Patricia Parsons (June 9, 1931 – October 26, 2006) was an American

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

who appeared in about a dozen films beginning in 1937. She was sometimes credited as Patsy Lee Parsons.

Biography

Parsons's appearance in a benefit show at Madison Square Garden led to a contract with

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

. She began acting at age 6, and mostly did child roles, notably in ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Ro ...

'' (1942). But she is perhaps best remembered for one of her few adult roles, as the evil space tyrant "Cleolanta" on the TV show ''

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger'' is an American science fiction television serial originally broadcast in syndication from February to November 1954. The show lasted for only two seasons and, though syndicated sporadically, dropped into obscurity. ...

'' in 1954. Like many former child stars, Parsons had difficulty finding good adult roles. She retired shortly after leaving ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger'', making one last TV appearance on ''

Science Fiction Theater ''Science Fiction Theatre'' was an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955 and ended on April 6, 1957, with a total of ...

'' in 1956. She was still only in her mid-20s when she stopped acting. Parsons had a busy post-entertainment career in California as the wife of banker and community activist Solon Soteras. As Pat Soteras, she worked at Pepperdine University and raised three children, Alexander, Nickoletta and Anthony. She also wrote a weekly column for the Malibu Times. In her later years, she was most remembered for her work with the Agoura/Oak Park/ Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce where, as its executive director, she increased membership eightfold.

Legacy

In memory of her work with the chamber, the Patricia Soteras scholarship fund was established.

Selected filmography

References

Sources and External Links

*
Patsy Parsons
at epguides.com

at The Acorn community newspaper

Space Hero Files: ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''

* ttp://www.comics.org/search.lasso?query=Rocky+Jones&type=character&sort=chrono&Submit=Search Database and cover gallery of ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger'' comicsat comics.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Patsy American film actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses 1931 births 2006 deaths American child actresses Actresses from West Virginia 21st-century American women