We were really sorry to learn of the passing of Cloris Leachman today. Though she lived to be 94, there’s never a good time to lose someone with the range of talent she had.

Leachman loved animals, but we parted philosophical company with her when she aligned herself with PETA. She made a quirky “Safe Sex for Dogs” commercial for PETA urging spaying and neutering, and was part of their “Let Vegetarianism Grow on You” and  “Give Thanks & Go Vegetarian!” campaigns. Her support lead to PETA presenting her with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts.

That said, we still greatly admire her talent, and choose to focus on her iconic role as Timmy’s mother on the “Lassie” series (Timmy as played by Jon Provost). She also played a frontier prostitute in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” a crime spree family member in “Crazy Mama,” and the unforgettable Frau Blücher in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” in which the very mention of her name made horses whinny:

Cloris won Emmys in 2002 and 2006 for her occasional role as Ida on “Malcolm in the Middle,” and over the years, her haul totaled eight in all, including a trophy for Mary Tyler Moore’s sitcom.

Rest Well, Cloris.

Image: Photo of Cloris Leachman with John Provost and Lassie in 1957