Leigh Taylor-Young

Leigh Taylor-Young (born January 25, 1945) is an American retired actress who has appeared on stage, screen, podcast, radio and television. The most famous films in which she had important roles include I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (1968), The Horsemen (1971), The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971), Soylent Green (1973), and Jagged Edge (1985).

Young was born on January 25, 1945, in Washington, D.C. She added the surname Young, which was the surname of her stepfather, Donald E. Young, a Detroit executive. Her father was a diplomat, and her younger siblings are actress/sculptor Dey Young and writer/director/producer Lance Young. The siblings were raised in Oakland County, Michigan. Leigh graduated from Groves High School, Beverly Hills, Michigan in 1962. Before attending Northwestern University as an economics major, she spent a summer shifting scenery, modeling , acting, and sweeping up at a Detroit little theater.[2] However, she left Northwestern before graduating to pursue a full-time acting career, making her professional debut on Broadway in 3 Bags Full. About dropping out of college, the actress explained:

“I left there because I lost the most wonderful teacher. I didn’t want to go back when she left. My parents naturally were upset, and I spent four months at home thinking what to do, then went to New York and California.”[2