Years active 1954–1961, 1971 Children 5 | Name Leigh Snowden Role Actress | |
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Full Name Martha Lee Estes Occupation Film, television, stage actress Died May 16, 1982, North Hollywood, California, United States Movies and TV shows Similar People Dick Contino, Leslie H Martinson, Douglas Sirk | ||
I've Lived Before (1956) Jock Mahoney, Leigh Snowden, Ann Harding, John McIntire
Leigh Snowden (June 23, 1929–May 16, 1982) was an American actress in motion pictures and television.
Contents
- Ive Lived Before 1956 Jock Mahoney Leigh Snowden Ann Harding John McIntire
- 1957 ROAD DEVILS aka HOT ROD RUMBLE Trailer Leigh Snowden Richard Hartunian
- Early life
- Early career
- Return to acting
- Filmography
- References
1957 ROAD DEVILS aka HOT ROD RUMBLE - Trailer - Leigh Snowden, Richard Hartunian
Early life
Snowden was born Martha Lee Estes in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Her father died when she was three, and Snowden and her mother moved to Covington, Tennessee. When she was 16, Snowden married her classmate, James Snowden, and moved with him to San Francisco, California, when he joined the military. After the birth of two children, a girl and boy, Leigh and James Snowden got an uncontested divorce with Leigh gaining custody of the children.
Early career
After her divorce, Snowden moved to Los Angeles, California, and worked in modeling and in small parts on television. She got her big break into show business on a Jack Benny Christmas show that was televised from the San Diego Naval Base. When Snowden walked across the stage in front of an audience of ten thousand sailors, the sailors cheered and whistled so enthusiastically that eleven Hollywood studios contacted her the next day. The event led to the newspaper headline "Sailors Whistles Blow Blond Into Film Studio". Snowden chose Universal Pictures because of the training provided by their film school; she began voice and acting classes along with Mara Corday, Pat Crowley, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, and John Saxon.
Snowden appeared in the films All That Heaven Allows, The Square Jungle, The Creature Walks Among Us, Outside the Law, I've Lived Before and Hot Rod Rumble in addition to television appearances. Her last performance in movies was as Evie in The Comancheros (1961). Her last TV roles came in episodes of This is Alice (1958) and Tightrope (1960).
In 1956, Snowden met accordionist Dick Contino at a party given by actor Tony Curtis. In September, after a three month acquaintance, Snowden and Contino were married. Contino's family, who were Catholic, originally objected to the marriage because Snowden was divorced, but they relented and attended the civil ceremony in a Beverly Hills hotel. Snowden and Contino had three children together, in addition to her two children from her first marriage. Snowden left acting after her marriage and the birth of their first child. She sometimes appeared with him, as a singer, in his nightclub acts.
Return to acting
In 1971, Snowden appeared in the role of Maggie in the Fresno Community Theater production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. She professed a love of the stage, though she claimed to be nervous about having to appear in her slip during most of the play's second act.
Leigh Snowden died of cancer on May 16, 1982, in North Hollywood, California.