Jennifer Leak, the soap opera actress also known for her role in Yours, Mine and Ours, died on March 18 at her home in Jupiter, Florida.
She had been diagnosed with the rare neurological condition progressive supranuclear palsy seven years before her passing, according to The East Hampton Star.
Leak was born on Sept. 28, 1947, in Cardiff, Wales. She grew up in different cities during her childhood, such as Hertfordshire, England, Nova Scotia, Canada, Jerusalem, and Toronto.
At 17, she started her acting journey in Canada after appearing in the pilot of the Canadian TV series Wojeck directed by Mike Nichols.
She was offered a role in Nichols’ The Graduate. However, she couldn’t participate in the production because of immigration challenges.
Jennifer Leak later relocated to Los Angeles, where she landed the role of Lucille Ball’s daughter in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours. It was on this set that Leak crossed paths with her future husband, Tim Matheson.
Leak and Matheson acted as step-siblings in the comedic movie depicting a blended family with 18 kids. Matheson took on the role of Mike Beardsley, the son of Frank played by Henry Fonda.
Jennifer Leak’s First Husband, Actor Tim Matheson, Pays Tribute to Late Wife
After her passing, Matheson wrote a heartfelt tribute to Leak on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Jennifer Leak’s passing. She wasn’t just my screen sister in ‘Yours, Mine and Ours,’ but also my beloved first wife,” Matheson wrote.
“Jennifer was a remarkable woman, strong, lovely, and incredibly talented. My deepest condolences go out to her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria, and their multitude of friends.”
Leak and Matheson tied the knot in 1968, but divorced in 1971.
While residing in Los Angeles, she made a return to TV and was featured in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Hawaii Five-0, and Nero Wolfe. Leak eventually found her way to soap operas. Her second husband, James D’Auria said that being in soaps “became her favorite medium and what she loved performing in most.”
She portrayed Gwen Sherman on The Young and the Restless in Los Angeles for three years. She later played Olive Springer Gordon Randolph on Another World for an additional three years in New York.
While in New York, she crossed paths with D’Auria, who would become her husband of 47 years. The couple married in April 1977.
In the mid-1980s, she made a career shift from screen acting to working as a sales agent in real estate. She is survived by her husband and her brother, Kenneth Leak.