Octogenarian actress Cloris Leachman has joined the cast of celebrities who will grace the ballroom floor on the next edition of ABC television hit Dancing With the Stars, the network said Monday.
Leachman, 82, an Oscar winner for her 1971 supporting role in The Last Picture Show and a record Primetime Emmy champion for her TV work, will become the oldest contestant to compete on America's second-most-watched series.
The previous ranking senior on Dancing with the Stars was veteran actor George Hamilton, who strutted his stuff at age 66 in season two in early 2006, the Walt Disney Co.-owned network said.
Leachman, currently touring in her one-woman show, Cloris!, recently completed work in three new films. In 2006, she collected the eighth Primetime Emmy of her career, the most by a single actress, to surpass the seven earned by Mary Tyler Moore, on whose show Leachman became a household name in the 1970s for her signature role as the self-absorbed Phyllis.
She also is remembered for her memorably zany turn as the heavy-accented Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks' classic horror spoof Young Frankenstein.
Joining Leachman this fall on Dancing is one of the biggest Emmy bridesmaids of all time, Susan Lucci, who stars as the vixen entrepreneur and self-styled media mogul Erica Kane on the daytime soap opera All My Children.
Lucci, who will celebrate her 10,000th episode on All My Children in November, finally took home a Daytime Emmy as best actress in 1999, after being nominated for a record 18 straight years without winning.
The upcoming seventh installment of Dancing, featuring 13 celebrities paired with professional dancers in a contest of elimination, premieres on September 22.
Other members of the latest season include former member of the pop vocal group 'N Sync Lance Bass, Grammy-winning R&B star Toni Braxton, and two Olympic gold medalists--beach volleyball champion Misty May-Treanor from the Beijing Games, and track star Maurice Green, who competed at Sydney and Athens.
Another new cast member, actress-model Kim Kardashian, will go on with the show despite having to seek emergency treatment on Sunday night for a cut toe. Her spokeswoman said she would make some adjustments to her dancing shoes and continue with rehearsals.
While Leachman becomes the oldest dancer on the ABC hit, 18-year-old actor Cody Linley from the Disney Channel hit Hannah Montana joins the cast as the youngest star to compete, ABC said.
Dancing with the Stars averaged 21.7 million viewers for its Monday night performance telecasts last year, ranking as the most watched US show of the fall and number two for the season overall behind only American Idol.
Comments (13)
As always, a very interesting cast of characters. While I can't believe Chloris Leachman (she's 82, not 85 by the way) is going to be on, but God bless her feeble hips and ankles for having the gumption to even try! I am least impressed with Kim Kardashian - why is it that people who are on a reality show are suddenly considered "stars"?? Granted, DWTS is turning into a modern day "Love Boat". For those too young to remember that show from the 70s and 80s, everyone who had ever been anyone ended up on "Love Boat" when their careers were no longer going strong. It was kind of a B-List magnet. For the most part, DWTS is a platform for B-Listers, I think I really most enjoy the pro atheletes who have been on. Emmett will always rule the gridiron and the ballroom as far as I'm concerned, and it's going to be tough to top Kristi Yamaguchi from last time, but as always it will be enjoyable. To those who say it's boring, it's not. It's good, clean, fun, honest television that entire families can - and do - watch together and everyone can enjoy it. They do a really good job at picking celebs from all ages, backgrounds, etc., so there is someone who can appeal to almost every viewer. Plus, we parents don't have to worry about too much violence or too much sex. And it allows those of us who love dance and secretly wished we could dance to live vicariously through these pros and celebs for an hour or so a week. Personally I can't wait. My entire family watches, immediate and extended family, and we enjoy picking our favorites and rooting every week both FOR our dancer and against everyone else's. It's just a great show and Tomo Bergeron is a fantastic host, who absolutely deserves to win the innaugural Emmy for Reality/Competition Show Host!!!moreless
It will be impressive if she can keep up. It's impressive even if she can't.
Cloris Leachman will be a great addition to the show as will Susan Lucci. The two of them will bring some class to the show that some times is lacking with the younger performers. Way to go Ms. Leachman, I will be watching and cheering you and Ms. Lucci on.
I will be cheering for Cloris..I have been watching DWTS since it's debute and great to watch...Keep up the good work selecting the stars...God Bless
should be intresting
I cannot believe people watch this show.
not sure but good luck Cloris Leachman i still wont watch the show
Good for her.
She's just begging for an ankle injury.
She is 85 wow
I still can't believe that people enjoy watching other people dance on tv... That ranks up there with watching golf or the shopping channels! Boring!
Cloris will be a hoot. And I can root for her, I love <i>The Last Picture Show</i>. Kim Kardashian. That was funny to find out. Still funny, actually. Jake Ryan and Un-Break My Heart will be there too, that'll be intersting :P
i love old people