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I mean, I daresay, if I analyze this – and I have – growing up the way I did, that my alter ego is male. Because I decided very early on that guys got to have all the fun. I mean, women, what did they do? They fall in love, they get married, they have kids. There are exceptional women in this world, yes there are. But when I was growing up, they were just totally boring...I like larger-than-life characters who do dangerous, heroic things. And that, to me, means men."
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Chapman later said she drifted to action films because there were "just my temperament. I couldn’t write a romantic comedy or a chick flick or a love story if my life . I mean, I could write a love story, but it would have to be like a
Casablanca type of love story, and some people would have to die.
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in 1939 in
Kannapolis, North Carolina. She graduated from Winthrop College (now named Winthrop University), located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She married right out of college, and her husband wanted to be an actor, so they moved to Los Angeles during the early 1960s. She initially hired for her
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during her later life. An exhibition of her aquatic photographs was held at
Calumet Photography in Hollywood in 2011. Chapman died at her home in West Hollywood on November 4, 2014, at the age of 75. She had been diagnosed with cancer eight months before. She never remarried, but among the men she
126:, a major Hollywood talent agency. Her marriage ended after a year but she stayed at the agency. She was dating a writer, Ed Lakso, which got her interested in writing. Agents at the William Morris Agency suggested her secretarial position led to her early acting roles.
288:"at the end, the, quote, clever thing was that the villains were at point A and trying to get to point B, and you wanted them to go to point C, and so you just switched the road signs and they ended up at point C."
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Chapman transitioned to a career in screen and scriptwriting from the 1960s to the 1990s. She focused on writing for action-adventure films, an unusual genre for women scriptwriters in
Hollywood during the 1970s.
78:(March 29, 1939 – November 4, 2014) was an American actress and screenwriter. She began her career in acting during the 1960s, notably in a recurring role as Sarah Johnson, a secretary in the television series
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Women Making a Slow Break into
Architecture Women have made `very little progress' in gaining equal pay and status with men.: By Barbara Flanagan.
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because it was outrageous. The guy I always had the story conferences with, Henry Sharp, he was so much fun, and lively." She remembered on
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Chapman got interested in acting and began to take classes and do auditions. In April 1963, she joined the cast of a stage production of
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THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E: Leigh
Chapman Also Can Write--and Sell--Her Scripts... Korman, Seymour. Chicago Tribune 19 June 1965: d3.
225:, but the beach party fad ended before any were produced. She alternated between acting and writing, having a semiregular role on
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479:(1993) but had an unhappy experience and left the show after only writing a few episodes. She did an early draft of what became
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which they liked and bought, launching her writing career. She wrote several episodes of the show. Chapman wrote the feature
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called
Chapman "a pioneering female screenwriter in the action-adventure genre." Her screenwriting credits included
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330:(1969) for a company she formed with Harley Hatcher: Har-Leigh. The film was not made. She also was mentored by
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STAGE NEWS: 'Parsley Life' Coming to
Horseshoe Theater MORE NEWS ON STAGE, Los Angeles Times 21 Apr 1963: N22.
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213:(1965). She then was signed to write three features for writer-producer Norman Maurer’s unit at Columbia,
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When she returned from Hawaii, she decided to focus on features. Chapman wrote an early treatment for
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771:'20,000 Bikinis' Briefly Mentioned Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 25 May 1965: C11.
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She'd Rather Switch Than Starve
Henniger, Paul. Los Angeles Times 2 June 1967: d28.
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170:(1963). She had another stage success when she joined the cast of a production of
355:(1974) for producer Norman T. Herman. She was hired to rewrite the script for
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750:'Public Eye' Will Open at Biltmore March 2 Los Angeles Times 2 Feb 1964: D24.
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Vigilante novel to befilmed: The
Province; Vancouver, B.C. 25 Aug 1993: B5.
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Dolores Del Rio Given Role Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 4 Aug 1966: c9.
469:(1990), based on her own novel. In the early 1990s, she wrote a script for
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622:"Leigh Chapman, Screenwriter on 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry,' Dies at 75"
311:, an experience she hated so much it made her decide to quit acting.
140:. She began to get television work, appearing in episodes of
444:(1981). In 1982, she pitched an idea for a female remake of
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A Female Cop Caper: by Mike McGrady. Newsday 6 Apr 1990.
592:"Leigh Chapman, Actress and Screenwriter, Dies at 75"
410:(1980) — that were not filmed. She wrote scripts for
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Chapman wanted to write and did a "spec" episode of
337:Chapman then decided to live in Hawaii for a year.
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122:first job as a secretary for an attorney at the
473:that was not made. Chapman wrote the pilot for
394:Chapman wrote some scripts in the late 1970s —
689:"Lotsa Teeth: An Interview With Leigh Chapman"
488:Chapman appeared in the 2001 television film
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422:(1979). She wrote the story and script for
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438:(1981) and did an uncredited rewrite on
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365:(1974), a huge success. She also wrote
879:People from Kannapolis, North Carolina
874:People from West Hollywood, California
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553:S1:E12, "I've Got a Little Song Here"
179:Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
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894:American women television writers
889:Screenwriters from North Carolina
463:and produced by Ruddy. She wrote
351:(1974). She wrote the unproduced
326:. She did the unproduced feature
23:American actress and screenwriter
884:20th-century American actresses
176:in early 1964. She appeared in
590:Burlingame, Jon (2014-11-07).
368:How Come Nobody's on Our Side?
1:
859:Screenwriters from California
854:American television actresses
299:. She helped write the pilot
899:American women screenwriters
215:20,000 Bikinis Under the Sea
904:21st-century American women
864:American television writers
620:Barnes, Mike (2014-11-13).
432:. She wrote the script for
379:, and did the prison film
231:, playing the secretary of
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869:Winthrop University alumni
375:(1974), a spec script, to
280:. She said "I loved doing
58:West Hollywood, California
54:November 4, 2014 (aged 75)
43:Kannapolis, North Carolina
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303:(1968), and appeared in
262:. She wrote episodes of
16:Not to be confused with
450:, but it was not made.
228:The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
164:as well as the feature
95:Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
81:The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
793:, 10 October 1985: 10.
705:The Classic TV History
626:The Hollywood Reporter
504:underwater photography
362:Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
314:She wrote episodes of
173:Under the Yum Yum Tree
90:The Hollywood Reporter
471:Jean-Claude Van Damme
238:She also appeared in
124:William Morris Agency
69:Actress, screenwriter
498:Later life and death
476:Walker, Texas Ranger
459:(1990), directed by
435:King of the Mountain
396:The Laconia Incident
387:. Neither was made.
130:Hollywood beginnings
404:Rhintestone Heights
385:Robert Ellis Miller
301:Where the Girls Are
271:Mission: Impossible
265:My Favorite Martian
219:That Loving Feeling
137:Come Blow Your Horn
693:Classic TV History
502:Chapman picked up
441:...All the Marbles
408:Motordrome Project
400:Felonious Laughter
377:Dino De Laurentiis
291:In 1967 she wrote
286:Mission Impossible
277:The Wild Wild West
197:The Wild Wild West
167:Law of the Lawless
707:. 4 November 2015
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482:An Eye for an Eye
371:(1974). She sold
253:The Professionals
210:A Swingin' Summer
143:The Eleventh Hour
117:Chapman was born
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317:It Takes a Thief
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709:. Retrieved
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629:. Retrieved
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599:. Retrieved
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461:Sondra Locke
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428:(1980) with
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98:in 1974 and
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849:2014 deaths
844:1939 births
545:The Monkees
507:dated were
425:The Octagon
383:(1975) for
353:Blackfather
259:The Monkees
205:Burke's Law
191:Dr. Kildare
155:Burke's Law
101:The Octagon
838:Categories
631:2014-11-30
601:2014-11-30
560:References
519:Television
309:Desi Arnaz
305:Land's End
241:Iron Horse
113:Early life
419:Boardwalk
323:Mod Squad
108:Biography
104:in 1980.
402:(1978),
398:(1977),
84:, 1965.
791:Newsday
711:15 July
701:"Leigh"
596:Variety
550:Joannie
485:(1996.
456:Impulse
357:Pursuit
307:, with
293:Kings X
274:, and
185:Combat!
161:Ripcord
535:Notes
529:Title
320:, and
194:, and
158:, and
532:Role
526:Year
413:Steel
829:IMDb
713:2023
540:1966
511:and
406:and
221:and
51:Died
36:Born
827:at
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