Patricia Breslin

Patricia Breslin
Breslin in a 1951 headshot
Born	Patricia Rose Breslin (1931-03-17)March 17, 1931 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	October 12, 2011(2011-10-12) (aged 80) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications from pancreatitis
Alma mater	College of New Rochelle
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1949–1969
Spouse(s)	David Orrick McDearmon (m. 1953; div. 1969)[1] Art Modell (m. 1969; her death 2011)
Children	2

Patricia Rose Breslin (March 17, 1931 – October 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).^[2] She also appeared in Go, Man, Go! (1954), and the William Castle horror films Homicidal (1961) and I Saw What You Did (1964).

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, one of three children born to Edward (a judge) and Marjorie Breslin.^[3][4] Her father was a Catholic of Irish descent and her mother was of Scottish descent.^[3] Breslin was raised in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Southeast Bronx.^[5] 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.^[4]

Career

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.^[8]

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 1966 to 1969.^[8]

Personal life

Breslin married former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens NFL team owner and advertising and business executive Art Modell in 1969.^[2] Breslin had two sons from her first marriage to character actor David Orrick McDearmon (1914–1979),^[8] sons John and David. Shortly after their marriage, Modell legally adopted Patricia's sons and they took his surname. The family lived in Waite Hill, Ohio, then later Owings Mills, Maryland, with a total of six grandchildren between them.

Philanthropy

Breslin became a well-known philanthropist in both Cleveland, Ohio, and Baltimore, Maryland, after relocating to the city in 1995. She and husband Modell 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.^[9] 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.

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.^[9]

Death

Breslin died on October 12, 2011,^[10] at the age of 80 after a lengthy hospitalization with pancreatitis.^[4] Her funeral was offered 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] Breslin died five months after the passing of her The People's Choice co-star, Jackie Cooper.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

• Patricia Breslin on IMDb