Lu Leonard

Lu Leonard (June 5, 1926 – May 14, 2004), was an American actress the daughter of character actor Hal Price. She made over 45 film and television appearances between 1956 and 1995. Due to her rotund figure, Leonard was often cast as a love interest who often intimidated her husband or boyfriend. 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. Also during this time 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. Health problems (including diabetes) eventually set in and she left Hollywood in the mid-1990s, 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 has also done voices in the Hanna-Barbera version of the animated TV series Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures.