# Lesley Ann Warren
**Lesley Ann Warren** (born 1946) is an American actress and singer whose six-decade career runs from the title role in the 1965 television production of [Rodgers and Hammerstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodgers-and-hammerstein)'s *Cinderella* through an Academy Award-nominated performance in *Victor/Victoria* (1982), the cult comedy *Clue* (1985), and recurring television roles as complex mothers in series such as *Desperate Housewives* and *In Plain Sight*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946, New York, New York, USA[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) |
| Breakthrough | Title role in *Cinderella* (1965), the Rodgers and Hammerstein television musical[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits) |
| Oscar nomination | Best Actress in a Supporting Role for *Victor/Victoria* at the 55th Academy Awards (1983)[5](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983) |
| Golden Globe win | Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama, for *Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue* (1978)[6](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lesley-ann-warren/) |
| Signature comedy role | Miss Scarlet in *Clue* (1985), later a cult classic[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/) |
| Training | Youngest student accepted to the Actors Studio at the time; studied under Lee Strasberg[7](https://www.sonyclassics.com/trixie/aboutthecast/lesleyannwarren.html) |
| Family | Son, actor and producer Christopher Peters, from her 1967–1973 marriage to Jon Peters[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/) |
## Training and early stage work
Warren began performing as a child, attending the [Professional Children's School](https://www.edgepedia.org/professional-childrens-school) at age 6 and later New York's High School of Music & Art, with dance lessons from age 6 and an early ambition to be a ballerina.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1985/02/24/lesley-ann-warren/97c6d9fa-5e98-48bc-aa5e-429409d5f09f/) She became the youngest student accepted to the [Actors Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-studio) at the time and studied under [Lee Strasberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg).[7](https://www.sonyclassics.com/trixie/aboutthecast/lesleyannwarren.html)
Her Broadway debut came in *110 in the Shade*, the 1963 musical version of *The Rainmaker*; sources place the debut at age 16[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1985/02/24/lesley-ann-warren/97c6d9fa-5e98-48bc-aa5e-429409d5f09f/) or 17.[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lesley-ann-warren/bio/3030057791/) She won Broadway's Most Promising Newcomer Award for the show, then received the Theatre World Award for her lead work in the short-lived musical *Drat! The Cat!* (1965), which ran eight performances.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lesley-ann-warren/bio/3030057791/)
## Cinderella and the 1960s
The attention from her stage work led Warren to the title role in the [Richard Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-rodgers) and [Oscar Hammerstein II](https://www.edgepedia.org/oscar-hammerstein-ii) television musical *Cinderella* (1965), with [Stuart Damon](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-damon) as her Prince. The 1957 original starring Julie Andrews had been the most widely viewed program in television history, and the 1965 recreation starring Warren succeeded in reaching a new generation.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits) • [10](https://wctpresents.org/program/Cinder2025/Cinder-Program.pdf) Warren's feature debut followed in the Disney musical *The Happiest Millionaire* (1967), in which she played Cordy Biddle, and she appeared in another Disney musical, *The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band* (1968), as the love interest of John Davidson.[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/lesley_ann_warren)
Through the 1970s her work shifted toward television movies and miniseries, with only three feature assignments between 1968 and 1982. Credits from the decade include *Seven in Darkness* (1969), *Love Hate Love* (1971) co-starring [Ryan O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-oneal), *The Legend of Valentino* (1975), and the rags-to-riches miniseries *Harold Robbins' 79 Park Avenue* (1977), for which she won a Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama. She described the role as a turning point in being taken seriously as an actress.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits) • [6](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lesley-ann-warren/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1985/02/24/lesley-ann-warren/97c6d9fa-5e98-48bc-aa5e-429409d5f09f/)
## Film career and Victor/Victoria
Warren's feature career revived with [Blake Edwards](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-edwards)'s musical comedy *Victor/Victoria* (1982), in which she played Norma Cassady, the whiny-voiced girlfriend of gangster kingpin King Marchan ([James Garner](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-garner)). The performance brought nominations for both the [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actress) in a Supporting Role and a Golden Globe, and won a People's Choice Award.[5](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983) • [6](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lesley-ann-warren/) • [7](https://www.sonyclassics.com/trixie/aboutthecast/lesleyannwarren.html) • [16](https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/) At the 55th Academy Awards, the supporting actress prize went to Jessica Lange for *Tootsie*.[5](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983)
She followed with Alan Rudolph's *Choose Me* (1984) and *Songwriter* (1984), the latter earning another Golden Globe nomination, and then played Miss Scarlet in [Jonathan Lynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-lynn)'s *Clue* (1985), the comedy based on the board game. The film underperformed on release but grew into a cult classic, performed live by shadow casts and endlessly rewatched on streaming; Warren has said the fan momentum built years later, recalling a call from co-star [Martin Mull](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-mull) asking whether she was getting a lot of *Clue* fan mail.[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) • [6](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lesley-ann-warren/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/news/)
Later film work ranged across genres: *Pure Country* (1992), [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh)'s *The Limey* (1999), *Twin Falls Idaho* (1999), *Teaching Mrs. Tingle* (1999), *Secretary* (2002), and *Jobs* (2013), in which she played Clara Jobs.[3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) • [13](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lesley-ann-warren/)
## Television mother roles and later work
From the early 2000s Warren became known for recurring roles as mothers. She played Sophie Bremmer, Susan Mayer's mother, on *Desperate Housewives* (2005–2011, seven episodes), earning 2005 nominations from the Online Film & Television Association and Gold Derby, and Jinx Shannon on [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network)'s *In Plain Sight*. She also had a recurring stint on *Will & Grace* as the lovelorn mistress of Will's father, played by Sydney Pollack, beginning in 2001.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/) • [13](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lesley-ann-warren/)
Her awards record includes a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for *Family of Spies* (1990), a CableACE nomination for *Baja Oklahoma* (1988), and a 1995 Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress for *Color of Night* (1994).[14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/awards/)
**Recent projects.** In 2024 she appeared in *Love, Danielle* as the mother of a character with a BRCA1 gene mutation, a role she described as producing real tears on set; the film brought a 2025 Special Jury Prize for Best Supporting Actress at WorldFest-Houston and a Best Ensemble nomination at the Garden State Film Festival.[12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/news/) • [14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/awards/) She starred in Tom Koch's Oscar-qualified short film *Olive* (2025), about memory and love through the lens of Alzheimer's, which won the Silver Screen at the Young Director Awards in Cannes and Best Short Film at Sidewalk 2025.[15](https://thecontending.com/shorts-exclusive-olive/) She guested on *9-1-1* in 2025 as Ann Hutchinson, the estranged mother of Captain Bobby Nash, and appears in *Home Delivery* (2026) as Linda Templeton.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits) She has also been developing a one-woman show tracing her career from her early ambition to be a ballerina.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/)
## References
1. [Lesley Ann Warren, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/)
2. [Lesley Ann Warren Revisits 'Clue,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Desperate Housewives' & More Memorable Roles, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1255086/)
3. [Lesley Ann Warren Filmography and Movies, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/lesley-ann-warren-713058/film-credits)
4. [Lesley Ann Warren, IMDb full credits](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/fullcredits)
5. [The 55th Academy Awards, Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983)
6. [Lesley Ann Warren, Golden Globes](https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/lesley-ann-warren/)
7. [Lesley Ann Warren cast biography, Sony Pictures Classics, Trixie](https://www.sonyclassics.com/trixie/aboutthecast/lesleyannwarren.html)
8. [Lesley Ann Warren: A Durable Woman in 'Evergreen', The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1985/02/24/lesley-ann-warren/97c6d9fa-5e98-48bc-aa5e-429409d5f09f/)
9. [Lesley Ann Warren Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lesley-ann-warren/bio/3030057791/)
10. [Cinderella Digital Program, Washington Center for the Performing Arts](https://wctpresents.org/program/Cinder2025/Cinder-Program.pdf)
11. [Lesley Ann Warren, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/lesley_ann_warren)
12. [Lesley Ann Warren, IMDb News](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/news/)
13. [Lesley Ann Warren, TV Insider people page](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lesley-ann-warren/)
14. [Lesley Ann Warren, IMDb Awards](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000690/awards/)
15. [Shorts Exclusive: Lesley Ann Warren Takes Center Stage in Tom Koch's 'Olive', The Contending](https://thecontending.com/shorts-exclusive-olive/)
16. [Awards](https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames U to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license