Elizabeth Patterson

Elizabeth Patterson

Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mary Elizabeth Patterson (November 22, 1874 – January 31, 1966) was an American theatre, film, and television character actress who gained popular recognition late in her career playing the elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on the television comedy series I Love Lucy. In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, a silent film, The Boy Friend. Transitioning successfully into the era of "talkies", she remained a very busy actress in Hollywood throughout the 1930s, averaging more than five films a year during that decade, usually in supporting roles. A few of her screen credits at that time include Tarnished Lady; Husband's Holiday; A Bill of Divorcement; So Big!; The Story of Temple Drake; Hold Your Man; Dinner at Eight; High, Wide, and Handsome; and No Man of Her Own. She also appeared in the role of Susan in two adaptations of John Willard's popular play The Cat and the Canary: The Cat Creeps in 1930 and The Cat and the Canary in 1939. Patterson continued to perform frequently in the 1940s, when she was cast in more than 30 additional films. Among her notable roles is her 1949 portrayal of the heroic character Eunice Habersham in the groundbreaking racial crime drama Intruder in the Dust, a film based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name and set in the Deep South. Although she would appear in a few more feature films in the 1950s, such as Washington Story and Pal Joey, Patterson by then began to focus her work increasingly on roles in the rapidly expanding medium of television. In 1952, at the age of 77, Patterson made her first appearance on the hit CBS-TV sitcom I Love Lucy in the episode "The Marriage License". Her character on I Love Lucy proved to be so popular among viewers, as well as useful to the writers of the series, that she continued in the role for three more years, often serving in episode storylines as a convenient babysitter for "Little Ricky". Prior to, during, and after her work on I Love Lucy, Patterson appeared in many other American television series during the 1950s and early 1960s. Her first credited performance on the "small screen" was in March 1950 in "The Walking Stick", a teleplay on the NBC anthology series The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre. During the 11 years after that initial televised performance to her final role on television in 1961, she portrayed characters in a variety of other series, including Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, Studio One in Hollywood, General Electric Theater, Stage 7, Lux Video Theatre, Crossroads, The Star and the Story, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Adventures of Superman, New York Confidential, 77 Sunset Strip, Johnny Stacatto, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The New Breed. Patterson, who never married, lived at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35-year film and television career.. On January 31, 1966, she died at age 91 in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia. Her gravesite is in Savannah Cemetery in her hometown in Tennessee.

Place of Birth: Not available

Birthday: November 21, 1874

Deathday: January 31, 1966

Popularity:

6.798

Known For

Lady on a Train
Lady on a Train

1945-08-03

Love Me Tonight
Love Me Tonight

1932-08-18

Husband's Holiday
Husband's Holiday

1931-12-19

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

1938-03-25

Together Again
Together Again

1944-12-23

My Sister Eileen
My Sister Eileen

1942-09-24

Pal Joey
Pal Joey

1957-10-25

Follow the Boys
Follow the Boys

1944-05-05

The Story of Temple Drake
The Story of Temple Drake

1933-05-06

Remember the Night
Remember the Night

1940-01-19

Hail the Conquering Hero
Hail the Conquering Hero

1944-08-09

No Man of Her Own
No Man of Her Own

1932-12-30

Little Women
Little Women

1949-03-10

The Sky's the Limit
The Sky's the Limit

1943-07-13

Hide-Out
Hide-Out

1934-08-24

Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road

1941-02-20

The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell

1939-04-04

The Cat and the Canary
The Cat and the Canary

1939-10-27

High, Wide and Handsome
High, Wide and Handsome

1937-07-21

Intruder in the Dust
Intruder in the Dust

1949-11-22

Go West Young Man
Go West Young Man

1936-11-18

A Bill of Divorcement
A Bill of Divorcement

1932-09-28

Belle Starr
Belle Starr

1941-09-12

Bad Little Angel
Bad Little Angel

1939-10-27

Bright Leaf
Bright Leaf

1950-06-16

Her Cardboard Lover
Her Cardboard Lover

1942-07-16

Breach of Promise
Breach of Promise

1932-10-23

Michael Shayne: Private Detective
Michael Shayne: Private Detective

1940-12-19

Small Town Girl
Small Town Girl

1936-04-10

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

1947-01-04

Sing, You Sinners
Sing, You Sinners

1938-09-02

Welcome Stranger
Welcome Stranger

1947-06-13

Las Vegas Shakedown
Las Vegas Shakedown

1955-05-15

Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Windy Poplars

1940-06-28

Bulldog Drummond's Peril
Bulldog Drummond's Peril

1938-03-18

Adventure in Diamonds
Adventure in Diamonds

1940-03-08

Harmony at Home
Harmony at Home

1930-01-12

I've Always Loved You
I've Always Loved You

1946-12-02

Miss Pinkerton
Miss Pinkerton

1932-05-27

Washington Story
Washington Story

1952-07-01

The Expert
The Expert

1932-03-05

Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?

1940-11-01

Sons of the Legion
Sons of the Legion

1938-09-18

Night of Mystery
Night of Mystery

1937-05-21

The Return of Sophie Lang
The Return of Sophie Lang

1936-06-18

New Morals for Old
New Morals for Old

1932-06-04

Daddy Long Legs
Daddy Long Legs

1931-06-05

Kiss the Boys Goodbye
Kiss the Boys Goodbye

1941-08-01

So Red the Rose
So Red the Rose

1935-12-20

Chasing Yesterday
Chasing Yesterday

1935-05-03

The Secret Heart
The Secret Heart

1946-12-25

Tarnished Lady
Tarnished Lady

1931-05-01

Portrait of a Murderer
Portrait of a Murderer

1958-02-27

They Call It Sin
They Call It Sin

1932-11-05

Guilty as Hell
Guilty as Hell

1932-08-05

Bulldog Drummond's Bride
Bulldog Drummond's Bride

1939-07-12

Penrod and Sam
Penrod and Sam

1931-10-01

Hold Your Man
Hold Your Man

1933-06-30

The Dancing Town
The Dancing Town

1928-10-26

Old Hutch
Old Hutch

1936-09-25

Dinner at Eight
Dinner at Eight

1933-12-22

The Boy Friend
The Boy Friend

1926-01-01

Words and Music
Words and Music

1929-08-18

Earthbound
Earthbound

1940-06-06

The Return of Peter Grimm
The Return of Peter Grimm

1926-12-07

Miss Tatlock's Millions
Miss Tatlock's Millions

1948-11-19

Heaven on Earth
Heaven on Earth

1931-11-27

Men Without Names
Men Without Names

1935-06-29

Her Master's Voice
Her Master's Voice

1936-01-17

Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police

1939-03-29

Boo
Boo

1932-12-01

Timothy's Quest
Timothy's Quest

1936-01-31

Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue

1947-04-21

Night Club Scandal
Night Club Scandal

1937-11-11

Our Leading Citizen
Our Leading Citizen

1939-08-23

Beyond the Blue Horizon
Beyond the Blue Horizon

1942-06-25

Man Wanted
Man Wanted

1932-04-23

Hold 'Em Navy
Hold 'Em Navy

1937-11-04

Almost Married
Almost Married

1942-05-22

South Sea Rose
South Sea Rose

1929-12-09

The Ninth Day
The Ninth Day

1957-01-10

I Married a Witch
I Married a Witch

1942-10-30

Song of Surrender
Song of Surrender

1949-10-27

Secret of the Blue Room
Secret of the Blue Room

1933-07-20

Life Begins
Life Begins

1932-09-10

The Big Party
The Big Party

1930-02-23

Lucky Legs
Lucky Legs

1942-10-01

Katie Did It
Katie Did It

1950-11-26

The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail

1959-08-31

Doctor Bull
Doctor Bull

1933-09-22

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1955-09-01

Colonel Effingham's Raid
Colonel Effingham's Raid

1946-01-24

Infernal Machine
Infernal Machine

1933-04-08

Golden Harvest
Golden Harvest

1933-09-21

The Vanishing Virginian
The Vanishing Virginian

1942-02-01

Scandal Street
Scandal Street

1938-02-11

So Big!
So Big!

1932-04-30

The Lone Star Ranger
The Lone Star Ranger

1930-01-05

The Cat Creeps
The Cat Creeps

1930-11-10

The Smiling Lieutenant
The Smiling Lieutenant

1931-08-01

Little Women: Jo's Story
Little Women: Jo's Story

1950-12-25

Little Women: Meg's Story
Little Women: Meg's Story

1950-12-18

They Just Had to Get Married
They Just Had to Get Married

1933-01-05

Three Lives
Three Lives

1953-09-17