Couples
Cloris Leachman Was Married Once in Her Life: Meet the Film Icon’s Ex-Husband George Englund
Cloris Leachman left an indelible mark on Hollywood after starring in hit TV series and movies like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Young Frankenstein and The Last Picture Show. But she was just as successful in her personal life, having created a beautiful family with her ex-husband, George Englund.
The late actress — who died at age 94 in January 2021 — first crossed paths with Englund, a late film star, after she moved to New York City in the 1950s. “I was in a play called As You Like It on Broadway for a year with Katharine Hepburn,” she told FilmFestivals.com in 2017. “It was there that I met George Englund, whose sister was in the play with me.”
NYC was where Cloris and George established their romance. After living together for four years, the couple tied the knot in 1953, and that same year, they welcomed their eldest child, Adam. The Oscar winner and the Ugly American producer went on to have four more kids, George Jr., Morgan, Dinah and late son Bryan.
Cloris juggled her roles as a mom and wife while paving her legendary career in showbiz. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s, she balanced life at home with starring gigs in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Last Picture Show and Dillinger. She also appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970 to 1977.
In the midst of her Hollywood success, Cloris and George’s relationship started to suffer. Eventually, the pair ended their marriage after 26 years together in 1979. Though the two went their separate ways, Cloris revealed she never stopped caring for her former hubby.
“I fell in love with him, and I’m still in love to this day,” the Emmy Award winner gushed to FilmFestivals.com. “He was magnificent. We love each other just as much as we always did.”
Sadly, George died at age 91 in September 2017 following complications from a fall. According to his obituary in the L.A. Times, he died at his home in Palm Springs while surrounded by his friends and family. George is survived by sisters, five children seven grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Cloris’ ex-husband, George.
