Patricia Cutts (20 July 1926 – 6 September 1974)Patricia Cutts' profile
ftvdb.bfi.org.uk; accessed 25 January 2016. was an English film and television actress. She was the first person to portray the character of

Blanche Hunt Blanche Hunt (also Linfield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress died by suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. ...

in ITV soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'', appearing in two episodes.

Biography

Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, she was the daughter of the writer-director

Graham Cutts John Henry Graham Cutts (1884 – 7 February 1958), known as Graham Cutts, was a British film director, one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built ...

. Her first roles were supporting parts in British films. These ranged from small roles to more substantial ones (such as playing the love interest in ''

Those People Next Door ''Those People Next Door'' is a 1953 British second feature comedy film directed by John Harlow and starring Jack Warner, Charles Victor and Marjorie Rhodes. Plot In Second World War era Britain, working-class Sam Twigg (Jack Warner) and hi ...

'' (1953)). She moved to the USA in 1958, where she appeared in American movies and television shows. From 1958, she appeared in ''

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 r ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', where she played defendant Sylvia Oxman in the 1959 episode, "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager" and murderer Ann Eldridge in the 1966 episode, "The Case of the Bogus Buccaneers". She continued to work consistently in film and television on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 1950s, including a small appearance in ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture ...

''.

Maximilian Schell Patricia Cutts Three Musketeers 1960

In 1959 she appeared on

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

quiz show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, s ...

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

'' with football coach

Jack Curtice Jack Camp "Cactus Jack" Curtice Jr. (May 24, 1907 – August 19, 1982) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. Curtice served as the head football coach West Texas State (1940–1941), Texas Western (1946–1949), Uta ...

as her co-contestant. She was a regular panellist on the DuMont quiz ''

Down You Go ''Down You Go'' is an American television game show originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The Emmy Award-nominated series ran from 1951 to 1956 as a prime time series primarily hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans. The program aired in eleve ...

'' and starred alongside

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

in ''

The Tingler ''The Tingler'' is a 1959 American horror film produced and directed by William Castle. It is the third of five collaborations between Castle and writer Robb White, and starring Vincent Price. The film tells the story of a scientist who discove ...

''. In 1958, she appeared in the film '' Merry Andrew'', starring

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

. The following year, she had a good role as the second female lead in the war movie ''

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

'' (1959). In the 1960s, she made guest appearances on such television shows as ''

The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to '' I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distin ...

'', ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City p ...

'', '' Adventures in Paradise'' and ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

''.

Patricia Cutts Ann Todd Angela Lansbury Playhouse 90 1959

After several quiet years she returned to the UK and was in the 1972 British television series '' Spyder's Web'' before accepting the role of

in the ITV soap opera ''

'' in 1974. It would have been her most high-profile regular role to date but after appearing in only two episodes, Cutts was found dead at her flat in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, aged 48. An inquest into her death produced a verdict of suicide by barbiturate poisoning.Frasier, David K. (March 2005)
''Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases''
McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 73. Archived at Google Books.

Selected filmography

* '' Flying with Prudence'' (1946) - Prudence * '' Just William's Luck'' (1948) - Gloria's Secretary * ''

I Was a Male War Bride ''I Was a Male War Bride'' is a 1949 comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. The film was based on "Male War Bride Trial to Army", a biography of Henri Rochard (pen name of Roger Charlier), a Belgian who ...

'' (1949) - Girl in Doorway (uncredited) * '' Madness of the Heart'' (1949) - Girl at bookstall * '' The Adventures of PC 49'' "Investigating the Case of the Guardian Angel" (1949) - Joan Carr * '' Your Witness'' (1950) - Alex Summerfield, Roger's Sister in Law * ''

The Long Dark Hall ''The Long Dark Hall'' is a 1951 British mystery, suspense, courtroom-drama, crime film directed by Reginald Beck and Anthony Bushell and starring Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer and Raymond Huntley. It was based on the 1947 novel ''A Case to Answe ...

'' (1951) - Rose Mallory * ''

'' (1953) - Anne Twigg * '' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) - Irene Jennings * ''

The Man Who Loved Redheads ''The Man Who Loved Redheads'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Moira Shearer, John Justin and Roland Culver. The film is based on the play '' Who is Sylvia?'' (1950) by Terence Rattigan, which is reputedly a ...

'' (1955) - Bubbles * '' Merry Andrew'' (1958) - Letitia Fairchild * ''

'' (1959) - Hospital Patient (uncredited) * ''

'' (1959) - Isabel Stevens Chapin * ''

'' (1959) - Lt. Peg Whitcomb * ''

'' **"The Case Of the Dangerous Dowager" (1959) - Sylvia Oxman **"The Case of the Bogus Buccaneer" (1966) - Ann Eldridge * ''

Yancy Derringer ''Yancy Derringer'' is an American action/ adventure series that was broadcast on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney (1919–1989) in the title role. The show was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Produ ...

'' (1959) - Lady Charity, Ep. 20, "Hell and High Water" * ''

Private Road A private road is a road owned or controlled by a private person, persons or corporation rather than a road open to the public and owned by a government. Private roads can be on private land or can be constructed on government land for use by go ...

'' (1971) - Erica Talbot

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutts, Patricia 1926 births 1974 deaths English film actresses English television actresses Suicides in Chelsea Drug-related deaths in England Barbiturates-related deaths 20th-century English actresses Suicides by poison Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 1974 suicides Female suicides