Bethel Leslie

Bethel Leslie built a career spanning half a century as an American actress and screenwriter, starting as a teenager when George Abbott discovered her at Brearley School and cast her in the 1944 play Snafu. She went on to appear in Broadway productions including Goodbye, My Fancy, The Time of the Cuckoo, Inherit the Wind, Catch Me If You Can, and Long Day's Journey Into Night, earning her a 1986 Tony Award nomination. On television from the 1940s, she was a guest on anthology series such as Studio One and Playhouse 90, starred in The Richard Boone Show, and made three appearances on Perry Mason. She later had roles on The Doctors, Another World, and All My Children. Leslie also wrote for television, serving as head writer for The Secret Storm and writing episodes of Gunsmoke, Barnaby Jones, and Falcon Crest. She earned nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Laurel Award, and a CableACE Award.