Cloris Leachman has inspiration behind character on 'Raising Hope'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Cloris Leachman has a method to her madness on the new Fox comedy “Raising Hope.” “I took care of my mother-in-law for the last three years of her life, and she had Alzheimer’s disease,” says Leachman, who steals scenes as a demented great-grandmother, simply called “Maw Maw” on the sitcom (9 p.m. Tuesdays).

“So I know all about Alzheimer’s.”