Neva Louise Patterson[1] (February 10, 1920 – December 14, 2010) was an American actress.

Neva Patterson
Patterson in 1969
Born(1920-02-10)February 10, 1920
Near Nevada, Iowa, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 2010(2010-12-14) (aged 90)
OccupationActress
Years active1949–1992
Spouses
  • Thomas Gallagher (m. unknown date; div. 1948)
Michael Ellis March
(m. 1953; div. 1956)
(m. 1957; died 2002)
Children2

Early years edit

Born on a farm near Nevada, Iowa, Patterson was the daughter of mailman George Patterson and seamstress Marjorie Byers Patterson. After graduating from Nevada High School in 1937, she worked as a secretary in Des Moines before she moved to New York in 1938[2] and initially worked as a secretary there.[3]

Career edit

Early in her career, Patterson acted on radio in Chicago and sang for dance bands.[4]

She made her Broadway debut in 1947's The Druid Circle. Her work on Broadway also included Strange Bedfellows (1948), The Ivy Green (1949), I Know My Love (1949), Ring Round the Moon (1950), The Long Days (1951), Lace on Her Petticoat (1951), The Seven Year Itch (1952, in which she played Helen Sherman), Double in Hearts (1956), Speaking of Murder (1956), Make a Million (1958), and Romantic Comedy (1979).[5]

Her first feature movie was Taxi (1953). Other film credits include The Buddy Holly Story, All of Me (1984), and An Affair to Remember (1957). Also in 1957, she played the beleaguered Miss Warriner in Desk Set.

Patterson portrayed Ma Ketchum in Nichols,[6]: 762  Maggie McCloud in The Governor & J.J.,[6]: 410  Ilene in the NBC drama Berringer's,[6] and Margaret Brimble in Doc Elliott on ABC.[6]: 268  She also hosted the game show Manhattan Honeymoon on ABC.[6]: 652  Her other television credits included Cagney and Lacey, in which she played Muriel Lacey, and as Eleanor Dupres in V, which she reprised in V: The Final Battle. She made guest appearances on Appointment with Adventure, The Defenders, Ben Casey, Maude, Family, Ironside, Charlie's Angels, S.W.A.T., Barnaby Jones, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Waltons, The Rockford Files, In the Heat of the Night and St. Elsewhere.

Personal life edit

Patterson initially married Thomas Gallagher, and they divorced in 1948. On March 22, 1953, she married Michael Ellis March; they divorced in 1956. She married James Lee on September 15, 1957, and they remained wed until he died in 2002.[2]

Death edit

On December 14, 2010, Patterson died from complications from a broken hip at age 90.[7]

Filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ Nelson, Valerie J. (December 17, 2010). "Neva Patterson dies at 90; actress played Cary Grant's fiancee in 'An Affair to Remember'". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ a b Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 335. ISBN 978-1-4766-6250-3. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Bolton, Whitney (January 16, 1957). "What It Takes for an Actress". News-Press. Florida, Fort Myers. p. 4. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Neva Patterson's Career Has Taken Her From Dance Bands to 'Cocktail Party". The Boston Globe. April 6, 1952. p. 88. Retrieved August 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Neva Patterson". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  7. ^ "Neva Patterson, Actress in 'Affair to Remember', Dies at 90". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 17, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

External links edit