Lila Leeds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lila Lee Wilkinson (1928-01-28)January 28, 1928 Dodge City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1999(1999-09-15) (aged 71) Canoga Park, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1946–1949 |
| Spouse(s) | Jack Little (annulled) Dean O. McCollom (1949–1950) Irving Rochlin (1951–1958) |
Lila Leeds (bornLila Lee Wilkinson, January 28, 1928 – September 15, 1999) was an American film actress.
Born inDodge City, Kansas,[1] Leeds's mother relocated to Clovis, New Mexico where Lila lived during her teens. Lila worked the box office at the local movie theatre. She then ran away from home. She worked as a dancer inSt. Louis before moving toLos Angeles. While working as a hatcheck girl atCiro's, she met and married actor, composer, singer and conductorJack Little. The marriage was annulled when Leeds discovered that Little was already married.[2]
In 1945 Leeds appeared on stage at theHarold Lloyd co-founded venue and talent showcase, theBeverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals, when she was still a teenager, starring in a campus comedy.[3] After taking an acting course at the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting, Leeds signed withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began appearing in small roles. Leeds appeared in theRed Skelton filmThe Show-Off (1946);Lady in the Lake (1947), based on aRaymond Chandler story; and in theLana Turner vehicleGreen Dolphin Street, where she played a Eurasian who drugs the leading man and rolls him for his money. She had a small part inSo You Want to Be a Detective, which was part of theJoe McDoakes series of theatrical shorts, the film being a reworking of the subjective camera style used inLady in the Lake, in which Leeds had previously appeared.
Leeds was producerHarold Hecht's top choice to star inKiss the Blood Off My Hands, the first film by Hecht and co-starBurt Lancaster's production companyNorma Productions.[4] Leeds was ultimately replaced byJoan Fontaine, who was already under contract with the movie's financer and distributorUniversal-International Pictures.[5]
On September 1, 1948, Leeds gained notoriety for being arrested together with actorRobert Mitchum on charges ofmarijuana possession. She was subsequently sentenced to spend sixty days in jail.[6][7]
Considered a Lana Turner look-alike, Leeds was 20 years old and engaged to Turner's ex-husbandStephen Crane at the time of her arrest.Cheryl Crane, Turner and Stephen's daughter, wrote that Leeds first tried marijuana with members ofStan Kenton's orchestra and that she was introduced toheroin while in jail. After Leeds was arrested, Crane fled to Europe rather than become entangled in the scandal.[8][page needed]
Although she starred in theReefer Madness–style filmShe Shoulda Said No! (1949) following her release from jail, her acting career, unlike Mitchum's, never recovered from the scandal.[9]
Unable to find more work in films, Leeds left California in 1949. She moved around the Midwest where she worked in nightclubs, married and divorced twice, and had three children, Shawn, Ivan and Laura, all of whom lived in Southern California. She eventually made her way back to Los Angeles in 1966 where she studied religion, established a church[10] and volunteered at local missions andsoup kitchens.[11]
On September 15, 1999, Leeds died of a heart attack at age 71 in Los Angeles.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | I Love My Husband, But! | Blonde trying on Hat | Short, Uncredited |
| 1946 | The Show-Off | Flo | |
| 1947 | Lady in the Lake | Receptionist | |
| 1947 | Green Dolphin Street | Eurasian Girl | Uncredited |
| 1947 | Always Together | Blonde | Uncredited |
| 1948 | April Showers | Society Girl | Uncredited |
| 1948 | So You Want to Be a Detective | Veronica Vacuum | Short, Uncredited |
| 1948 | Moonrise | Julie | |
| 1949 | City Across the River | Undetermined Role | Uncredited |
| 1949 | She Shoulda Said No! | Anne Lester | |
| 1949 | The House Across the Street | Billie Martin | Uncredited, (final film role) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
