Irish-born stage actress, in London from 1904, on Broadway from 1908.
After appearing as a flower girl in
'The Queen of the Moulin Rouge',
she became a celebrated theatrical star of many classic plays by
George Bernard Shaw,
Henrik Ibsen,
J.M. Barrie and others. From 1947 to 1948,
she starred as Lavinia Penniman in
'The Heiress' at the Biltmore Theatre, directed by
Jed Harris.
The play ran for 410 performances. On screen, she was noted for her
work with
Alfred Hitchcock. She
appeared as Emma Newton in
Shadow of a Doubt (1943).
Though uncredited, Patricia wrote some of the dialogue for this film,
as well as for
Lifeboat (1944), in which
she did not appear as an actress. In the 1960's, she acted in several
episodes of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
and
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962).
However, her finest moment was as the endearing, disillusioned Aunt
Birdie in
The Little Foxes (1941), which
she had created on the stage in 1939, and which won her an Academy
Award nomination for Best Supporting actress.
Studio One(1948)
N.Y.P.D.(1967)as Mrs. Fernig
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1962)as Adelaide Snow, Naomi Freshwater
East Side/West Side(1963)as Miss Allen
The United States Steel Hour(1953)as Mrs. Fennel
Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)as Julia Pickering, Martha Cheney, Sofie Winter, The Landlady
Lamp Unto My Feet(1948)as Self
