Actress Jennifer Leak died at the age of 76 at her home in Jupiter, Florida, on March 18, after a battle with a neurological illness.
The Cardiff, Wales native was best known for appearing in the 1968 film Yours, Mine And Ours, as well as soap operas such as Another World, Guiding Light, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless.
Leak’s ex-husband and Yours, Mine and Ours co-star, actor Tim Matheson, took to social media on Wednesday with the sad news of her death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of Jennifer Leak,” said Matheson, who was married to Leak from 1968 to 1971. “She was not only my on-screen sister on ‘Yours, Mine and Ours,’ but also my beloved. first spouse.
‘Jennifer was an extraordinary woman, strong, charming and incredibly talented. My deepest condolences to her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria and his multitude of friends.’
Actress Jennifer Leak died at the age of 76 at her home in Jupiter, Florida, on March 18. Photographed in 1972 on the television program The Delphi Bureau.
Leak had been battling “a rare neurological disease” called “progressive supranuclear palsy,” according to an obituary published in The East Hampton Star read, confirming the date of his death.
According to the Mayo ClinicProgressive supranuclear palsy “is a rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements, and swallowing.”
“It results from damage to cells in areas of the brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other important functions,” according to the clinic, and “worsens over time and can lead to dangerous complications, such as pneumonia and problems swallowing.” “. .’
The clinic said there is no cure for the condition and that treatment is aimed at controlling symptoms.
D’Auria said Leak participated in research programs at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to combat progressive supranuclear palsy, according to the article.
“His courage and bravery tried in vain to fight the disease,” D’Auria said, adding that he donated his brain tissue for medical research.
Leak was “a shy and reserved person, who never wanted to be the center of attention or needed an audience,” her husband said, according to the newspaper. “She kept those feelings inside and displayed them only in front of the camera, and then she went electric.”
Leak also appeared alongside Tinseltown legends Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda in the 1968 film, playing Colleen, the daughter of Ball’s character Helen North.
Leak’s ex-husband and Yours, Mine and Ours co-star, actor Tim Matheson, took to social media on Wednesday with the sad news of her death.
Leak appeared in Yours Mine and Ours in 1968 alongside Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda and Matheson.
Leak appeared in a 1973 episode of the ABC series The Rookies alongside actor Michael Ontkean.
The leak appeared in a 1974 episode of The Wide World of Mystery with Philip Carey and Erik Estrada.
In the family comedy, “a widower with ten children falls in love with a widow with eight, and they must decide whether to start a huge, unconventional family,” according to a logline. The film also featured Van Johnson, Tom Bosley and Louise Troy.
Leak’s first screen work came in the mid-1960s with the shows A Flame in the Wind; and a couple of episodes of the Wojeck series for iconic filmmaker Mike Nichols.
She was later cast in the legendary 1967 film The Graduate from Nichols, according to the newspaper.but dropped out due to immigration problems.
On the soap opera front, Leak appeared as Gwen Sherman in two 1974 episodes of The Young and the Restless; six episodes of Another World playing Olive Randolph from 1976 to 1979; and an episode of Guiding Light in 1981 portraying Blanche Bouvier.
Leak left her acting endeavors in the 1980s and began working for the real estate firm Devlin McNiff as a sales agent.
Leak is survived by her husband James D’Auria and her brother Kenneth Leak.
