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Leslie Graves

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Leslie Graves
Born
Leslie Marie Graves

(1959-09-29)September 29, 1959
DiedAugust 23, 1995(1995-08-23) (aged 35)
OccupationActress
Height4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)
SpouseJerry Schoenkopf

Leslie Marie Graves (September 29, 1959 – August 23, 1995) was an American actress.

Early years

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Leslie Graves's father, Michael Graves, was a theatre actor and introduced her to the entertainment industry when she was about 10. She started her career with a small role in the Broadway play A Cry of Players (1968–1969), written by William Gibson.[1] She then moved to acting for TV series, including Sesame Street (1969, first 13 episodes), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1971, in the episode titled "Baby Sit-Com"), and Here We Go Again (1973).[2][3]

In the late 1970s, she left Hollywood, supposedly to move with a boyfriend to Texas, where she worked on a shrimp boat for three years.[4]

Career

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Graves's return to Hollywood in early 1980 was marked by some nude photoshoots. Phillip Dixon shot her for Oui, a Playboy corporation affiliate and put her on the cover in November 1980 and again in May 1981 with a shoot by five photographers). At that time, rumors arose about her involvement with Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione and an argument with Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner.[4][5]

She had small roles in two exploitation movies: Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)[6] and Death Wish II (1982).[7] In 1982, CBS cast her in the role of Brenda Clegg in the daytime soap Capitol.[8]

In late summer 1984, Graves left the CBS show due to a serious drug problem and a heroin overdose, but her departure was reported as stress-related. Her last public appearance was a nude photo shoot by Jean Rougeron published in the October 1984 issue of Oui.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 Mary Tyler Moore Dee Dee TV series
1973 Here We Go Again Cindy Standish TV series
1981 Piranha II: The Spawning Allison Dumont directed by James Cameron
1982 Death Wish 2 Nirvana's Girl #2 directed by Michael Winner
1982-84 Capitol Brenda Clegg #1 TV series, final appearance

Personal life

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Leslie Graves was married and had two children. On August 23, 1995, she died of an AIDS-related illness in Los Angeles.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Hobe (November 20, 1968). "Legitimate: Shows on Broadway - A Cry of Players". Variety. 253 (1): 86.
  2. ^ Bob Leszczak (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786468126.
  3. ^ Fob (January 24, 1973). "HERE WE GO AGAIN". Variety. Vol. 269, no. 11. p. 40.
  4. ^ a b Alice Koenisberg (1984). "Soaps' Young Sirens". Daytime TV Magazine.
  5. ^ Jason Bonderoff (1987). Soap opera babylon. Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51291-8.
  6. ^ Lor (December 21, 1983). "Film Reviews: Piranha II". Variety. 313 (8): 15.
  7. ^ Paul Talbot (2006). Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films. iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 0595379826.
  8. ^ Bok (March 31, 1982). "Radio-Television: Television Reviews - CAPITOL". Variety. 306 (9): 76.
  9. ^ a b Mike McPadden; Peter Landau; Allan MacDonell; L.A. Simington; J.R. Taylor, eds. (2005). Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked. St. Martin's Press. p. 212. ISBN 9780984185795.
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