Patricia McCormack (born Patricia Ellen Russo; August 21, 1945) is an American actress with a career in theater, films, and television. McCormack began her career as a child actress. She is perhaps best known for her performance as Rhoda Penmark in

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Anderson faced many challenges in his career, frequently losing jobs for expressing his opinions or supporting ...

's 1956

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

drama '' The Bad Seed''. She received critical acclaim for the role on Broadway and was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...

's film adaptation. Her acting career has continued with both starring and supporting roles in film and television, including

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in the original ''

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'' production of ''The Miracle Worker'',

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...

's wife Anne Brookes on the ABC sitcom ''

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'',

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's mother in ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', and as

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in '' Frost/Nixon'' (2008).

Life and career

McCormack was born in New York City on August 21, 1945, as Patricia Ellen Russo. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she took on her maternal grandmother's surname. Her father, Frank Russo, was a fireman and a friend of Walter Matthau; as a favor to Frank, Matthau secured McCormack a deal with his agent, Leonard Hirshan, when she was a teenager. She attended New Utrecht High School in 1958. McCormack made her motion-picture debut in '' Two Gals and a Guy'' (1951) and appeared as Ingeborg in the television series '' Mama'' with Peggy Wood from 1953 to 1956. Her Broadway debut was in ''Touchstone'' (1953), and the following year, she originated the role of Rhoda Penmark, an 8-year-old psychopathic

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

, in

's '' The Bad Seed'' (1954) with Nancy Kelly. She was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

for the film version (1956). She portrayed

in the original 1957 ''

'' production of

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

's '' The Miracle Worker'' opposite Teresa Wright. In 1959 she was in an episode of ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Ste ...

'' called "Make Me Not a Witch". She had the role of a pampered child star in the 1958 comedy '' Kathy O''' and recorded the title song for Dot Records. McCormack briefly starred in her own series, ''Peck's Bad Girl'', with Marsha Hunt and Wendell Corey in 1959, and had a leading role in

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's remake of ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, th ...

'' with Eddie Hodges. In the early 1960s, she starred in a series of popular teenage delinquent films, including '' The Explosive Generation'' with

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

and '' The Young Runaways''. In 1962, she portrayed Julie Cannon in the '' Rawhide'' episode "Incident of the Wolvers" (s.5, e.8); she appeared on the show again the following year, playing Sarah Higgins in the episode "Incident at Paradise". Chase Crosley Patty McCormick Young Doctor Malone 1962

Chase Crosley Patty McCormick Young Doctor Malone 1962

After a half-dozen teen roles during the 1960s, her film career gradually declined, but she continued to work in television. In 1970, she played Linda Warren on the

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 ...

'' The Best of Everything''. She guest-starred on '' The Streets of San Francisco'', season two, episode "Blockade". She also portrayed a San Francisco paramedic on the season-seven '' Emergency!'' series episodes " What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing...?" and " The Convention". She resumed her cinema career with '' Bug'' in 1975. She played advertising executive Beth Donaldson in "The Little People" episode of "The Love Boat" S2 E10 which aired on 11/24/1978. McCormack held several recurring roles in popular television series, including ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

''; ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''; and ''

''. McCormack also starred as Anne Brookes, the wife of Jeffrey P. Brookes III (played by Jeffrey Tambor) on the ABC television series ''

'', a spin-off of '' Three's Company'' starring Norman Fell and Audra Lindley, from 1979 to 1980. When Kathryn Hays left the CBS soap opera ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'' for an extended period, McCormack took Hays' role until she returned. She starred as a psychotic mother in the cult thriller '' Mommy'' and its 1997 sequel '' Mommy 2: Mommy's Day''. In 2008, McCormack played First Lady

in the feature film '' Frost/Nixon''. McCormack continues to work regularly and she costarred in the 2012 series ''Have You Met Miss Jones?''. A recent film appearance is in the 2014 release ''Chicanery'' and she guest-starred in a 2013 episode of the series '' Hart of Dixie''. Her most notable recent work was in the

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...

film '' The Master''. In April 2018, it was announced that McCormack would join the cast of ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' temporarily replacing Leslie Charleson in the role of Monica Quartermaine due to injuries Charleson sustained in a fall. In September 2018, McCormack portrayed Dr. March, the child psychiatrist consulted in the 2018 television remake of ''The Bad Seed''. She starred in Dan Lauria's play ''Just Another Day'' in 2023 at Ellenville, New York, in 2024 at an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

venue Theater555, and in 2025 at

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, Ireland.

Awards

McCormack was nominated for an

and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for ''The Bad Seed''. On March 20, 1956, she received the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

"Gold Star Award" as the most outstanding juvenile performer, in which Sal Mineo was placed third and Tommy Rettig second. Her star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

is at 6312 Hollywood Boulevard. She received the star in 1960 aged 15, making her the youngest honoree on the Walk.

Selected filmography

*'' Two Gals and a Guy'' (1951) Fay Oliver *'' Here Comes the Groom'' (1951) Orphan (uncredited) *'' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954) Little Laughing Girl (uncredited) *'' The Bad Seed'' (1956) Rhoda Penmark *''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...

'' (1957) Angel, the Robber Girl (voice in 1959 English version) *'' All Mine to Give'' (1957) Annabelle Eunson *'' Kathy O''' (1958) Kathy O'Rourke *'' Peck's Bad Girl'' (1959) Torey Peck *''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' (season 2, episode 12: "The Mary Ellen Thomas Story"; 1959) Mary Ellen Thomas *'' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' (episode: "Make Me Not a Witch"; 1959) Emmy Horvath *''

'' (1960) Joanna Wilkes *'' Route 66'' (season 1, episode 1: "Black November"; 1960) Jenny Slade; (season 2, episode 18: "Sleep on Four Pillows"; 1961) Jan Emerson *'' The Explosive Generation'' (1961) Janet Sommers *'' Rawhide'' (1960) Julie *'' Jacktown'' (1962) Margaret *'' The New Breed'' (1962) Karen Kegler *'' Maryjane'' (1968) Susan Hoffman *'' The Mini-Skirt Mob'' (1968) Edie *'' The Young Runaways'' (1968) Deanie Donford *'' Bug'' (1975) Sylvia Ross *''

'' (1979-1980) Anne Brookes (as Patricia McCormack) *'' Magnum, P.I.'' (1982) Carol Baldwin *'' Invitation to Hell'' (1984) Mary Peterson *'' Saturday the 14th Strikes Back'' (1988) Kate Baxter *''

'' (1987) (Episode: "No Accounting for Murder") Lana Whitman *''

'' (1988) (Episode: "Wearing of the Green") Det. Kathleen Chadwick *'' Mommy'' (1995) Mommy *'' Mommy's Day'' (1997) (aka ''Mommy 2: Mommy's Day'') Mrs. Sterling *''

'' (2000-2006) Liz La Cerva *'' Acceptable Risk'' (2001) Lois *'' The Kiss'' (2003) Priscilla Standhope *'' Target'' (2004) Maysie *'' Shallow Ground'' (2004) Helen Reedy * '' Mystery Woman'' (2004) Barbara Somers "Snapshot" *''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'' (2004) (Episode: "Greed") Mavis Breen *'' Gone, But Not Forgotten'' (2004) Andrea Hammerhill *'' Heart of the Beholder'' (2005) Helen *''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

'' (2005) - Marcia Gordon *'' Frost/Nixon'' (2008) Pat Nixon *'' Private Practice'' (2009) Cynthia *''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...

'' (2010) Teresa Pruitt *''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' (2012) Eleanor Holmes and Betsy *'' The Master'' (2012) Mildred Drummond *''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

'' (2012) Anne Pierce *'' Hart of Dixie'' (2013) Sylvie Stephens-Wilkes *'' The Bad Seed'' (2018) Dr. March *'' Cookie Run: Kingdom'' (2021) Dark Enchantress Cookie *'' The Bad Seed Returns'' (2022) Dr. March

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * *
Patty McCormack
at the American Film Institute Catalog
Interview, July 19, 2014, Ames Tribune
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCormack, Patty 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American women singers American people of Italian descent Dot Records artists 1945 births Living people Actresses from Brooklyn New Utrecht High School alumni