Patricia Hardy (December 23, 1931 – August 20, 2011) was an American television and film actress whose career was most active during the 1950s. She was the wife of actor Richard Egan.

Biography

The third daughter of parents of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent, James J. and Mary (née Toal) Hardy, Patricia Hardy was born and raised in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. She won several

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

s during her early years, including Miss Brooklyn, Miss Coney Island and Miss New York Press Photographer. She was a model for Walter Thornton and appeared on the cover of '' Look Magazine''. She began her entertainment career in New York City, performing at the Copacabana nightclub with such well-known performers as

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running si ...

and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

. She met her future husband, actor Richard Egan, in 1956. The couple married on June 7, 1958, in San Francisco and remained together until Egan's death in July 1987. The couple had four daughters - Patricia, Kathleen, Colleen, and

Maureen Egan Maureen Egan is a writer/director who has directed several music videos, including the MTV2 Award-winning "Screaming Infidelities" for Dashboard Confessional. Her parents were actors Richard Egan and Patricia Hardy. Egan is one half of a directing ...

, a writer and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

director, as well as a son, Richard Egan Jr., who founded

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home ...

. Hardy moved from

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 * '' ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to pursue a film and television career. She was cast in several 1950s television episodes including two appearances on ''

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 cli ...

'': as defendant Claire Olger in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Haunted Husband," and as Jo Ann Blanchard in the 1959 episode, "The Case of the Startled Stallion." She also appeared in the series' ''State Trooper'', ''

The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...

'', ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...

'' and

Schlitz Playhouse ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse' ...

, in which she co-starred in an episode with

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

. Her film credits included ''

Girls in the Night ''Girls in the Night'' is an American film noir directed by Jack Arnold. Released by Universal Pictures on January 15, 1953, the film stars Harvey Lembeck, Joyce Holden and Glenda Farrell. A family's efforts to move into a better neighborhood a ...

'' in 1953 and ''

Don't Knock the Rock ''Don't Knock the Rock'' is a 1956 American musical film starring Alan Dale and Alan Freed. Directed by Fred F. Sears, the film also features performances by Bill Haley & His Comets, Little Richard, The Treniers, and Dave Appell and the App ...

'' in 1957.

Death

Hardy died of colon cancer at her home in

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California Brentwood is a suburban neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles. History General Modern development began after the establishment of the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the 1880s. A sma ...

on August 20, 2011, aged 79. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery,

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

, alongside her husband, at Section AA, Tier 37, Grave 139Scott Wilson, ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3rd Edition, p. 316

References

External links

*
Profile
legacy.com

Profile
ovguide.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Patricia 1931 births 2011 deaths Actresses from New York City American film actresses American television actresses People from Brooklyn American people of Irish descent Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer People from Brentwood, Los Angeles 21st-century American women