| Leigh Snowden | |
|---|---|
| Born | Martha Lee Estes June 23, 1929 Covington, Tennessee USA |
| Died | May 11, 1982 (aged 52) North Hollywood, California USA |
| Occupation | Film, television, stage actress |
| Years active | 1954 – 1961 |
| Spouse | Dick Contino (1956-1982) (her death) 3 children |
Leigh Snowden (born Martha Lee Estes, June 23, 1929 – May 11, 1982) was an American actress in motion pictures and television.
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Snowden was from Covington, Tennessee. She began her career as a model for household appliances. A publicity photo of Snowden appeared in the July 1956 issue of Golf Digest; she was identified as a "movie starlet." Earlier in the year she had served as queen of the Tournament of Champions pro golf event in Las Vegas. Snowden was blond with a southern accent. She was first noticed on a Jack Benny television Christmas show when she walked across the stage before ten thousand sailors. A newspaper piece with the headline Sailors Whistles Blow Blond Into Film Studio, followed. The column revealed that the morning after the show, agents for eleven Hollywood studios either phoned or came to Snowden's door bidding for her attention. Universal Pictures won the right to sign Snowden. There followed voice lessons to correct her southern accent and acting classes. She was instructed along with Mara Corday, Pat Crowley, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, and John Saxon. There was a seemingly endless number of dates with men arranged by Universal.
Snowden became an actress in B-movies like All That Heaven Allows, The Square Jungle, The Creature Walks Among Us, and Hot Rod Rumble. Her screen career was a brief one, enduring only from 1954 – 1961. Her last performance in movies was an uncredited part as Evie in The Comancheros (1961). Her last TV roles came in episodes of This is Alice (1958) and Tightrope (1960).
She married accordionist Dick Contino who was once romantically involved with Piper Laurie. She met him at a party given by Tony Curtis to celebrate the first TV show performance of Rory Calhoun. Within three months Snowden and Contino wed. After a year, with the arrival of their first child, Snowden's career was all but over. She chose to be a stay-at-home mom who cared mostly about her family. She hated housework but enjoyed cooking.
In 1971 Snowden made a comeback of sorts. She played the role of Maggie in the Fresno Community Theater production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. She claimed to be nervous about having to appear in her slip during most of the play's second act. Even though briefly embarrassed, the actress professed a love of the stage. She liked it more in some respects than either television or films because of "the feeling of being more in touch with people."
Leigh Snowden died in 1982 of cancer in North Hollywood, California.