About Lesley Cunliffe
Lived 1945 – 1997 (aged 51). Lesley Cunliffe was an American journalist, writer and editor.
Lesley Cunliffe (née Hume; 21 May 1945 – 28 March 1997), also Lesley Hume Cunliffe, was an American journalist and writer.
Biography Cunliffe was born Lesley Hume in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1945, the daughter of Patricia Spooner and Robert Hume, an air force officer. Her career in journalism started working in television as assistant to reporter Gabe Pressman of NBC News. After relocating to England she was asked to become an editor for Harper's & Queen. She collaborated with Craig Brown on articles, some of which resulted in books: The Dirty Bits (1981) and The Book of Royal Lists (1983). During that period Cunliff also wrote other works, notably My passport to France (1985). She held several editorial positions at Tatler and the American- and English Vogue before becoming a freelance journalist for The Times Literary Supplement, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Evening Standard. Lesley Cunliffe was well liked because of her 'joie de vivre'. According to Mary Killen who wrote her biography in The Independent:
She died in 1997 of stomach cancer at the age of 51.
Publications 1975 – Burke's Presidential families of the United States of America (Burke's Peerage, ) 1981 – The Dirty Bits (Deutsch, ) 1983 – The Book of Royal Lists (Simon & Schuster, ) 1985 – My Passport to France (HarperCollins Publishers, ) 1986 – Great Royal Disasters (Book Club Associates, ) 1990 – The Book of Royal Trivia (Bounty Books, )
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Important facts
Family & relationships
People in Lesley Cunliffe's life
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Lesley Cunliffe?
American journalist and writer
When was Lesley Cunliffe born?
Lesley Cunliffe was born on 21 May 1945 in Springfield.
When did Lesley Cunliffe die?
Lesley Cunliffe died on 28 March 1997 in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
What was Lesley Cunliffe's occupation?
Lesley Cunliffe was a journalist, writer and editor.
What nationality was Lesley Cunliffe?
Lesley Cunliffe was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lesley Cunliffe. https://biography.guide/lesley-cunliffe/
MLA: "Lesley Cunliffe." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lesley-cunliffe/.
Chicago: "Lesley Cunliffe." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lesley-cunliffe/.
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