Patricia Rose Breslin (March 17, 1925 – October 12, 2011) was an American actress and philanthropist. She had a prominent career in television, which included recurring roles as Amanda Miller on ''
The People's Choice'' (1955–58), and as Laura Harrington Brooks on ''
Peyton Place'' (1964–65).
She also appeared in ''
Go, Man, Go!
''Go, Man, Go!'' is a 1954 American sports film directed by James Wong Howe, starring Dane Clark, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Patricia Breslin, The Harlem Globetrotters and Slim Gaillard. Clark plays Abe Saperstein, the organizer of the Globetrotter ...
'' (1954), and the
William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...
horror films ''
Homicidal
''Homicidal'' is a 1961 American horror-thriller film produced and directed by William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orph ...
'' (1961) and ''
I Saw What You Did
''I Saw What You Did'' is a 1965 American thriller film released by Universal Pictures and starring Joan Crawford and John Ireland. The plot follows two teenage girls who find themselves in serious danger after making a prank phone call to a man ...
'' (1965).
In 1969, Breslin married
NFL mogul
Art Modell
Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchis ...
, and became a well-known philanthropist while living in both
Cleveland, Ohio, and
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, donating millions of dollars to various educational, health, and art organizations, including the
SEED Foundation of Maryland and the
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...
. She also helped open the Hospice of the Western Reserve at the
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...
.
Early life
Patricia Rose Breslin was born in New York City, one of three children born to Edward (a judge) and Marjorie Breslin.
[Baltimore Sun: "Supporting Role - Pat Modell, wife of the Ravens owner, gave up an acting career for love -- and never looked back" By Elizabeth Large]
April 08, 2001 Her father was a Catholic of Irish descent and her mother was of Scottish descent.
Breslin was raised in the
Parkchester
Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the central Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundari ...
neighborhood of the Southeast
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
. She graduated from the
Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School in the Bronx before attending the
College of New Rochelle
The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York, but also in Australia, England, and Germany. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline O ...
in
New Rochelle, New York.
Career
On television, Breslin co-starred in "The Long Walk", the May 30, 1950, episode of ''
Cameo Theatre
''Cameo Theatre'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1950 to 1955.
Television in the round
The live series, produced by Albert McCleery, introduced to television the concept of theater-in- ...
''. In 1954, she guest-starred with
Peter Mark Richman
Peter Mark Richman (born Marvin Jack Richman; April 16, 1927 – January 14, 2021) was an American actor in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman. He appeared in about 30 films and 130 television series from th ...
in an episode of
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's legal drama, ''Justice'', as a woman threatened by hoodlums. The same year, she appeared in a supporting role as Sylvia Franklin Saperstein in the sports film ''
Go, Man, Go!
''Go, Man, Go!'' is a 1954 American sports film directed by James Wong Howe, starring Dane Clark, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Patricia Breslin, The Harlem Globetrotters and Slim Gaillard. Clark plays Abe Saperstein, the organizer of the Globetrotter ...
'' (1954), opposite
Ruby Dee,
Sidney Poitier, and the
Harlem Globetrotters.
The following year, Breslin was cast in an episode of the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
''
Appointment with Adventure'', a series with neither a host nor a regular star. From 1955 to 1958, Breslin co-starred with
Jackie Cooper as his girlfriend and then wife in the NBC sitcom, ''
The People's Choice''.
Between 1960 and 1963, Breslin made three guest appearances on CBS's ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'', and was cast as the defendant in all three episodes. In 1960, she played Karen Lewis in "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick." In 1962, she played Karen Ross in "The Case of the Poison Pen-Pal", and in 1963, as Laura Hewes in "The Case of the Prankish Professor".
In 1960, she played the newlywed wife of
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...
's character in CBS's ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' episode "
Nick of Time", and was also in the 1963 ''Twilight Zone'' episode "
No Time Like the Past", in which she portrayed Abigail Sloan.
In 1960, she guest-starred on the short-lived
David McLean Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
series, ''
Tate
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
'', which aired on NBC. She appeared on
Nick Adams' ABC Western, ''
The Rebel'' and with
Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...
in his ABC adventure series, ''
Stoney Burke''. Thereafter, Breslin played the role of Anne Mitchell, along with co-stars
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and ...
and
Paul Fix, in the 1961 episode "The Haven" of CBS's
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
, ''
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961.
The series wa ...
''.
She returned to film in 1961, starring in
William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orphaned at 11, Castle dropped out of high school at 15 to work in the theater. He came to the attenti ...
's horror film ''
Homicidal
''Homicidal'' is a 1961 American horror-thriller film produced and directed by William Castle
William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Orph ...
'', and later worked with him again on the thriller ''
I Saw What You Did
''I Saw What You Did'' is a 1965 American thriller film released by Universal Pictures and starring Joan Crawford and John Ireland. The plot follows two teenage girls who find themselves in serious danger after making a prank phone call to a man ...
'' (1964). In 1964, she was cast in the role of Laura Brooks on the ABC primetime soap opera ''
Peyton Place''. She also played the role of
Meg Baldwin
''General Hospital'' is the longest running American television serial drama, airing on ABC. Created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital (hence the title), in an unnamed fictional city. In the 1970s, the city w ...
in the ABC soap opera ''
General Hospital'' from 1965 to 1969.
Personal life
From 1953 to 1969, Breslin was married to character actor and director David Orrick McDearmon, and they had two children. Later, Breslin married then
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
(later the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
) NFL team owner, advertising and business executive
Art Modell
Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchis ...
in 1969.
Shortly after their marriage, Modell legally adopted Patricia's sons from her first marriage and they took his surname. The family lived in
Waite Hill, Ohio
Waite Hill is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States and an affluent rural suburb of Cleveland. The population was 471 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Waite Hill is located at (41.615622, -81.388389).
According to the United States Censu ...
, later moving to
Owings Mills, Maryland, with a total of six grandchildren between them.
Philanthropy
Breslin became a well-known
philanthropist in both Cleveland, Ohio, and Baltimore, Maryland, after relocating to the city in 1995. Modell and she donated $5 million to the
SEED
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
School of Maryland, a public boarding school for disadvantaged junior-high and high-school students from around the state.
They also donated $3.5 million to help restore the
Lyric Opera House
The Lyric Performing Arts Center is a music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, located close to the University of Baltimore law school. The building was modeled after the Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam, and it was inaugurate ...
, and Breslin served on the boards of the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...
and the
Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...
, and also donated to the
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...
.
In Cleveland, she helped start the Hospice of the Western Reserve at the Cleveland Clinic, and supported the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She was also active in the
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old.
Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headqu ...
, the Cleveland Musical Arts Association, the
Cleveland Ballet
The Cleveland Ballet was founded in Cleveland in 1972 by Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath as a dance school, the School of Cleveland Ballet. It was the second incarnation of the Cleveland Ballet, having been preceded a ballet company of the same name ...
, the Playhouse Square Foundation, and the Cerebral Palsy Association.
[
]
Death
Breslin died on October 12, 2011, at the age of 86 after a lengthy hospitalization with pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic pancr ...
. Her funeral was held at the in Baltimore. Her husband Art had been a major contributor to the restoration of the basilica.The Catholic Review: "Remembering Art Modell, champion of Catholic education" by George P. Matysek, Jr.
September 6, 2012
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breslin, Patricia
1931 births
2011 deaths
Actresses from New York City
American film actresses
Philanthropists from New York (state)
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
20th-century American actresses
Deaths from pancreatitis
College of New Rochelle alumni
People from the Bronx
Actresses from Los Angeles
People from Owings Mills, Maryland
American people of Irish descent
American people of Scottish descent
Catholics from New York (state)
Catholics from Maryland
Parkchester, Bronx
20th-century American philanthropists
21st-century American women