Lila Leeds
Lila Leeds
Biography
Lila Leeds (born Lila Lee Wilkinson, January 28, 1928 – September 15, 1999) was an American film actress. She signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began appearing in small roles in the Red Skelton film The Show-Off (1946); Lady in the Lake (1947), based on a Raymond Chandler story; and in the Lana Turner vehicle Green Dolphin Street. She had a small part in So You Want to Be a Detective, which was part of the Joe McDoakes series of comedy shorts, the film being a reworking of the subjective camera style used in Lady in the Lake, in which Leeds had previously appeared. Leeds was producer Harold Hecht's top choice to star in Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, the first film by Hecht and co-star Burt Lancaster's production company Norma Productions. Leeds was ultimately replaced by Joan Fontaine, who was already under contract with the movie's financer and distributor Universal-International Pictures. On September 1, 1948, Leeds gained notoriety for being arrested together with actor Robert Mitchum on charges of marijuana possession. She subsequently spent sixty days in jail. Considered a Lana Turner look-alike, Leeds was 20 years old and engaged to Turner's ex-husband Stephen Crane at the time of her arrest. Although she starred in the Reefer Madness–style film She Shoulda Said No! (1949) following her release from jail, her acting career, unlike Mitchum's, never recovered from the scandal. She died of a heart attack at age 71 in Los Angeles.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
11
Gender
Female
Birthday
1928-01-28 (97 years old)
Place of Birth
Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Acting

1949

Wild Weed as Anne Lester

1949

The House Across the Street as Billie Martin (uncredited)

1948

Moonrise as Julie

1948

April Showers as Society Girl (uncredited)

1948

So You Want to Be a Detective as Veronica Vacuum (uncredited)

1948

So You Want to Be a Gambler as Blonde at Dice Table (uncredited)

1947

Green Dolphin Street as Eurasian Girl (uncredited)

1947

Always Together as Blonde (uncredited)

1946

Lady in the Lake as Receptionist

1946

The Show-Off as Flo

1946

I Love My Husband, But! as Blonde Trying on Hat (uncredited)