Lesley Ann Warren

Lesley Warren married producer Jon Peters in 1967. Their son Christopher Peters was born in 1968; he grew up to be an actor and producer. Warren and Peters got a divorce in 1974.

In 2000, she married advertising executive Ronald Taft.

Lesley Warren was born on August 16, 1946 in New York City to singer Margot and William Warren, a real estate agent.

She studied at the Professional Children's School and The High School of Music & Art. She was trained at the School of American Ballet and later at the Actors Studio. At the age of 17, she became the youngest applicant ever to be accepted by the acting school.

Trained in ballet, Lesley Warren began her career as a ballet dancer. She was lucky to get an opportunity to shift her focus to acting. She made her Broadway debut in the musical ‘110 in the Shade’ in 1963; It was based on N. Richard Nash's 1954 play ‘The Rainmaker’. In 1965, she did the musical ‘Drat! The Cat!’, in which her performance was appreciated.

In 1965, she made her small screen debut as the main character Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein's TV film ‘Cinderella’. That was her first major success in her acting career.

In 1966, she appeared in four episodes of the TV series ‘Dr. Kildare’ in a guest role as Bonda Jo Weaver. In 1967, she made her film debut as Cordy in ‘The Happiest Millionaire’, which was a musical film based on the true story of millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.

In 1968, she played Alice Bower in the film ‘The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band’, a Walt Disney Production based on the biography by Laura Bower Van Nuys. It was directed by Michael O'Herlihy.

In 1970, she was selected to portray the role of Dana Lambert, the leading lady in the TV series ‘Mission: Impossible’, created and produced by Bruce Geller. However, she was considered to be inexperienced for the role and was dropped after one year. This, however, did not impact her career as throughout the 1970s, she played the leading lady in numerous TV movies, series, and miniseries.

Lesley Warren’s role in one of her initial plays ‘Drat! The Cat!’ was critically acclaimed. It was about a girl, who, frustrated by the problems that come in her way to establish a career, becomes a ‘cat burglar’ and robs the homes of rich people.

Warren’s performance as Norma Cassidy in the British-American musical comedy film ‘Victor/Victoria’ was one of her best ones. This role helped her gain recognition as a talented actress.