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

Early years

Born on a farm near

Nevada, Iowa Nevada ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,925 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,658 in 2000. Nevada is part of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part ...

, 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 and initially worked as a secretary there.

Career

Early in her career, Patterson acted on radio in Chicago and sang for dance bands. She made her Broadway debut in 1947's ''The Druid Circle''. Her work on Broadway also included ''Romantic Comedy'' (1979), ''Make a Million'' (1958), ''Speaking of Murder'' (1956), ''Double in Hearts'' (1956), ''The Seven Year Itch'' (1952), ''

Lace on Her Petticoat ''Lace on Her Petticoat'' is a play by the British writer Aimée Stuart. It takes place in a cottage on an island off the southwest coast of Scotland in the late Victorian era. It premiered at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing before transferr ...

'' (1951), ''The Long Days'' (1951), ''Ring Round the Moon'' (1950), ''I Know My Love'' (1949), ''The Ivy Green'' (1949), and ''Strange Bedfellows'' (1948). In 1952, she played Helen Sherman in ''

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...

''. Her first feature movie was ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'' (1953). Other film credits include ''

The Buddy Holly Story ''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead perfor ...

'', '' All of Me'' (1984), and ''

An Affair to Remember ''An Affair to Remember'' is a 1957 American romance film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Filmed in CinemaScope, it was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is considered among the most romantic films of all ...

'' (1957). Also in 1957, she played the beleaguered Miss Warriner is Desk Set. Patterson portrayed Ma Ketchum in ''

Nichols Nichols may refer to: People *Nichols (surname) *Nichol, a surname Places Canada * Nichols Islands, Nunavut United States * Nichols, California, an unincorporated community * Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California * Nichols, Connecticut * Nich ...

'', Maggie McCloud in '' The Governor & J.J.'', Ilene in the NBC drama ''Berringer's,'' and Margaret Brimble in ''Doc Elliott'' on ABC. She also hosted the game show ''Manhattan Honeymoon'' on ABC. Her other television credits included ''

Cagney and Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very dif ...

'', 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 ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols " ♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

'', '' Maude'', ''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

'', '' Ironside'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'', ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'', ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television series ...

'', ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

'', '' In the Heat of the Night'' and '' St. Elsewhere''.

Personal life

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.

Death

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

Filmography

* ''

'' (1953) - Miss Millard * ''

The Solid Gold Cadillac ''The Solid Gold Cadillac'' is a 1956 comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (blac ...

'' (1956) - Amelia Shotgraven * ''

Desk Set ''Desk Set'' (released as ''His Other Woman'' in the UK) is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron from the 1955 p ...

'' (1957) - Miss Warriner * ''

'' (1957) - Lois Clark * ''

Too Much, Too Soon ''Too Much, Too Soon'' is a 1958 biographical film about Diana Barrymore produced by Warner Bros. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiography by Dian ...

'' (1958) - Blanche Oehrichs aka Michael Strange * ''

The Spiral Road ''The Spiral Road'' is a 1962 American adventure-drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, and Geoffrey Keen. The film was released by Universal-International in the United States in 1962, the same ...

'' (1962) - Louise Kramer * ''

David and Lisa ''David and Lisa'' is a 1962 American drama film directed by Frank Perry. It is based on the second story in the two-in-one novellas ''Jordi/Lisa and David'' by Theodore Isaac Rubin; the screenplay, written by Frank Perry's wife Eleanor Perry ( ...

'' (1962) - Mrs. Clemens * ''

Dear Heart ''Dear Heart'' is a 1964 American romantic-comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page as lonely middle-aged people who fall in love at a hotel convention. It was directed by Delbert Mann, from a screenplay by Tad Mosel. Its theme song " ...

'' (1964) - Connie Templeton * ''

Counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

'' (1968) - Dorothy * ''

Skin Game ''Skin Game'' is a 1971 American independent comedy western directed by Paul Bogart and Gordon Douglas, and starring James Garner and Lou Gossett. The supporting cast features Susan Clark, Edward Asner, Andrew Duggan, Parley Baer and R ...

'' (1971) - Mrs. Claggart * ''

All The President's Men ''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washingto ...

'' (1976) - CRP Woman * ''

The Domino Principle ''The Domino Principle'' is a 1977 neo-noir thriller film starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Mickey Rooney and Richard Widmark. The film is based on the novel of the same name and was adapted for the screen by its author Adam Kennedy (actor), ...

'' (1977) - Gaddis * ''

'' (1978) - Mrs. Ella Holly * ''

Star 80 ''Star 80'' is a 1983 American biographical drama film written and directed by Bob Fosse. It was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Village Voice'' article "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter and is based on Canadian ''Playboy'' mo ...

'' (1983) - Playboy Executive * '' V'' (1983, TV Mini-Series) - Eleanor Dupres * '' V: The Final Battle'' (1984, TV Mini-Series) - Eleanor Dupres * '' All of Me'' (1984) - Gretchen

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Neva 1920 births 2010 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Iowa People from Nevada, Iowa Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women