Gloria Leonard (born Gale Sandra Klinetsky;[2] August 28, 1940 – February 3, 2014) was an American pornographic actress during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984) who later became the publisher of High Society magazine.
[4] Leonard began appearing in hardcore pornography in 1974 and appeared in approximately 40 film/projects from 1976 to 1984, in films including Odyssey: The Ultimate Trip (1977), directed by Gerard Damiano,[2] The Trouble With Young Stuff, All About Gloria Leonard (both of which were written and directed by Joseph W. Sarno), Fortune Smiles,[7] Maraschino Cherry and Taboo: American Style.
[7] She is best known for her role in The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Radley Metzger’s erotic reimagining of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion.
[1] In 1977, she was hired as the publisher of High Society magazine, a position she held for 14 years while continuing to act and appear in films.
West said, "Gloria really would visit wholesalers herself, had relationships with all the distributors, would hire and fire staff, would supervise layouts, would recommend and decide upon the content, so really became a hands-on editor, at least in the first five or six years of her stint at High Society.
"[4] Leonard is also credited with two successful ideas that each became cottage industries: the publishing of nude celebrity photos and phone sex lines.
Over its 25-year run Margot Kidder, Ann-Margret and Barbra Streisand unsuccessfully attempted to sue the magazine after it published nude photos of them.
[4] Initially Leonard recorded her own voice informing callers of the contents of the next issue of High Society magazine before its publication.
Leonard had also been a guest on several talk shows, including Oprah, Geraldo, Maury, Larry King, Morton Downey Jr., and Howard Stern.
[11] Leonard was a feminist and free speech advocate, and debated on the issues of pornography and censorship and their impact on the women's movement at several colleges and universities.
As a result of the stroke, Leonard was left with extensive brain damage, and she died on February 3, 2014, at the age of 73, after having her life-support systems disconnected.