Patricia Quinn

Patricia Quinn Lady Stephens
Quinn at the Phoenix Comicon, May 2015
Born	(1944-05-28) 28 May 1944 Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Occupation	Actress and singer
Years active	1971–present
Known for	The Rocky Horror Show (play) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (film)
Spouse(s)	Don Hawkins (m. 1963; div. 1975) Robert Stephens (m. 1995; died 1995)
Children	1 son
Family	Jonny and Bradley Quinn (nephews) Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens (stepsons)
Website	patriciaquinn.co.uk

Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born 28 May 1944) is a Northern Irish actress and singer best known for her role as Magenta in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and the original stage play from which it was adapted.

Personal life

Quinn was born in Belfast to Rebecca and James Connolly Quinn, a bookmaker.^[1] She has a son, Quinn Hawkins, from her first marriage to Don Hawkins. Her nephews, Jonny Quinn and Bradley Quinn, are both members of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.^[2]

In January 1995, Quinn married the actor Robert Stephens, who died in November that year. Quinn thus became the stepmother of Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, Stephens' two actor sons from his previous marriage to Maggie Smith. Quinn had previously appeared alongside Stephens in the BBC TV adaptation of The Box of Delights (1984) in the role of Sylvia Daisy Pouncer, and had played his on-screen wife in the serial Fortunes of War (1987). Stephens had been knighted prior to his death, giving Quinn the title of Lady Stephens.

Acting career

Quinn is known primarily for her role as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). In the film's opening title sequence, the movements of her disembodied lips are synchronised with the lyrics of the title song, "Science Fiction/Double Feature" (the singing voice is that of scriptwriter and actor Richard O'Brien).

She also played Elizabeth Siddal in the 1975 mini series The Love School. In I, Claudius (1976), she took the role of the Emperor Claudius' sister Livilla. Other film and TV roles included the semi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment.. She played "Woman" in Hawk the Slayer. (1980). She appeared in the Hammer House of Horrors episode "Witching Time" as Lucinda Jessop (1981), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), and the 1987 Doctor Who serial Dragonfire. Her latest film credit is Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem (2012).

Recent work

In 2000, Quinn recorded the song "Guts To Dream" with London-based band The Grand. The song was due to form part of an EP titled Open Displays of Affection, but the group had disbanded before it was released. Quinn gave a copy of the unreleased CD to the winner of a Magenta costume contest at the Rocky Horror Picture Show 25th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas.

In 2002, she returned to Doctor Who, playing an alien queen in the audio play Bang-Bang-a-Boom!. In September 2006, she re-launched her career as a DJ and club kitten, hosting the monthly "Club Myra" night at various venues in Central London. In April 2007, she joined Patrick Wolf at a concert in London, singing "Accident and Emergency".

In October 2008, Quinn made a guest appearance in a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in New York City, participating in a question-and-answer session as well as unexpectedly performing "Science Fiction/Double Feature". She attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey in July 2011, answering questions as well as introducing a performance of the show, staged at the House of Blues.

In May 2013, she served as the honorary Master of Ceremonies for a Rocky Horror Picture Show performance hosted by Dallas shadowcasting troupe Amber Does Dallas while attending the Texas Frightmare Weekend horror convention.^[3] That same month, she was the guest of honor at a "40th Anniversary Tribute Concert" to the original Rocky Horror Show stage production, hosted at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, California by local drag celebrity Peaches Christ. During the tribute conference, Quinn performed "Science Fiction/Double Feature", answered questions on stage with Christ, and signed autographs for the audience.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Official website
• Patricia Quinn at the Internet Movie Database
• Patricia Quinn as Livilla in I, Claudius
• Interview