Trivia / Cloris Leachman

• Actor-Inspired Element: She did her own makeup for Young Frankenstein, and the wart on Frau Blucher's chin was her idea.
• Beauty Inversion: Before she was actually old, she usually appeared in unflattering makeup or prosthetics to make her look ugly. She was actually a beauty queen in her younger days.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Ellen Burstyn was approached about playing Ruth in The Last Picture Show, but she opted to play Lois instead, finding that part more fun. Cloris was then offered the role of Ruth.
• Creator Backlash: She expressed disappointment over her short-lived spin-off Phyllis, feeling they didn't create the same dynamic between the supporting cast that made The Mary Tyler Moore Show work.
• Deleted Role: She filmed scenes in Inglourious Basterds playing Mrs Himmelstein, an elderly Jewish woman living in Boston, but they were cut. Quentin Tarantino has expressed interest in using them for a prequel.
• Fake Nationality: German in Young Frankenstein and Malcolm in the Middle.
• Friendship on the Set: She became very close with Valerie Harper, despite playing enemies on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. And while she didn't get on with Gavin MacLeod initially, they became friends too.
• Leslie Nielsen Syndrome: While she did get fame for a sitcom, she spent the 70s doing varied roles, usually leaning more towards drama. As of Young Frankenstein, she was pegged as a comedic actress more often.
• One-Take Wonder: Ruth's monologue at the end of The Last Picture Show was done on the first take. She told the director "I can do better" but he responded "no you can't, in fact, you just won the Oscar". He was right, and she picked up Best Supporting Actress for the role.
• Playing Their Own Twin: In the Olsen Twins movie Double Double Toil & Trouble, she plays twin sisters herself.
• Production Posse: She starred in three Mel Brooks films, and four Peter Bogdanovich ones.
• Star-Making Role: Both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Last Picture Show put her on the map, and she spent the 70s being considered one of the most versatile actresses of her generation.
• Throw It In!: She improvised the "varm milk" exchange in Young Frankenstein.
• Underage Casting: She was playing old women when she was only in her mid-forties.
• What Could Have Been: She was offered a chance to be a series regular on The Mary Tyler Moore Show but opted to sign a per-episode deal to allow herself the freedom to do more films, as she had just filmed The Last Picture Show, and expected that would open doors for her.