Leslie Graves should not be confused with Leslie Groves.
| Leslie Graves | |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Birth Name: | Leslie Marie Graves |
| Birth Date: | 29 September 1959 |
| Birth Place: | Silver City, New Mexico |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Jerry Schoenkopf |
Leslie Marie Graves (September 29, 1959 – August 23, 1995) was an American actress.
Leslie Graves's father, Michael Graves, was a theatre actor and introduced her to the entertainment industry when she was about 10. She started her career with a small role in the Broadway play A Cry of Players (1968–1969), written by William Gibson.[1] She then moved to acting for TV series, including Sesame Street (1969, first 13 episodes), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1971, in the episode titled "Baby Sit-Com"), and Here We Go Again (1973).[2] [3]
In the late 1970s, she left Hollywood, supposedly to move with a boyfriend to Texas, where she worked on a shrimp boat for three years.[4]
Graves's return to Hollywood in early 1980 was marked by some nude photoshoots. Phillip Dixon shot her for Oui, a Playboy corporation affiliate and put her on the cover in November 1980 and again in May 1981 with a shoot by five photographers). At that time, rumors arose about her involvement with Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione and an argument with Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner.[4] [5]
She had small roles in two exploitation movies: (1982)[6] and Death Wish II (1982).[7] In 1982, CBS cast her in the role of Brenda Clegg in the daytime soap Capitol.[8]
In late summer 1984, Graves left the CBS show due to a serious drug problem and a heroin overdose, but her departure was reported as stress-related. Her last public appearance was a nude photo shoot by Jean Rougeron published in the October 1984 issue of Oui.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Mary Tyler Moore | Dee Dee | TV series | |
| 1973 | Here We Go Again | Cindy Standish | TV series | |
| 1981 | Allison Dumont | directed by James Cameron | ||
| 1982 | Death Wish 2 | Nirvana's Girl #2 | directed by Michael Winner | |
| 1982-84 | Capitol | Brenda Clegg #1 | TV series, final appearance |
Leslie Graves was married and had two children. On August 23, 1995, she died of an AIDS-related illness in Los Angeles.[9]