Leora Thatcher

Leora Thatcher (May 12, 1894 – March 5, 1984) was an American actress who worked across stage, film, television, and radio, and also pursued a career as a teacher. Born in Logan, Utah, she was the daughter of Sarah Catherine Hopkins and Moses Thatcher, Jr., and grew up alongside a brother and two sisters.

Thatcher pursued her education at Brigham Young College, Utah State Agricultural College, and the University of Utah, from which she earned her degree in 1921. At the University of Utah, her studies in speech and theater were guided by Maud May Babcock. Before entering the acting profession, she spent two years teaching speech at Logan High School.

Her performing career took shape first in Utah, where she acted with the KSL Players. In 1923 she joined the Moroni Olsen Players, a touring repertory company with which she remained for eight years. Her Broadway career spanned from 1933 to 1958 and included a particularly long-running commitment to Tobacco Road, in which she played Ada Jester for eight years before continuing the role with the production's touring company. Her other Broadway appearances included One Bright Day, The Male Animal, and The Children's Hour, all in 1952, followed by The Music Man in 1957 and J.B. in 1958.

Beyond the stage, Thatcher appeared in several films, among them Theodora Goes Wild (1936), Counsel for Crime (1937), and a series of comedies featuring Andy Clyde. Her radio work was extensive: she portrayed Marge Mulvaney on Lora Lawton and Mrs. Kramer on The Right to Happiness, served as a supporting player on The Mel Blanc Show, and was heard on Aunt Jenny's Stories, Ellen Randolph, Good Neighbors, and Second Husband. She also directed radio programs. On television, she appeared on I Remember Mama, Kraft Theatre, NBC Matinee Theater, Robert Montgomery Presents, and Studio One.

In 1943, while her parents were ill, Thatcher returned to Utah and taught a play production class at Utah State Agricultural College. She was inducted into the Pioneer State Theatre Hall of Fame in 1976. Thatcher died on March 5, 1984, in Salt Lake City at the age of 89. A collection of 36 photographs documenting her life and family, known as the Leora Thatcher Photograph Collection, is preserved at the Utah State Historical Society in Salt Lake City.