Nan Leslie

Nanette "Nan" June Leslie (June 4, 1926 – July 30, 2000) was an American actress of film and television. Her longest-running role was as Martha McGivern in 37 episodes of the first season of The Californians.[1] She was also known as Nan Coppage.[2]

Nan Leslie
Nan Leslie with Sean McClory in The Californians.
Born(1926-06-04)June 4, 1926
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 30, 2000(2000-07-30) (aged 74)
San Juan Capistrano, California, U.S.
Resting placePacific View Memorial Park, Corona del Mar, California
Other namesNan Coppage
Alma materUniversity High School of Los Angeles
OccupationActress
Years active1945–1968
Spouse(s)Charles Pawley (1949-c. 1960, divorced)
Albert Jason Coppage (1968–1990, his death)
Parent(s)Frank M. Leslie
Alma H. Turner Leslie

Early years

The daughter of Frank M. Leslie and the former Alma H. Turner, Leslie was a native of Los Angeles, California, where she attended University High School.[3][4]

Western roles

Leslie was cast opposite Sean McClory in The Californians, a fictional account of San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of the early 1850s.

Before The Californians, Leslie was known for her roles in three 1947 films: The Woman on the Beach, Under the Tonto Rim and Wild Horse Mesa. The latter two films were productions based on Zane Grey's western novels, and both films starred Tim Holt. For a time she was "unofficially engaged"[3] to marry Holt.[4]

Her acting career began with uncredited roles in 12 films, the first as Prudence in Under Western Skies (1945).[5] Her first credited film role was as Jane Preston in the 1946 film Sunset Pass with co-star James Warren.

In March 1947, Leslie was among several actors and actresses attending the premieres of Trail Street, an RKO Pictures release, with Randolph Scott in the role of Marshal Bat Masterson in the town of Liberal, Kansas. Leslie, however, is not listed in the credits as a cast member of the film.[4]

Her first television guest-starring role came in 1949 on ABC's The Lone Ranger; by 1955, she had made eight guest-starring appearances on the western series.[6] From 1950 to 1955, she appeared in four episodes of CBS's The Gene Autry Show. Leslie was cast in two episodes of the NBC western series The Roy Rogers Show; her first role was Bess Walton in "Jailbreak" (1951). Two years later, she was cast in the episode "Whirlwind Courtship" of Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. In 1953, she also appeared as Jane Sawyer in "Arizona Troubleshooters" of the western series Hopalong Cassidy. She was twice cast on the syndicated western series The Range Rider. In 1954, she played Alias Annie in another syndicated western series Annie Oakley, starring Gail Davis.[5] She had met Davis around 1945 at the RKO studios, and the two remained lifelong friends until Davis' death in 1997.[4]

From 1953 to 1955, Leslie was cast in five episodes each of two other syndicated western series, The Adventures of Kit Carson and The Cisco Kid. In 1956, she appeared in three episodes of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.

Leslie's other western roles included Broken Arrow, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, and Wanted: Dead or Alive. She portrayed Stella Lambert on the western series Fury.[1]:374 In 1959, she was cast in Shotgun Slade and Wichita Town.[5]

Dramatic roles

Leslie portrayed Randy Monaghan in the ABC dramatic series Kings Row (1955-1956).[1]:567 She also appeared in several drama series, including The Public Defender, the anthology drama series The Millionaire, the Cold War drama Behind Closed Doors, three times on the police drama The Lineup, and twice on the police series M Squad.[5]

In 1957, she acted in Circus Boy, the syndicated American Civil War drama series The Gray Ghost, and the syndicated police drama Code 3.[5] In 1958, Leslie acted in the crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

Later years

By 1960, Leslie's career began to wind down. She was cast twice on CBS's Lassie. In 1960, she acted in the western series Riverboat and the mystery series Thriller. In 1961, she appeared in the syndicated detective series Coronado 9, the sitcom Pete and Gladys, The Tall Man, and twice each on The Jack Benny Program and Perry Mason. She acted in the Christian series This Is the Life in 1964 as well as Daniel Boone in 1966. Her last acting role was in the 1968 science fiction film The Bamboo Saucer.[5]

Leslie married socialite Charles Pawley in 1949, with divorce following early in the 1950s. She wed Albert Jason Coppage in 1968 and was widowed upon his death in 1990.[3] She spent her later years in Mission Viejo, California. She died in 2000 of pneumonia at the age of 74 in San Juan Capistrano.[4]

References
  1. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  2. http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/684/Nan+Leslie/index.html
  3. Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 250–251. ISBN 9781476628561. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  4. "Nan Leslie". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  5. "Nan Leslie". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  6. Andreychuk, Ed (2018). The Lone Ranger on Radio, Film and Television. McFarland. p. 86. ISBN 9780786499724. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
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