Jane Bethel Leslie (August 3, 1929 – November 28, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. In a career spanning half a century, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurel Award in 1964, a Tony Award in 1986, and a CableACE Award in 1988.

Early years Jane Bethel Leslie was born in New York City. Her parents were a lawyer, Warren Leslie, and Jane Leslie, a newspaperwoman. Bethel was a student at Brearley School in New York City. She had a brother, writer Warren Leslie.

While a 13-year-old student at Brearley School, Leslie was discovered by George Abbott, who cast her in the play Snafu in 1944. In a 1965 newspaper article, Leslie described herself as "a 'quick study' – able to learn my lines rather fast."

Career

Stage Over the next four decades, Leslie appeared in a number of Broadway productions, including Goodbye, My Fancy (1948), The Time of the Cuckoo (1952), Inherit the Wind (1955), Catch Me If You Can (1965), and Long Day's Journey Into Night (1986). In 1950, Leslie was cast as Cornelia Otis Skinner in The Girls, a television series based on Skinner's Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. She departed the show after two months to appear with Helen Hayes in the play The Wisteria Trees, adapted from Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, by Joshua Logan.

Television Leslie began working in television in the 1940s and frequently was a guest on the many anthology series popular in the early to mid-1950s, such as Studio One and Playhouse 90. She appeared with Ronald Reagan and Stafford Repp in the 1960 episode "The Way Home" of The DuPont Show with June Allyson. Later, she was one of the repertory of actors starring in The Richard Boone Show (1963–1964).

Leslie made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, and was featured as Perry's client in all three episodes. In 1958, she played Janet Morris in "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse" and Evelyn Girard in "The Case of the Purple Woman". In 1960, she played Sylvia Sutton in "The Case of the Wayward Wife". In 1962, she portrayed the part of Martha Hastings in the episode "The Long Count" on CBS's Rawhide. She guest-starred in many television series, including The Texan, Mackenzie's Raiders (as Lucinda Cabot in "The Lucinda Cabot Affair"), The Man from Blackhawk, Riverboat, Wanted: Dead or Alive (episode "Secret Ballot"), Trackdown, Bat Masterson, The Rifleman, The High Chaparral, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Pony Express, Stagecoach West, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, Have Gun – Will Travel (in which she played a Chinese woman), and Wagon Train.

Her other credits were on drama series, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Richard Diamond, Private Detective and The Fugitive, both starring David Janssen; The Eleventh Hour; The Lloyd Bridges Show; Mannix; Route 66 (episodes "The Layout at Glen Canyon" and "City of Wheels"); Straightaway; Bus Stop; Target: The Corruptors!; The Investigators; The Man and the Challenge; Adventures in Paradise; Ben Casey; One Step Beyond; Thriller and Empire. She became a regular on The Doctors when she took over the role of Maggie Powers after Ann Williams left the part. Leslie was also featured in the 1964 episode "The Fluellen Family" in Daniel Boone. She had recurring roles on Another World and All My Children and was featured in the television adaptations of In Cold Blood and Saint Maybe.

Writing Leslie was the head writer for The Secret Storm in 1970. She also wrote episodes for Gunsmoke, Bracken's World, Barnaby Jones, McCloud, The New Land, Matt Helm, and Falcon Crest. In 1970, producer Howard Christie referred to Leslie as "a good actress who has turned into a fine scriptwriter."

Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes1959 The Rabbit Trap Abby Colt 1963 Captain Newman, M.D. Mrs. Helene Winston 1965 A Rage to Live Amy Hollister 1970 The Molly Maguires Mrs. Kehoe 1979 Old Boyfriends Mrs. Van Til Beyond Death's Door 1987 Ironweed Librarian 1999 Message in a Bottle Marta 1999 Uninvited Mrs. Wentworth

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes1958 Perry Mason Janet Morris Episode: "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse" Perry Mason Evelyn Girard Episode: "The Case of the Purple Woman" Maverick Janet Kilmer Episode: "The Thirty Ninth Star" 1959 Wanted Dead or Alive Carol Easter Episode: "Secret Ballot" Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Mrs. Barrett Episode: "The Riddle" 1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mabel Graves Episode: "The Man with Two Faces" Perry Mason Sylvia Sutton Episode: "The Case of the Wayward Wife" Wagon Train Greta Halstadt Episode: "The Joshua Gilliam Story" Route 66 Jo Galloway Episode: "Layout at Glen Canyon" 1961 The Rifleman Tess Miller Episode: "Stopover" Wagon Train Helen Martin Episode: "The Janet Hale Story" 1962 Route 66 Lori Barton Episode: "City of Wheels" Bonanza Ann Grant Episode: "The Jackknife" Rawhide Martha Hastings Episode: "The Long Count" Gunsmoke Rose Ellen Episode: "The Summons" 1963 Have Gun - Will Travel Kim Sing and Jin Ho Episode: "The Lady of the Fifth Moon" Daniel Boone Zerelda Fluellen Episode: "The Family Fluellen" 1963–1964 The Richard Boone Show (various) 25 episodes1964 The Fugitive Marcie King Episode: "Storm Center" Gunsmoke Elsa Poe Episode: "Innocence" 1965 Wagon Train Mary Lee McIntosh Episode: "The Miss Mary Lee McIntosh Story" 1971 Dr. Cook's Garden Essie Bullitt TV movie1965–1968 The Doctors Dr. Maggie Van Alen 116 episodes1969The VirginianCatherine CantrellEpisode: "Women of Stone" (S8: E13)1974 The New Perry Mason Elinor Furley Episode: "The Case of the Tortured Titan" Kung Fu Rita Coblenz Episode: "The Passion of Chen Yi" 1987 The Equalizer Woman on Street Episode: "A Place to Stay" 1991–1992 All My Children Claudia Conner 13 episodes1994 One Life to Live Ethel Crawford 1996 As the World Turns Joan Episode: 1996-06-10

Scriptwriter + Year Title Role Notes 1970 Gunsmoke Writer Episode: "Sam McTavish M.D." The Virginian Writer Episode: "Nightmare" 1970–1971 The Secret Storm Head Writer / Writer 1974 McCloud Writer Episode: "The Gang That Stole Manhattan" 1975 The Rookies Writer Episode: "Angel" 1975 Matt Helm Writer Episode: "Now I Lay Me Down to Die," "Scavenger's Paradise" 1976 Electra Woman and Dyna Girl Writer Two episodes 1976 Family Writer Two Episodes1976 Swiss Family Robinson Writer Two Episodes1977 Barnaby Jones Writer Episode: "Sister of Death" 1979 A Christmas for Boomer Writer TV Movie1982 Falcon Crest Writer Episode: "Victims"

Awards and recognition Leslie was a regular on The Richard Boone Show, which garnered her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her work in the episode "Statement of Fact." Media critic John Crosby wrote about Leslie's work in that anthology series, "During the season Bethel played everything from a seductive ax murderess to a dumb gangster's moll, to an Irish scrub woman, through a whole series of witchy mothers."

A poll of media critics and editors named her Most Promising New Talent in Radio Television Daily's 1963 All-American Favorites—Television.Alicoate, Chas. A., Ed. (1964). Yearbook of Radio & Television. Radio Television Daily. P. 31.

Leslie's 1986 Broadway portrayal of a drug-addicted mother in Long Day's Journey into Night brought her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress.

Personal life Leslie was married to director Andrew McCullough. They had one child, daughter Leslie McCullough.

Death Bethel Leslie died of cancer at 70 in her apartment in Manhattan.

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1952 Theatre Guild on the Air The Wisteria Tree Grand Central Station It Makes a Difference

References

External links