Jennifer Leak, the first wife of Tim Matheson who met when they played step-siblings in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours, has died at 76. She died March 18 at her home in Jupiter, Florida,
Leak was dealing with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disease, in her final years.
Matheson posted a tribute on Facebook to her.
“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. 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.”
Yours, Mine and Ours featured Matheson as Mike, the son of Henry Fonda’s Frank Beardsley, while Leak portrayed Colleen, the daughter of Lucille Ball’s Helen North. The movie was about a blended family of 18 children.
Leak was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1947, and started her screen career with the Mike Nichols-directed pilot for Wojeck in the mid-1960s. She later was cast in Nichols’ The Graduate, but had to drop out because of immigration complications.
Leak’s was also a soap operas regular. She played Gwen Sherman on The Young and the Restless, Olive Springer Gordon Randolph on Another World, and Blanche Bouvier on Guiding Light.
Leak had largely retired from screen acting by the mid-1980s, working as a sales agent for a real estate company.
She was married to Matheson from 1968 to 1971, and wed D’Auria in 1977. She is survived by her husband and brother.
