Las Vegas Weekly

September 17, 2010 · 11:31 AM

Cloris Leachman brings her one-woman show to Suncoast

By Robin Leach

Cloris Leachman.

Photo: Charles Bush

Beloved entertainment icon Cloris Leachman is celebrating her 70th anniversary in show business, and this weekend she performs her one-woman show at the Suncoast showroom. It’s amazing to think that the veteran stage, film and TV star is now 77 and began her long, successful life at just 7 in her first movie role.

It’s even more astounding that last year alone, she worked on eight movies and went on to win an entire new legion of fans with her run on Season 7 of Dancing With the Stars as its oldest contestant. Cloris might well be best remembered for her landlady roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff Phyllis, and she was most recently the ruthless matriarch on Malcolm in the Middle.

Cloris also was a favorite of comedy director Mel Brooks, appearing in three of his films, including Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 1971’s The Last Picture Show.

Photo: ABC TV

Cloris Leachman, in her final dance.

Cloris appears at the Suncoast tomorrow and Sunday. She’ll re-create all the magical moments of her amazing career with stories, songs and video clips of her most noted roles. Maybe she’ll even spin across the stage for a Dancing With the Stars moment.

In all, she has received nine Emmy Awards, eight for primetime shows and one daytime series. It’s the most ever won by an actor. Don’t think for a minute that she’s slowing down, either. This fall, she returns to TV, appearing in the new Fox series Raising Hope as a wacky grandmother. Her autobiography, released last year, was rereleased this spring in paperback.

Colleague Steve Friess interviewed Cloris for sister publication and Web site LasVegasWeekly.com. Cloris is one very special and unique lady. For an intimate and inside glimpse at all of showbiz seen through her eyes, don’t miss this legend and what will be a legendary production.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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