Cloris Leachman

Born: 30 April 1926
Where: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Sharon Stone's former mother in law has enjoyed a long screen career.

Although she's a veteran of film and TV, it's only now with her role in the comedy Spanglish, opposite Adam Sandler, that Leachman is earning high praise from critics.

Her five Emmy awards have brought her TV roles to critical attention, but it's now, in the latter stages of a considerable career, that Leachman will finally gain recognition for her work in film.

She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a lonely Texas housewife in The Last Picture Show, but it's her TV career that has been the staple of an illustrious career.

Her film credits span over forty titles, including include Young Frankenstein, Bad Santa, High Anxiety and Music of The Heart with Meryl Streep, and on TV she has starred in The Ellen Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and it's spin-off, Phyllis.

Attracted to the bright lights of showbiz from an early age, Leachman won the Miss Chicago 1946 title, and eventually encouraged all of her five children to pursue acting careers.

She famously posed naked on the cover of "Alternative Medicine Digest" in 1997, and her body was painted with images of fruit. This was a parody of the famous Demi Moore Vanity Fair cover.