Eileen Cecilia "Patricia" Collinge (September 20, 1892 – April 10, 1974) was an Irish-American actress and writer. She was best known for her stage appearances, as well as her roles in the films ''

The Little Foxes ''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the litt ...

'' (1941) and ''

Shadow of a Doubt ''Shadow of a Doubt'' is a 1943 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy ...

'' (1943). She was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and won a

NBR Award The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

for ''The Little Foxes''.

Early life

Collinge was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

to F. Channon Collinge and Emmie (née Russell) Collinge. She was educated there first by a governess and then at a girls' school. She took dance and piano lessons, which held no interest for her, and determined to be an actress.

Stage career

Collinge first appeared on the stage in 1904 in ''

Little Black Sambo ''The Story of Little Black Sambo'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Scottish author Helen Bannerman and published by Grant Richards in October 1899. As one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children, ...

and Little White Barbara'' at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She immigrated to the United States with her mother in 1907. Soon after, she appeared as a flower girl in ''The Queens of the Moulin Rouge'' (1908) and as a supporting player in ''The Thunderbolt'' (1910) starring

Louis Calvert Louis James Calvert (25 November 1859 – 18 July 1923) was a British stage and early film actor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and an actor-manager. He is perhaps best remembered today for having created roles in plays by George ...

, which was staged at the New Theatre ( Century Theatre). In 1911, Collinge played Youth in the Broadway production of ''Everywoman,'' with

Laura Nelson Hall Laura Nelson Hall (born Laura Barnhurst, July 11, 1876 – July 11, 1936) was an actress in theater and vaudeville stock companies in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Life and career Hall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

in the title role. She reprised the role in the 1912 London production starring

Alexandra Carlisle Alexandra Carlisle (born Alexandra Elizabeth Swift, 15 January 1886 – 21 April 1936) was an English actress and suffragist who settled in the United States. She was also known in the U.S. as Alexandra Carlisle Pfeiffer, adding the name of her t ...

. She appeared as Agnes with

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckler film, swashbuckling roles in silent films in ...

Amelia Bingham Amelia Swilley Bingham (March 20, 1869 – September 1, 1927) was an American actress from Hicksville, Ohio.''Amelia Bingham, Actress Is Dead'', New York Times, September 2, 1927, pg. 17. Her Broadway career extended from 1896 until 1926.

, and

William H. Crane William Henry Crane (April 30, 1845March 7, 1928) was an American actor. Early years Crane was born in Leicester, Massachusetts on April 30, 1845. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Brimmer School. Career He made his first professional ap ...

in ''The New Henrietta,'' a play based on a comedy by

Bronson Howard Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist. Biography Howard was born in Detroit where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of ente ...

, produced at the Knickerbocker Theatre on Broadway in December 1913. In 1914, she again appeared with Fairbanks in ''He Comes Up Smiling.'' Collinge-Pollyanna-1916

Collinge toured in ''A Regular Businessman,'' was the original Pollyanna Whittier in ''Pollyanna,'' and toured with ''Tillie'' in 1919. In 1932, she appeared in ''Autumn Crocus.'' Her acting was acclaimed by a ''New York Times'' critic, who wrote, "Miss Collinge plays with the soft, pliant sincerity that makes her one of the most endearing actresses." She was a member of the original Broadway cast of ''

'' with

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

as the lead in 1939, playing the role of the tragic Birdie Hubbard. In 1941, she played the same part in the motion picture version, which starred

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. Other stage work included roles in productions of ''The Heiress,'' ''Just Suppose,'' ''The Dark Angel,'' ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

,'' ''To See Ourselves,'' and ''Lady with a Lamp.'' Her final stage appearance came in December 1952 in ''I've Got Sixpence'' at the

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

Film career

Collinge's film debut in 1941's ''

'' earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. Other films included ''

'' (1943), ''

Tender Comrade ''Tender Comrade'' is a 1943 black-and-white film released by RKO Radio Pictures, showing women on the home front living communally while their husbands are away at war. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey, and Kim Hunter and ...

'' (1943), and '' The Nun's Story'' (1959). According to the featurette included with the DVD of ''Shadow of a Doubt'', Collinge rewrote the scene that takes place in the garage between

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: in 1941 for her debut work in ''The Little Foxes'', and in 1942 for ''Mrs. Miniver'', ...

and

Macdonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

, since Director

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

and the actors were unhappy with the dialogue. Hitchcock was delighted with her work and used it in the film. She also worked with

Alma Reville Alma Lucy Reville, Lady Hitchcock (14 August 1899 – 6 July 1982), was an English director, editor, and screenwriter. She was the wife of the film director Alfred Hitchcock. She collaborated on scripts for her husband's films, including ''Shad ...

(Hitchcock's wife) and

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

on the screenplay for Hitchcock's ''

Lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

'' (1944), which also starred

Television

Collinge appeared in four episodes of the popular series ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

.'' In one episode, "The Cheney Vase", based on the play '' Kind Lady'', she played a vulnerable, elderly, wealthy woman kept hostage in her own home by ruthless crooks (

Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

and

Ruta Lee Ruta Lee (born Ruta Mary Kilmonis; May 30, 1935) is an American actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the musical ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''. She had roles in films including Billy Wilder's crime drama ''Witness for th ...

) attempting to steal a valuable Primitive style vase. She also appeared in such television dramas as '' Laramie'' (1961), ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...

'' (1962), ''

East Side/West Side ''East Side/West Side'' is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and, later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for one season (1963–1964), and was shown Monday nights on CBS. Set in New York City, t ...

'' (1963), and ''

N.Y.P.D. The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

'' (1967).

Author

Collinge wrote the play ''Dame Nature'' (1938), an adaptation of a French drama by

André Birabeau André Birabeau (6 December 1890 – 1 October 1974) was a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Novels and short stories * ''La débauche'' (1924), English trans. ''Revelation'' (1930). Cited as the first novel about a homosexual man f ...

, in addition to some short stories for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', and contributed to ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

''. She also wrote ''The Small Mosaics of Mr. and Mrs. Engel'', a

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

that earned her a gold medal from the Italian government, and ''The B.O.W.S.'', which she co-authored with

Margalo Gillmore Margaret Lorraine "Margalo" Gillmore (31 May 1897 – 30 June 1986) was an English-born American actress who had a long career as a stage actress on Broadway. She also appeared in films and TV series, mostly in the 1950s and early 1960s. Family ...

Personal life and death

Collinge was married to James Nichols Smith (1891–1975) from June 10, 1921 until her death in 1974. They had no children. Collinge died on April 10, 1974 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, at the age of 81 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. She is buried with her husband at Saint Mary's Cemetery in

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Patricia Collinge
photo album NY Public Library, Billy Rose Collection * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collinge, Patricia 1892 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Irish actresses Actresses from Dublin (city) American dramatists and playwrights American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Irish women comedians The New Yorker people 20th-century Irish comedians 20th-century American comedians