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Jennifer Leak, an actress best known for her role in “The Young and the Restless” and for appearing in the 1968 film “Yours, Mine and Ours,” has died, Fox News Digital can confirm. She was 76.
For the past seven years, Leak had been battling a rare neurological disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, according to the East Hampton Star.
“Her courage and bravery tried in vain to fight the disease,” her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria, told the outlet. Leak donated her brain tissue to the Mayo Clinic for further research, D’Auria added.
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Jennifer Leak appeared as Gwen Sherman in the daytime drama series “The Young and the Restless,” 1974. (CBS via Getty Images)
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Progressive supranuclear palsy is a rare brain disease that affects walking, balance, eye movements and swallowing. The disease results from the damage of cells in areas of the brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other important functions.”
“Progressive supranuclear palsy worsens over time and can lead to dangerous complications, such as pneumonia and trouble swallowing. There’s no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms.”
Leak died on March 18 at her home in Jupiter, Florida.
Born on September 28, 1947, in Cardiff, Wales, Leak kickstarted her career at just 17 years old after filming a pilot for a Canadian television series called “Wojeck.”
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Actress Lucille Ball with actors Jennifer Leak, Kevin Burchett, Kimberly Beck, Margot Jane, Eric Shea, Greg Atkins, Lynnell Atkins posing for the movie “Yours, Mine and Ours” in 1968. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Well-known film director Mike Nichols was “impressed with her un-studied natural talents,” D’Auria said. She was later cast in Nichols’ “The Graduate,” but couldn’t take on the role due to immigration issues.
She later moved to Los Angeles and landed her first American role as Lucille Ball’s daughter in the 1968 film “Yours, Mine and Ours.”
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From there, she went on to star in various TV shows, including “Hawaii Five-0,” “Nero Wolfe,” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” as well as a handful of soap operas, including “Bright Promise,” “The Young and the Restless” and “Another World.”
Jennifer Leak passed away after battling a rare neurogical disorder, progressive supranuclear palsy. (CBS via Getty Images)
Leak married her first husband, actor Tim Matheson, in 1968, but they divorced in 1971. She later married D’Auria in April 1977. The two resided in Florida at the time of her death.
“[Jennifer] was a shy and private person, never desiring to be the center of attention or having the need for an audience,” D’Auria said. “She saved those feelings and exhibited them only when on camera, and then she became electric.”
Leak is survived by her husband and her brother Kenneth Leak.
Christina Dugan Ramirez is a freelance entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
