Claiborne Cary

Claiborne Cary, born Claiborne Leachman on February 17, 1932, in Lone Tree, Iowa, was an American actress and cabaret performer whose career spanned Broadway, television, regional theater, and cabaret. She was raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and was the younger sister of actress Cloris Leachman. Their father, Berkeley Claiborne "Buck" Leachman, worked at the family-owned Leachman Lumber Company, and their mother, Cloris, was born Cloris Wallace. Cary's maternal grandmother was of Bohemian, or Czech, descent. She began dancing and performing at a young age and pursued higher education at both the University of Iowa and Northwestern University before relocating to Manhattan in the 1950s to pursue an acting career.

Cary made her Broadway debut in Silk Stockings in 1956, subsequently joining the production's national tour alongside actor Don Ameche. The following year, with the backing of choreographer Bob Fosse and over the objections of director George Abbott, she appeared in New Girl in Town at the 46th Street Theater, sharing the stage with Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter. Her Broadway work continued through 1960 and also included the musical Beg, Borrow or Steal, in which she performed opposite Betty Garrett and Eddie Bracken, as well as The Supporting Cast. Her Off-Broadway credits encompassed Kukla, Burr and Ollie, Smiling, the Boy Fell Dead, Faith, Hope and Charity, and All Kinds of Giants. She was also featured in Hellazpoppin' 67, which tried out at the Montreal Expo in Canada but never reached Broadway.

Cary's television work included appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Young Dr. Kildare, and Law & Order, as well as numerous commercials. Following the birth of her son, Berkeley Northrop, she shifted her focus increasingly toward cabaret and regional theater. In cabaret, she starred in and produced Grand Slam with Murray Grand, and in 1987 she performed at Jan Wallman's in New York City. She twice received MAC Awards, presented by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs, in recognition of her cabaret work. She also recorded and released two albums, Miss Claiborne Cary Live and Now and Then. Her regional theater credits included a production of Ballroom in Long Beach, California, alongside Charles Durning and Tyne Daly, and she toured in a stage adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Her final public performance took place in a cabaret engagement in the early 2000s.

Cary died on March 20, 2010, in Costa Mesa, California, from complications of Parkinson's disease. She was 78 years old.