Patricia Elliott (July 21, 1938 – December 20, 2015) was an American theatre, film, soap opera and television actress.

Early life

Elliott was born July 21, 1938, in Gunnison, Colorado to Clyde and Lavon (née Gibson) Elliott. She claimed direct descent from President Ulysses S. Grant, John Winthrop (first governor of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

) and Mary Lyon (founder of what became

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

). She graduated from South High School, Denver. In 1960, Elliott graduated from the University of Colorado and then went on to study at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

. She returned to work at the Cleveland Play House, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., among others before moving to New York.

Career

Film

Elliott began her career in 1968 with the

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...

'' The Green Slime''. She later appeared in '' Birch Interval'' (1976), the comedy/mystery film '' Somebody Killed Her Husband'' (1978), and '' Natural Enemies'' (1979).

Television

Elliott is best known for her portrayal of Renée Divine Buchanan on the ABC

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'', a role she played on a recurring basis from 1988 to 2011. She assumed the role from its originator, actress Phyllis Newman. In 1973 Elliott appeared in an adaptation of '' The Man Without a Country'' and in 1976 portrayed Minnie Adams in '' The Adams Chronicles'', a thirteen-episode miniseries on PBS. In 1978, she appeared in the Made-for-TV-Movie '' Tartuffe''. She guest starred on such television series as ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', the ''

ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American anthology television series that aired on ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presented situations, often controve ...

'', '' St. Elsewhere'', and '' Spenser: For Hire''.

Theatre

Elliott won a Tony for her performance as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in the

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

'' A Little Night Music''. She played the role of Dorine in the 1977 Tony-nominated Circle in the Square revival of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's '' Tartuffe'' for which she was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

. She reprised her role when the production was restaged for television on PBS in 1978.

Personal life

Elliot married Christopher V H Fay on September 10, 1960 in Clinton, Connecticut. They were divorced. She also was briefly married to Peter Heath.(via Google News)

Death

Elliot died in Manhattan on December 20, 2015, aged 77. Broadway.com reported that she died of leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Patricia 1938 births 2015 deaths Actresses from Denver American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Drama Desk Award winners Theatre World Award winners Tony Award winners 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Deaths from cancer in New York (state) People from Gunnison, Colorado Singers from Denver Deaths from leiomyosarcoma