Leigh French (born July 14, 1945) is an American actress.
Leigh French | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1945 Ashland, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1966–present |
Early life
editFrench was born in Ashland, Kentucky.
Career
editIn her early career as a regular on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour of the late-1960s, French portrayed a hippie named Goldie O'Keefe. The character was originally introduced, in an ostensible studio-audience interview segment, as Goldie Keif; both "Goldie" and "Keif" were slang terms for marijuana at the time.[1] Reportedly, the slight name change to O'Keefe when she became a semi-regular was at the television network's insistence. Her segment of the show was called "Share a Little Tea with Goldie". At the time, "sharing tea" was a popular euphemism for getting high on marijuana. Following suit, her segment consisted largely of "helpful" household advice loaded with sex- and drug-related double entendres.[2]
French played a similar character, a San Francisco hippie type named Cobalt-Blue, in a 1968 episode ("Tag, You're It") of the I Spy series. She and Rob Reiner (both of whom had been members of The Committee improv group in San Francisco) also played hippies in the 1969 "Flower Power" episode of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. French can also be seen in the films WUSA (1970), The Drowning Pool (1975), Aloha, Bobby and Rose (1975), The Hollywood Knights (1980), and The Long Days of Summer (1980). She appeared as Goober Pyle's (George Lindsey) sister on a pilot episode for a sitcom called Goober & the Truckers' Paradise. The show, in which Goober and his sister managed a highway truck stop, was not picked up by networks.[3]
French's acting work continued steadily through 2010, with her primarily performing behind the scenes and in voiceover roles in animated features up to 2014.[4]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | How Sweet It Is! | Maria | |
| 1970 | WUSA | Girl | |
| 1970 | Norwood | Vernell Bird | |
| 1973 | The All-American Boy | Lovette | |
| 1973 | The Laughing Policeman | Porno Cashier | |
| 1975 | Aloha, Bobby and Rose | Donna Sue | |
| 1975 | The Drowning Pool | Red Head | |
| 1975 | White Line Fever | Lucy | |
| 1977 | The Great Smokey Roadblock | Glinda | |
| 1980 | The Hollywood Knights | Jacqueline Freedman | |
| 1981 | History of the World, Part I | Prehistoric Woman | |
| 1981 | Halloween II | Gary's Mother | |
| 1985 | Summer Rental | Announcer | |
| 1985 | Stoogemania | Television voice | |
| 1986 | Children of a Lesser God | Announcer | |
| 1987 | Summer School | Student | |
| 1988 | Bright Lights, Big City | Additional voices | |
| 1988 | Talk Radio | Newscaster | |
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Additional voices | |
| 1990 | The Spirit of '76 | Voice of the Future | |
| 1991 | Career Opportunities | Voiceover | |
| 1991 | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West | Various voices | Uncredited |
| 1992 | Glengarry Glen Ross | Additional voice | |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Uncredited | |
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Bridge Lady | |
| 1998 | Homegrown | Waitress | |
| 2004 | The Big Bounce | Rell | |
| 2005 | Rumor Has It | Charity Dinner Guest | |
| 2006 | Barnyard | Additional voices | |
| 2007 | Shrek the Third | Baby Ogres | Uncredited |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The John Bartholomew Tucker Show | Various roles | Episode #1.7 |
| 1966–1967 | Hey, Landlord | 3 episodes | |
| 1968 | I Spy | Cobalt-Blue | Episode: "Tag, You're It" |
| 1969 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Michele | Episode: "Flower Power" |
| 1973 | Chase | Rita | Episode: "A Bit of Class" |
| 1975 | Delancey Street: The Crisis Within | Mary | Television film |
| 1975 | The Fireman's Ball | Angelina | |
| 1976 | How to Break Up a Happy Divorce | Marilyn | |
| 1978 | Goober & the Truckers' Paradise | Pearl Pyle | |
| 1980 | The Long Days of Summer | Frances Haley | |
| 1981 | CHiPs | Jackie | Episode: "Crash Course" |
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Alisha | Episode: "Attack" |
| 1984 | It's Your Move | Miss Feldman | Episode: "Put to the Test" |
| 1984 | E/R | Mrs. Forman | Episode: "Only a Nurse" |
| 1985 | This Child Is Mine | Carol | Television film |
| 1985 | Knots Landing | Phyllis Elliot | Episode: "Rise and Fall" |
| 1987 | Warm Hearts, Cold Feet | Nancy Carmel | Television film |
| 1990 | Midnight Caller | Sunny / Sunny Farina | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Reform School Girl | Velmont Announcer | Television film |
| 1994 | Rebel Highway | Episode: "Reform School Girl" | |
| 1995 | Original Sins | The Voice | Television film |
| 2009 | Children of the Corn | Additional voice |
References
edit- ^ Freeman, Marc (2017-11-25). "'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' at 50: The Rise and Fall of a Groundbreaking Variety Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
- ^ "Campbell, French, Paulsen Reunited". Calgary Herald. November 1, 1968. p. 13. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2015). "Leigh French Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "Leigh French". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
External links
edit- Leigh French at IMDb