{{short description|American actress}} {{About|the American actress|the nonprofit executive|Leslie Graves (nonprofit executive)}} {{distinguish|Leslie Groves}}
{{Infobox person | name = Leslie Graves | image= | caption = | occupation = Actress | birth_name = Leslie Marie Graves | birth_date = {{Birth date|1959|09|29}} | birth_place = Silver City, New Mexico | death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|08|23|1959|09|29}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | spouse = Jerry Schoenkopf | height = {{height|ft=4|in=11}} }}
'''Leslie Marie Graves''' (September 29, 1959 – August 23, 1995) was an American actress.
==Early years== 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.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Legitimate: Shows on Broadway - A Cry of Players|author=Hobe|journal=Variety|volume=253|issue=1|date=November 20, 1968|page=86}}</ref> 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).<ref name="Bob Leszczak">{{cite book| author=Bob Leszczak| year=2012| title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide| publisher=McFarland| isbn=978-0786468126}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=HERE WE GO AGAIN|author=Fob|work=Variety|volume= 269|issue=11|date=January 24, 1973|page=40}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Alice">{{cite journal| author=Alice Koenisberg|year=1984|title=Soaps' Young Sirens|journal=Daytime TV Magazine}}</ref>
==Career== Graves' 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.<ref name="Alice"/><ref name="Jason">{{cite book| author=Jason Bonderoff| year=1987| title=Soap opera babylon| publisher=Perigee Books| isbn=0-399-51291-8}}</ref>
She had small roles in two exploitation movies: ''Piranha II: The Spawning'' (1982)<ref>{{cite journal|title=Film Reviews: Piranha II|author=Lor|journal=Variety|volume=313|issue= 8|date=December 21, 1983|page=15}}</ref> and ''Death Wish II'' (1982).<ref name="Paul">{{cite book| author=Paul Talbot|year=2006|title=Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films| publisher=iUniverse, Inc.|isbn=0595379826}}</ref> In 1982, CBS cast her in the role of Brenda Clegg in the daytime soap ''Capitol''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Radio-Television: Television Reviews - CAPITOL|author=Bok|journal=Variety| volume=306|issue=9|date=March 31, 1982|page= 76}}</ref>
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''.<ref name="skin"/>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1970 | ''Mary Tyler Moore'' | Dee Dee | TV series |- | 1973 | ''Here We Go Again'' | Cindy Standish | TV series |- | 1982 | ''Piranha II: The Spawning'' | 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 |}
==Personal life== Leslie Graves was married and had two children. On August 23, 1995, she died of an AIDS-related illness in Los Angeles.<ref name="skin">{{cite book|title=Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked|year=2005|page=212|publisher=St. Martin's Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dMMP94fw3mgC&dq=%22Leslie+Graves%22+%22AIDS%22&pg=PA212 |editor=Mike McPadden |editor2=Peter Landau |editor3=Allan MacDonell |editor4=L.A. Simington |editor5=J.R. Taylor|isbn=9780984185795}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0336317}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Leslie}} Category:1959 births Category:1995 deaths Category:American television actresses Category:American soap opera actresses Category:AIDS-related deaths in California Category:Actresses from New Mexico Category:20th-century American actresses Category:People from Silver City, New Mexico