Lu Leonard


Lu Leonard was an American actress, the daughter of Hal Price. She was best known for her role as Mrs. Pugh in the film Annie.
In 1953 played the part of Theodosia in "Life of Riley" TV citcom

Career

Lu Leonard began acting in 1956. Leonard's first major appearance was as the wife of Three Stooges member Larry Fine in the film Husbands Beware.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Leonard made television appearances on such shows as Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and Married... with Children. Her most memorable was in a recurring role as William Conrad's wise-cracking secretary in Jake and the Fatman. She had small but memorable roles in Starman and Micki + Maude. One of Lu Leonard's visible credits was playing the singing Angel Scribe II in the late 1960's Hallmark television musical special The Littlest Angel starring Johnnie Whitaker and Fred Gwynne. During the 1970's and 1980's she became a regional celebrity in the Los Angeles Theatre circuit for her outrageous portrayal as a lesbian head matron in the play Women Behind Bars. In 1982 she co-starred with Aileen Quinn and Carol Burnett in Annie. Lu Leonard never married or had children.
Health problems eventually set in and she left Hollywood in 1995, living primarily in Oregon. Lu eventually decided to move into the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California, where she spent her remaining years. She died of a heart attack on May 14, 2004, at age 77, and a bench in the Roddy McDowall garden at the Motion Picture Home has been dedicated in her memory.
She also performed voices in the Hanna-Barbera version of the 1990 animated TV series Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures.