Lu Leonard

Lu Leonard (born Mary Lou Price; June 5, 1926 – May 14, 2004) credited also as Lou Leonard, was an American character actress, who appeared in numerous television series, theatre and briefly film. She was the daughter of actor Hal Price. She was best known for her role as Mrs. Pugh in Annie.

Leonard was born in Long Beach, New York to stage and screen actor, Hal Price, notable for his film with Republic Pictures and Amy Goodrich, she appeared on stage at 1 month with her vaudevillian parents, whom she would later write a play about entitled "Goodrick and Price”.

She began acting in TV roles from the early 1950s onwards including as Theodosia in the Life of Riley television sitcom. Her first major appearance was as the wife of Three Stooges member Larry Fine in the film Husbands Beware. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Leonard made television appearances on such shows as Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Facts of Life, Knight Rider and Married... with Children. Her most memorable was in a recurring role as William Conrad's wise-cracking secretary in Jake and the Fatman. She had small but memorable roles in Starman and Micki + Maude. One of Leonard's visible credits was playing the singing Angel Scribe II in the late 1960s Hallmark television musical special, The Littlest Angel.

She appeared in theatre productions including national tours of Plain and Fancy, Oliver! and Man of La Mancha and on Broadway roles included The Happiest Girl in the World, The Gay Life, Drat! The Cat!, Bravo Giovanni and The Pajama Game.

During the 1970s and 1980s she became a regional celebrity in the Los Angeles Theatre circuit for her outrageous portrayal as a lesbian head matron in the play, Women Behind Bars.

In 1982, she appeared as Oliver Warbucks' maid Mrs. Pugh in the film Annie (1982 film) starring Aileen Quinn and Carol Burnett. She also performed voices in the Hanna-Barbera version of the 1990 animated TV series Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series), and played Mrs. Chang in the 1990 live-action Aladdin television film.

Lu Leonard never married or had children.

Health problems (including diabetes) eventually set in and she left Hollywood in 1995, living primarily in Oregon. Lu eventually decided to move into the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California, where she spent her remaining years. She died of a heart attack on May 14, 2004, at age 77, and a bench in the Roddy McDowall garden at the Motion Picture Home has been dedicated in her memory.[citation needed ]