Patricia Breslin

American actress and philanthropist (1926–2011) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patricia Rose Breslin (March 17, 1926 - Oct 12, 2011) was an American actress and philanthropist. She had a prominent career in television, which included recurring roles as Amanda Miller on The People's Choice (1955–58), and as Laura Harrington Brooks on Peyton Place (1964–65).[1] She also appeared in Go, Man, Go! (1954), and the William Castle horror films Homicidal (1961) and I Saw What You Did (1965).

Born
Patricia Rose Breslin

(1926-03-17)March 17, 1926
DiedOctober 12, 2011(2011-10-12) (aged 85)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
OccupationActress
Quick facts Born, Died ...
Patricia Breslin
Breslin in 1951
Born
Patricia Rose Breslin

(1926-03-17)March 17, 1926
DiedOctober 12, 2011(2011-10-12) (aged 85)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materCollege of New Rochelle
OccupationActress
Years active1949–1969
Spouses
David Orrick McDearmon
(m. 1953; div. 1969)
(m. 1969)
Children2, including David Modell
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In 1969, Breslin married NFL mogul Art Modell, and became a well-known philanthropist while living in both Cleveland, Ohio, and Baltimore, Maryland, donating millions of dollars to various educational, health, and art organizations, including the SEED Foundation of Maryland and the Baltimore Museum of Art. She also helped open the Hospice of the Western Reserve at the Cleveland Clinic.

Early life

Patricia Rose Breslin was born in New York City on St. Patrick's Day 1926, of Irish descent, one of three children born to Edward (a judge) and Marjorie Breslin.[2][3] Her father was a Catholic of Irish descent and her mother was of Scottish descent.[2] Breslin was raised in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Southeast Bronx.[4] She graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School in the Bronx before attending the College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, New York.[3]

Career

On television, Breslin co-starred in "The Long Walk", the May 30, 1950, episode of Cameo Theatre.[5] In 1954, she guest-starred with Peter Mark Richman in an episode of NBC's legal drama, Justice, as a woman threatened by hoodlums.[6] The same year, she appeared in a supporting role as Sylvia Franklin Saperstein in the sports film Go, Man, Go! (1954), opposite Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and the Harlem Globetrotters.[7]

The following year, Breslin was cast in an episode of the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure, a series with neither a host nor a regular star. From 1955 to 1958, Breslin co-starred with Jackie Cooper as his girlfriend and then wife in the NBC sitcom, The People's Choice.

Between 1960 and 1963, Breslin made three guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason, and was cast as the defendant in all three episodes. In 1960, she played Karen Lewis in "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick". In 1962, she played Karen Ross in "The Case of the Poison Pen-Pal", and in 1963, as Laura Hewes in "The Case of the Prankish Professor".

In 1960, she played the newlywed wife of William Shatner's character in CBS's The Twilight Zone episode "Nick of Time", and was also in the 1963 Twilight Zone episode "No Time Like the Past", in which she portrayed Abigail Sloan.

In 1960, she guest-starred on the short-lived David McLean Western series, Tate, which aired on NBC. She appeared on Nick Adams' ABC Western, The Rebel and with Jack Lord in his ABC adventure series, Stoney Burke. Thereafter, Breslin played the role of Anne Mitchell, along with co-stars Ralph Bellamy and Paul Fix, in the 1961 episode "The Haven" of CBS's anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson.

She returned to film in 1961, starring in William Castle's horror film Homicidal, and later worked with him again on the thriller I Saw What You Did (1964). In 1964, she was cast in the role of Laura Brooks on the ABC primetime soap opera Peyton Place. She also played the role of Meg Baldwin in the ABC soap opera General Hospital from 1965 to 1969.

Personal life

From 1953 to 1969, Breslin was married to character actor and director David Orrick McDearmon, and they had two children. Later, Breslin married then Cleveland Browns (later the Baltimore Ravens) NFL team owner, advertising and business executive Art Modell in 1969.[1] Shortly after their marriage, Modell legally adopted Patricia's sons from her first marriage and they took his surname. The family lived in Waite Hill, Ohio, later moving to Owings Mills, Maryland, with a total of six grandchildren between them.[citation needed]

Philanthropy

Breslin became a well-known philanthropist in both Cleveland, Ohio, and Baltimore, Maryland, after relocating to the city in 1995. Modell and she donated $5 million to the SEED School of Maryland, a public boarding school for disadvantaged junior-high and high-school students from around the state.[8] They also donated $3.5 million to help restore the Lyric Opera House, and Breslin served on the boards of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Walters Art Museum, and also donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art.[citation needed]

In Cleveland, she helped start the Hospice of the Western Reserve at the Cleveland Clinic, and supported the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She was also active in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Cleveland Musical Arts Association, the Cleveland Ballet, the Playhouse Square Foundation, and the Cerebral Palsy Association.[8]

Death

Breslin died on October 12, 2011,[9][10] at age 85, after a lengthy hospitalization with pancreatitis.[3] Her funeral was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. Her husband Art had been a major contributor to the restoration of the basilica.[11]

Filmography

Film

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes
1952Faith Is a Nine-Letter WordTV movie; episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame
1953Man Against PainTV movie; episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame
1954Go, Man, Go!Sylvia Franklin Saperstein
1958Andy Hardy Comes HomeJane HardyFinal entry in the MGM Andy Hardy film series
1961HomicidalMiriam Webster
1965I Saw What You DidEllie Mannering
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Television

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes
1949The GoldbergsDora BarnettEpisode: "Birds Leave the Nest"
1952Broadway Television TheatreRebeccaSeason 1 Episode 20: "Rebecca"
1953Armstrong Circle TheatreN/ASeason 3 Episode 15: "Black Wedding"
1954The GoldbergsDora BarnettEpisode dated May 11
Broadway Television TheatreN/ASeason 3 Episode 14: "Room Service"
Armstrong Circle TheatreJeannie McTavishSeason 4 Episode 31: "My Client, McDuff"
The Telltale ClueSally BellSeason 1 Episode 2: "The Case of the Talking Garden"
1955The Best of BroadwayElaine HarperSeason 1 Episode 5: "Arsenic and Old Lace"
Appointment with AdventureSallySeason 1 Episode 2: "Five in Judgement"
1955–1958The People's ChoiceAmanda 'Mandy' Peoples Miller104 episodes
1958Schlitz Playhouse of StarsJulia HeytonSeason 8 Episode 4: "False Impression"
Alcoa TheatreJune DunlapSeason 2 Episode 7: "The Dark File"
Alfred Hitchcock PresentsMrs. AdamsSeason 4 Episode 4: "The Crooked Road"
1959MaverickAlice Appleton / Abigail AllenSeason 2 Episode 20: "Yellow River"
The MillionaireSusan BallardSeason 5 Episode 33: "Millionaire Susan Ballard"
1960Alfred Hitchcock PresentsLouise BentleySeason 6 Episode 8: "O Youth and Beauty!"
Hotel de PareeEllie GrahamSeason 1 Episode 31: "Sundance and the Fallen Sparrow"
TateJessica JacksonSeason 1 Episode 13: "The Return of Jessica Jackson"
OutlawsJulie KittrickSeason 1 Episode 2: "Ballad for a Badman"
The DetectivesJean GrahamSeason 2 Episode 9: "Adopted"
The Twilight ZonePat CarterSeason 2 Episode 7: "Nick of Time"
Perry MasonKaren LewisSeason 4 Episode 5: "The Case of the Lavender Lipstick"
1961The RiflemanCora SeeversSeason 3 Episode 16: "Flowers by the Door"
The DuPont Show with June AllysonAnne MitchellSeason 2 Episode 23: "The Haven"
The RebelElizabeth PurdySeason 2 Episode 29: "Miz Purdy"
The New BreedRuth WollockSeason 1 Episode 9: "Sweet Bloom of Death"
Tales of Wells FargoTheresa CoburnSeason 6 Episode 12: "A Killing in Calico"
1962Alfred Hitchcock PresentsMargoSeason 7 Episode 24: "Apex"
The Alfred Hitchcock HourLinda MallorySeason 1 Episode 3: "Night of the Owl"
The Donna Reed ShowMillieSeason 4 Episode 25: "The Wide Open Spaces"
Adventures in ParadiseLorraine MayberySeason 3 Episode 24: "The Dream Merchant"
ThrillerDinah DuffaySeason 2 Episode 26: "Kill My Love"
BonanzaSusan BlanchardSeason 3 Episode 34: "The Miracle Maker"
Stoney BurkeLee Anne HewittSeason 1 Episode 4: "Point of Honor"
Saints and SinnersNancy RogersSeason 1 Episode 7: "A Servant in the House of My Party"
Perry MasonKaren RossSeason 5 Episode 20: "The Case of the Poison Pen-Pal"
1963Perry MasonLaura HewesSeason 6 Episode 15: "The Case of the Prankish Professor"
The Twilight ZoneAbigail SloanSeason 4 Episode 10: "No Time Like the Past"
The Dick Powell TheatreSusan BairdSeason 2 Episode 27: "Epilogue"
Arrest and TrialElizabeth ForellenSeason 1 Episode 9: "Inquest Into a Bleeding Heart"
Dr. KildareMarion FrenchSeason 3 Episode 14: "A Vote of Confidence"
1964The Alfred Hitchcock HourDoris ParkersonSeason 2 Episode 20: "Anyone for Murder?"
InsightMariaSeason 1 Episode 141: "The Capitalist"
The Greatest Show on EarthLisaSeason 1 Episode 16: "Corsicans Don't Cry"
The VirginianMary Ann MartinSeason 2 Episode 27: "The Long Quest"
Death Valley DaysNancySeason 12 Episode 26: "The Streets of El Paso"
1964–1965Peyton PlaceLaura Harrington Brooks30 episodes
1965–1969General HospitalMeg Bentley, R.N.Contract role (26 episodes) (final appearance)
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References

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