Though Leigh initially left college to pursue her film career, she re-enrolled in night classes at the University of Southern California in early 1947.
At the time, Leigh's health was compromised by vasculitis, and she delivered a speech at the ceremony from a wheelchair.
Also in 1949, Leigh appeared as a nun in the anti-communist drama The Red Danube, which earned her critical acclaim, followed by a role as Glenn Ford's love interest in The Doctor and the Girl.
Her first, the memoir There Really Was a Hollywood 1984 , became a New York Times bestseller.
Intermittently, she continued to appear in films, including Bye Bye Birdie 1963 , Harper 1966 , Night of the Lepus 1972 , and Boardwalk 1979.
In late 1975, she made her Broadway debut in a production of Murder Among Friends.