredited)
Release Date:07/06/1940
Star Dust
Character:College Girl (uncredited)
Release Date:06/04/1940
Alice in Movieland
Character:Alice Purdee (as Joan Brodel)
Release Date:03/03/1940
Young as You Feel
Character:Girl (as Joan Brodel)
Release Date:16/02/1940
High School
Character:Patsy
Release Date:26/01/1940
Laddie
Character:Shelley Stanton
Release Date:18/01/1940
Two Thoroughbreds
Character:Wendy Conway (as Joan Brodel)
Release Date:08/12/1939
Winter Carnival
Character:Betsy Phillips
Release Date:28/07/1939
Love Affair
Character:Autograph Seeker (uncredited)
Release Date:07/04/1939
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Character:Mayme, Journalism Student (uncredited)
Release Date:18/02/1939
Men with Wings
Character:Young Patricia Falconer
Release Date:16/07/1938
Camille
Character:Marie Jeanette (uncredited)
Release Date:26/12/1936
Television Appearances
Shades of L.A.
Character:
Murder, She Wrote
Character:Lillian Appletree
Simon & Simon
Character:
The Incredible Hulk
Character:
Charlie's Angels
Character:Catherine
Police Story
Character:
Branded
Character:
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Character:
General Electric Theater
Character:Sarah Owens
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Vanessa Cook
Images
