Neva Patterson
Encyclopedia
Neva Louise Patterson was an American character actress
.
Born on a farm near Nevada
in Story County
in central Iowa
, she and her parents moved to New York City
in 1938. She made her Broadway
debut in 1947's The Druid Circle. In 1952, she played "Helen Sherman" in The Seven Year Itch
. Her first feature movie was the 1953 film Taxi; other film credits include The Buddy Holly Story
, All of Me, and as Cary Grant
's fiancee in An Affair to Remember
.
Her television credits included Nichols, starring with James Garner
, The Governor & J.J.
, with Dan Dailey
, and as Eleanor Dupres in V, which she reprised in V: The Final Battle. She made guest appearances on Appointment with Adventure
, The Defenders, Ironside
, Barnaby Jones
, The Dukes of Hazzard
, and St. Elsewhere
.
Patterson died from complications from a broken hip at age 90.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
.
Born on a farm near Nevada
Nevada, Iowa
Nevada is a city in and the county seat of Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,798 in the 2010 census, an increase from 6,658 in the 2000 census. It is also part of the 'Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area', which is a part of the larger 'Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined...
in Story County
Story County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 89,542 in the county, with a population density of . There were 36,789 housing units, of which 34,736 were occupied.-2000 census:...
in central Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, she and her parents moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1938. She made her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 1947's The Druid Circle. In 1952, she played "Helen Sherman" in The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch (play)
The Seven Year Itch is a 1952 three-act play written by George Axelrod starring Tom Ewell and Vanessa Brown.The titular phrase, which refers to declining interest in a monogamous relationship after seven years of marriage, has been used by psychologists....
. Her first feature movie was the 1953 film Taxi; other film credits include The Buddy Holly Story
The Buddy Holly Story
The film was adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, the biography of Holly by John Goldrosen. It was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:...
, All of Me, and as Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
's fiancee in An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember is a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation....
.
Her television credits included Nichols, starring with James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
, The Governor & J.J.
The Governor & J.J.
The Governor & J.J. is a television series that ran from 1969 to 1970 on CBS in the United States and in Canada, where it ran on CBC. Selected episodes were rerun by CBS during the summer of 1972. It was produced by Talent Associates and CBS Productions...
, with Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
, and as Eleanor Dupres in V, which she reprised in V: The Final Battle. She made guest appearances on Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
, The Defenders, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
, Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, and St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
.
Patterson died from complications from a broken hip at age 90.
Select filmography
- All of Me (1984)
- V: The Final Battle (1984) (TV)
- V (1983) (TV)
- Star 80Star 80Star 80 is a 1983 American film about the true story of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her estranged husband Paul Snider in 1980...
(1983) - The Buddy Holly StoryThe Buddy Holly StoryThe film was adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, the biography of Holly by John Goldrosen. It was directed by Steve Rash.-Plot:...
(1978) - All The President's MenAll the President's MenAll the President's Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists investigating the first Watergate break-in and ensuing scandal for The Washington Post. The book chronicles the investigative reporting of Woodward and Bernstein from Woodward's initial...
(1976) - The Spiral RoadThe Spiral RoadThe Spiral Road is a 1962 American drama starring Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Burl Ives, Reggie Nalder and Neva Patterson. It was directed by Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson adapted from the novel by Jan de Hartog. It also featured an early score by composer...
(1962) - An Affair to RememberAn Affair to RememberAn Affair to Remember is a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation....
(1957) - Desk SetDesk SetDesk Set is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn...
(1957) - Taxi (1953)