Remembering Joan Leslie

Date of Birth	26 January 1925, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Date of Death	12 October 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name	Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel
Height	5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Joan Leslie was born in Detroit and began acting as a child performer. She was never able to escape the good girl role in her early work. She married Dr. William Caldwell in 1950. She quit her acting career to raise her identical twin daughters Patrice and Ellen. Both daughters are now Doctors teaching at universities.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse (1)

Dr. William G. Caldwell

(17 March 1950 - 5 April 2000) (his death) (2 children)

Trivia (10)

Performed under her real name, debuting in Camille (1936), until adopting "Joan Leslie" for High Sierra (1941).

Her sister, Mary Brodel, had a short career in the 1940s, as did her other sister, Betty Brodel.

Mentioned in The Andrews Sisters' song "Corns for My Country": "We're not petite like Joan Leslie".

Has resumed her acting career since her daughters have grown up. [1996]

First appeared on stage at the age of two. Subsequently became part of a vaudeville act with her older sisters, touring extensively through Canada and the U.S. East Coast.

A devout Catholic, she was heavily involved in charitable works and was named 'Girl of the Year' in 1948 by the Catholic Youth Organisation.

In the early 1940's Joan had a pet terrier named "Microphone", which she called "Mike" for short.

Hobbies included reading, badminton and horseback riding.

Joan Leslie was an accomplished piano player.

Gave birth to her 1st and 2nd children at age 25, twin daughters Ellen Marie and Patrice Joan Caldwell on January 5, 1951. Children's father was her husband, Dr. William Caldwell.

Personal Quotes (3)

[on making Man in the Saddle (1951)] Randolph Scott was a joy to work with, elegant, such a gentleman, and so devastatingly good looking. A charmer with beautiful eyes. I compare him to Gary Cooper, but Cooper had more versatility. Randy was so at ease on the set.

[on working with James Craig in Northwest Stampede (1948)] He was a pill . . . not easy to work with. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder and it showed in everything he did.

Gary Cooper gave me a doll on the set [of Sergeant York (1941)]. That's how he saw me.

Sergeant York - English Version - 1941 - Gary Cooper - SDC Films from brtiAmerica on Vimeo.