Dorothy Patrick (born Dorothea Davis; June 3, 1921 – May 31, 1987) was a Canadian-American film actress and a John Robert Powers model.

Early life

Patrick was born on June 3, 1921, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Davis. As a teen, Patrick was a professional photographic model for young ladies' fashions in Creed's, Hudson's Bay and Sears department store catalogues, popular in Canada. After growing up in Winnipeg, in 1938 at age 17, she and her "backstage" mother, Eva, emigrated to the United States. Settling in New York City at tony

Tudor City Tudor City is an apartment complex located on the southern edge of Turtle Bay on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City, near Turtle Bay's border with Murray Hill. It lies on a low cliff, which is east of Second Avenue between 40th and ...

in Manhattan, Patrick became a fashion model with the John Robert Powers Agency. She was seen on the runways of the City's haute couture salons and in fashion and entertainment magazines of the day.

Career

During her early career she was billed under her birth name, Dorothea Davis. In 1939, Patrick won

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...

's '' Gateway to Hollywood'' talent-search contest. With a movie contract in hand, she moved to Hollywood with her mother and young son to live in Culver City, California and work at nearby MGM studios. Patrick trained at the studio's repertory workshop and first appeared as a Goldwyn Girl in ''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' starring Danny Kaye (1944). Her most noted MGM appearance was opposite Robert Walker in the

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

musical showcase ''

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till The Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker, Kern was originally involved with the production, but died before ...

'' (1946). As a "Queen of the Bs," she continued to appear in films produced in the 1940s and 1950s, including '' High Wall'' (1947) with Robert Taylor; ''

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

'' (1947) with Louis Armstrong and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

; ''

The Mighty McGurk ''The Mighty McGurk'' is a 1947 American sports, drama, action, adventure, melodrama film starring Wallace Beery as a boozing ex-boxer brawling as a bouncer in a Bowery saloon. Plot Roy "Slag" McGurk (Wallace Beery), the former heavyweight boxing ...

'' (1947) with

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' ( ...

; '' Follow Me Quietly'' (1949) with

William Lundigan William Paul Lundigan (June 12, 1914 – December 20, 1975) was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include '' Dodge City'' (1939), ''The Fighting 69th'' (1940), ''The Sea Hawk'' (1940), ''Santa Fe Trail'' (1940), '' Dishonored Lady ...

, and the

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

-directed noir classic, ''

House by the River ''House by the River'' is a 1950 American crime melodrama directed by Fritz Lang and starring Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman and Jane Wyatt. It is based on the 1921 novel of the same title by A. P. Herbert. Plot A rich novelist, Stephen Byrne, who ...

'' (1950). Apart from her film career, during the 1940s, she played several roles on ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

''.

Dorothy Patrick in Till the Clouds Roll By cropped

In the early days of television, she made guest appearances on the locally produced TV game show, Mike Stokey's ''

Pantomime Quiz ''Pantomime Quiz'', initially titled ''Pantomime Quiz Time'' and later ''Stump the Stars'', was an American television game show produced and hosted by Mike Stokey. Running from 1947—1959, it has the distinction of being one of the few te ...

''. The Korean War-era saw her at celebrity appearances for USO and she was Miss Naval Air Force Recruiting 1951. At

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, Patrick co-starred with

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

and

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), '' ...

in an oil wild-catting yarn, ''The Big Gusher'' (1951), and in a modern-day western, ''Outlaw Stallion'' (1954), opposite Billy Gray with Phil Carey. Patrick co-starred or was supporting actress in a series of Republic programmers. The studio was best known releasing Saturday matinee serials, westerns, mysteries and crime dramas. Republic films she made include ''

711 Ocean Drive ''711 Ocean Drive'' is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru and Otto Kruger. Plot Telephone technician Mal Granger, with knowledge of telephones and electronics, is hired by gangster ...

'' (1950) with

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

Joanne Dru Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...

and Otto Kruger (caps with a slam-bang gun-chase scene at Hoover oulderDam); the "true life" crime drama ''Lonely Heart Bandits'' (1950) with John Eldredge; the genre western ''Thunder Pass'' (1954) with Dane Clark,

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

and

Andy Devine Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature fil ...

, and a "Gringos go south-of-the-border" comedy, ''Belle of Old Mexico'' (1950). Till the Clouds Roll By 1

For several summer seasons Patrick was also seen on stage at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

. One summer she co-starred opposite Howard Duff in ''Anniversary Waltz''; another season playing " Mrs. Miniver." Her last movies were in 1955 as Dorothy Davis Patrick at 20th Century Fox: ''

Violent Saturday ''Violent Saturday'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Victor Mature, Richard Egan and Stephen McNally. Set in a mining town, Bradenville, Arizona, the film depicts the planning of a bank rob ...

'' (1955) as the wife of

Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...

and '' The View from Pompey's Head'' (1955) with Richard Egan and

Dana Wynter Dana Wynter (born Dagmar Winter; 8 June 19315 May 2011) was a German-born British actress, who was raised in the United Kingdom and southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. Her best-know ...

.That same year, Patrick took a hiatus from Hollywood to raise her two adolescent sons back East in Short Hills, a New Jersey suburb of New York City. Returning to Hollywood in 1961 and up for a few parts on television, she found her creative niche appearing with the Leontovich Theatre in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

for several seasons while a real estate agent in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. A working, lifelong Screen Actors Guild actress, Patrick appeared in more than 35 motion picture films and television productions.

Personal life

In 1939, Patrick married professional hockey player

Lynn Patrick Joseph Lynn Patrick (February 3, 1912 – January 26, 1980) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, Patrick played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers. He was twice named to the NHL ...

in Manhattan. Her son from this marriage was Lester Lee Patrick (1940–1996). A few years into her film career, she married her second husband, noted

dentist-to-the-stars, Sterling Trevling "Doc" Bowen. That marriage produced one son, Sterling Terrence "Terry" Bowen (b. 1944).

Death

On May 31, 1987, Patrick died of heart attack. She was 65 years old. She was interred at the "columbarium-to-the-stars", Pierce Brothers Westwood in West Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * *
''Till the Clouds Roll By'' (full movie)
at Internet Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Dorothy 1921 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Winnipeg Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian people of English descent Canadian film actresses Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg