Joan Leslie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joan Leslie (born January 26, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former American actress.
Born in Detroit and christened Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel, she was performing at the age of three, as part of a Vaudeville act with her two sisters. She began her Hollywood acting career while still a teenager, performing under her real name in several movies, beginning with her debut in Camille (1936).
She got her first major role in High Sierra (1941) with Humphrey Bogart, playing a crippled girl under her new billing as "Joan Leslie". She starred in Sergeant York and The Wagons Roll at Night in the same year. She later played as James Cagney's wife in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and starred in The Sky's the Limit (1943) with Fred Astaire, still only eighteen years old.
She starred in many more movies until 1950, when she married Dr. William Caldwell. Her last movie role was in The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1957), and she eventually retired from acting altogether to look after her identical twin daughters Patrice and Ellen. She has starred in several television commercials since then, and also made guest appearances in the TV shows Murder, She Wrote and Charlie's Angels. She also provided commentary on the Yankee Doodle Dandy DVD extras.
She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street.
