Joan Leslie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joan Leslie
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Leslie in Too Young to Know (1945)
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| Born |
Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel
January 26, 1925 Highland Park, Michigan, U.S.
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| Died | October 12, 2015 (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress, vaudevillian |
| Years active | 1934–1991 |
| Spouse(s) |
Dr. William G. Caldwell
(m. 1950; died 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Golden Boot Awards 2006 Lifetime Achievement Hollywood Walk of Fame 1560 Vine Street |
Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel) was a famous American actress. She was born on January 26, 1925, and passed away on October 12, 2015. Joan was also a vaudevillian, which means she performed in live stage shows with singing, dancing, and comedy. During the "Golden Age" of Hollywood movies, she starred in many popular films. Some of her most well-known movies include High Sierra (1941), Sergeant York (1941), and Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).
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Early Life and Family
Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel was born on January 26, 1925, in Highland Park, Michigan. She was the youngest of three children born to John and Agnes Brodel. Her father, John, worked at a bank, and her mother, Agnes, was a talented pianist.
The Three Brodels Perform
Joan's two older sisters, Betty (born 1919) and Mary (1916–2015), loved music like their mother. They started learning instruments such as the saxophone and the banjo when they were very young. Soon, they began performing together, singing and dancing for audiences. Joan joined her sisters when she was only two and a half years old. She quickly learned to play the accordion.
Becoming Vaudeville Stars
In the mid-1930s, Joan's father lost his job. This was during the Great Depression, a time when many families faced financial difficulties. To help their family, the three sisters decided to become professional vaudeville performers. They started touring across Canada and the United States. They were known as "The Three Brodels."
To get around child labor laws, both Mary and Joan pretended to be older than they were. When Joan was nine, she even told child labor investigators that she was 16 years old! Joan became the most popular of the three sisters. She was great at impersonating famous people like Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Durante. Joan Leslie grew up in a Roman Catholic family of Irish background. She attended Catholic schools in cities like Detroit, Toronto, and Montreal.
Starting in Hollywood
In 1936, when Joan was 11, a talent scout from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) saw "The Three Brodels" performing in New York. MGM offered Joan a six-month contract, paying her $200 a week. While working at the studio, she went to MGM's "Little Red Schoolhouse." Other child actors like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney also attended this school.
First Film Roles
Joan's first movie role was in Camille (1936). This was a romantic drama starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. Joan played Taylor's younger sister, Marie Jeanette. However, her speaking parts were removed, and she was not credited in the film. MGM found it hard to find suitable roles for her, so she left the studio.
Joan then returned to New York, where she worked on the radio and as a model. Later, her older sister Mary signed a contract with Universal Studios. Joan and her family moved back to Hollywood. Joan worked as a freelancer for different studios, mostly for RKO Pictures.
Age Discovery and First Credits
Joan was chosen for a small part in the movie Men with Wings (1938). While filming, the director, William A. Wellman, found out that Joan's mother had lied about her age. Joan was only 13, not older as they had claimed. For the rest of the movie, her sister Mary took over her role.
Joan got her first credited role in Winter Carnival (1939), playing Betsy Phillips. She was chosen because the director needed an actress with a southern accent. She was still known as Joan Brodel at this time. Later that year, she starred with Jimmy Lydon in Two Thoroughbreds.
When she was 15, Joan Leslie was named one of 13 "baby stars of 1940" by Hollywood directors. That same year, she appeared in a short film called Alice in Movieland. This film was about a young actress trying to succeed in Hollywood.
Becoming a Star at Warner Bros.
Joan's big break came in 1941 when she signed a contract with Warner Bros.. At that time, another actress named Joan Blondell was very famous. To avoid confusion, Joan Brodel's acting name was changed to Joan Leslie.
Breakthrough Roles
Just two weeks later, 15-year-old Joan was asked to do a screen test. She didn't know what movie it was for, but she got the part because she could cry on cue. The movie was High Sierra (1941), starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart. Joan played Velma, a girl with a disability. A film critic named Bosley Crowther wrote that Joan Leslie handled her role "effectively."
Later that year, Warner Bros. made Sergeant York (1941). This movie told the true story of Alvin C. York, a brave American soldier from World War I. Gary Cooper starred as York. The original choice for York's fiancée, Gracie Williams, was Jane Russell. However, York wanted an actress who didn't smoke or drink. 16-year-old Joan Leslie got the part instead. Sergeant York was a huge success, earning a lot of money and becoming the highest-grossing movie of 1941. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, and Gary Cooper won the Best Actor award.
Gary Cooper was 24 years older than Joan. She later recalled, "Gary gave me a doll on the set. That's how he saw me."
More Success and Musicals
Joan Leslie had a supporting role in The Male Animal (1942). She played Olivia de Havilland's younger sister, Patricia Stanley.
She also tried out for Paramount's Holiday Inn (1942). But Warner Bros. decided to cast her in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) with James Cagney. This musical film was about the life of Broadway entertainer George M. Cohan. Joan played his girlfriend and later wife, Mary, who was an aspiring singer. The film received eight Oscar nominations, and James Cagney won the Best Actor award. By this time, Joan Leslie was a big star. People described her on-screen image as "sweet innocence without seeming too sugary."
Busy Years During Wartime
Joan Leslie appeared in four movies released in 1943. The first was The Hard Way, starring Ida Lupino. A New York Times reviewer said Joan was "just as deft and versatile a lady." For her second film, she was loaned to RKO for The Sky's the Limit, where she starred with Fred Astaire. In this movie, Joan's character introduced the famous song "My Shining Hour."
Her third movie was the wartime film This Is the Army with Ronald Reagan. The fourth movie was Thank Your Lucky Stars.
During World War II, Joan was a regular volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen. This was a special place where servicemen could relax, dance, and meet movie stars. Joan danced with soldiers and signed many autographs. She appeared as herself in the Warner Bros. film Hollywood Canteen (1944). In the story, her character falls in love with a soldier. Her sister, Betty Brodel, also briefly appeared in the film. In 1946, a poll of movie theater owners voted Joan Leslie the "most promising star of tomorrow."
Later Career and Family Life
By 1946, Joan Leslie was not happy with the types of roles Warner Bros. was offering her. She wanted to play more serious and grown-up characters. She also made decisions based on her moral and religious beliefs. With the help of her lawyer, she went to court to try and end her contract with Warner Bros.
In 1947, the Catholic Theater Guild gave Joan an award. They honored her for "consistent refusal to use her talents and art in film productions of objectionable character."
Because of her actions, the head of Warner Bros., Jack Warner, used his power to make it difficult for her to get roles at other major Hollywood studios. In 1947, she signed a two-movie contract with a smaller studio called Eagle-Lion Films. The first film was Repeat Performance (1947), a mystery film where she played a Broadway actress. The other was Northwest Stampede (1948).
After her contract with Eagle-Lion Films ended, she appeared in The Skipper Surprised His Wife (1950). This film was distributed by MGM, the same studio where she started her film career in 1936.
Focusing on Family
In the early 1950s, Joan Leslie decided to focus on raising her daughters. This meant she appeared in fewer films. In 1952, she signed a short-term deal with Republic Pictures, a studio known for making Westerns. One of the films she made for Republic was Flight Nurse (1953). Joan's character, Polly Davis, was based on the real-life flight nurse Lillian Kinkella Keil, who served in the Air Force. A newspaper described it as a thrilling film that honored "courageous women who performed miracles of mercy above the clouds."
Her last film was The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956). However, she continued to make occasional appearances in television shows while her children were in school. She officially retired from acting in 1991, after appearing in the TV movie Fire in the Dark.
Personal Life
In March 1950, Joan Leslie married William Caldwell, who was a doctor specializing in childbirth. They had identical twin daughters, Patrice and Ellen, born on January 7, 1951. Both of their daughters later became teachers.
Joan Leslie was a member of the Democratic Party. She supported Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election.
Joan also had her own clothing design business, with her own brand. Her husband, William, passed away in 2000. A year later, Joan started the "Dr. William G. and Joan L. Caldwell Chair in Gynecologic Oncology" at the University of Louisville. She was considered an adopted alumna of the university for over 32 years.
Joan was a very religious Catholic. She was involved in charity work for the St. Anne's Maternity Home for more than 50 years.
Death
Joan Leslie passed away on October 12, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. She was 90 years old.
Awards and Honors
- On October 8, 1960, Joan Leslie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street.
- In 1999, she was nominated as one of the 250 greatest female screen legends by the American Film Institute.
- On August 12, 2006, she received a Golden Boot Award. This award recognized her contributions to Western-themed television shows and movies.
Images for kids
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Leslie in Too Young to Know (1945)
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16-year-old Joan Leslie in The Wagons Roll at Night (1941)
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The Hard Way
See also
In Spanish: Joan Leslie para niños
