Patricia Collinge
Encyclopedia
Patricia Collinge was an Irish
American
actress. She was born in Dublin, Ireland.
and then at a girls' school. She took dancing and piano lessons none of which interested her. She finally settled on being an actress. She made her first stage appearance as a child at the Garrick Theatre
, London
on December 21, 1904 as a Chinese doll in a play called Little Black Sambo. Her first New York
stage appearance was on December 7, 1908 in The Queen of the Moulin Rouge.
, London
in 1904 in Little Black Sambo
and Little White Barbara.
Collinge went to America with her mother in 1907. She appeared as a
"flower girl" in The Queens of the Moulin Rouge
.
Collinge began as one of the supporting players in The Thunderbolt, which starred Louis Calvert
as James Mortimer. The theatrical entertainment dealt with a country family in "Singlehampton, England".
The production was staged at the New Theatre (Century Theatre
).
She was in Everywoman at the Herald Square
Theatre in March 1911. The title role was played by Laura Nelson Hall
. Collinge acted with
Douglas Fairbanks
(still a stage actor), Amelia Bingham
and William Henry Crane
in The New Henrietta, a modern play based on a comedy by Bronson Howard
. It was produced at the Knickerbocker Theatre
on Broadway
in December 1913. Collinge played the role of Agnes, the ward
of Crane's character Van Alstyne. She marries Bertie, played by Fairbanks. In 1914 she again appeared with Douglas Fairbanks in the play He Comes Up Smiling, where she and Fairbanks have a memorable scene as a cute couple in a park.
Collinge toured with in A Regular Businessman, was the original Pollyanna Whittier in Polyanna, and toured with Tillie in 1919 after a successful two years performing Pollyanna.
In 1932 Collinge appeared in Autumn Crocus. Her acting was acclaimed by a New York Times critic, who said of her: "Miss Collinge plays with the soft, pliant sincerity that makes her one of the most endearing actresses."
She was in the Broadway cast of The Little Foxes
with Tallulah Bankhead
in 1939, playing the role of Birdie Hubbard. In 1941, she played the same part in the motion picture version
, which starred Bette Davis
.
Her other stage work includes roles in productions of The Heiress, Just Suppose, The Dark Angel, The Importance of Being Earnest
, To See Ourselves, and Lady With A Lamp. Her final stage appearance came at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
in December 1952, in I've Got Sixpence.
, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
. Other films include Alfred Hitchcock
's Shadow of a Doubt
(1943), Teresa (1951), Washington Story (1952), and The Nun's Story
(1959).
According to the featurette included in the DVD of Shadow of a Doubt, Collinge actually rewrote the scene between Teresa Wright
and MacDonald Carey
in the garage. At the time, Hitchcock and the actors were not too happy with the dialogue as written and Collinge rewrote it. Hitchcock was reported to be delighted and used her rewrite. Collinge also worked with Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville
and Ben Hecht
(all uncredited), on the screenplay for Hitchcock's next film Lifeboat
(1944).
(1955–61). For example, in an episode entitled "The Cheney Vase," she memorably stole her scenes as an ailing philanthropist who outwits being victimized by a scheming Darren McGavin
in attempting an art theft
, and playing opposite Carolyn Jones
.
She was in many other television dramas of the period beginning with an episode of Laramie
(1961). Later roles included: The United States Steel Hour
(1962), East Side/West Side
(1963), two further episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–64), and N.Y.P.D. (1967).
. Collinge penned The Small Mosaics of Mr. and Mrs. Engel, a story of travel in Italy
, for which she received a gold medal from the Italian government. With Margalo Gillmore
, she co-authored The B.O.W.S., a play about the American Theatre Wing
unit which performed The Barretts of Wimpole Street
to soldiers in Italy and France
during World War II
. She also wrote a series of short stories
for the New Yorker
and contributed to the New York Times Book Review. She was a councilor of Actors Equity.
, aged 81, following a heart attack
. Her home was at Beekman Place, Manhattan
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
actress. She was born in Dublin, Ireland.
Early life
She was born to F. Channon Collinge and Emmie Russell. Her birth name was Eileen Cecilia Collinge. Collinge was educated first by a visiting governessGoverness
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
and then at a girls' school. She took dancing and piano lessons none of which interested her. She finally settled on being an actress. She made her first stage appearance as a child at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on December 21, 1904 as a Chinese doll in a play called Little Black Sambo. Her first New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
stage appearance was on December 7, 1908 in The Queen of the Moulin Rouge.
Theatre actress
Her first stage performance was at the Garrick TheatreGarrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1904 in Little Black Sambo
Little Black Sambo
The Story of Little Black Sambo is a children's book written and illustrated by Helen Bannerman, and first published by Grant Richards in October 1899 as one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children....
and Little White Barbara.
Collinge went to America with her mother in 1907. She appeared as a
"flower girl" in The Queens of the Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
.
Collinge began as one of the supporting players in The Thunderbolt, which starred Louis Calvert
Louis Calvert
Louis James Calvert was a British stage and early film actor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and an actor-manager...
as James Mortimer. The theatrical entertainment dealt with a country family in "Singlehampton, England".
The production was staged at the New Theatre (Century Theatre
Century Theatre
The Century Theatre, originally the New Theatre, was a theater located at 62nd Street and Central Park West in New York City. Opened on November 6, 1909, it was noted for its fine architecture but due to poor acoustics and an inconvenient location it was financially unsuccessful...
).
She was in Everywoman at the Herald Square
Herald Square
Herald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area...
Theatre in March 1911. The title role was played by Laura Nelson Hall
Laura Nelson Hall
Laura Nelson Hall was an actress in theater and vaudeville stock companies in the late 19th century and early 20th century.-Biography:...
. Collinge acted with
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
(still a stage actor), Amelia Bingham
Amelia Bingham
Amelia Swilley Kingham' was an Australian dancer from Hicksville, Ohio. Her Broadway career extended from ....
and William Henry Crane
William Henry Crane
William Henry Crane , American actor, was born on 30 April 1845, in Leicester, Massachusetts, and made his first appearance at Utica, New York, in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment in 1863. Later he had a great success as Le Blanc the Notary, in the burlesque Evangelie...
in The New Henrietta, a modern play based on a comedy by Bronson Howard
Bronson Howard
Bronson Howard was a well-known American dramatist and son of Detroit mayor Charles Howard. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of entering Yale he turned to Journalism in New York. From 1867 to 1872 he worked on several newspapers, among them the Evening Mail and the Tribune...
. It was produced at the Knickerbocker Theatre
Knickerbocker Theatre (Broadway)
The Knickerbocker Theatre — previously known as Abbey's Theatre and Henry Abbey's Theatre — was a Broadway theatre located at 1396 Broadway in New York City. It operated from 1893 to 1930...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in December 1913. Collinge played the role of Agnes, the ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of Crane's character Van Alstyne. She marries Bertie, played by Fairbanks. In 1914 she again appeared with Douglas Fairbanks in the play He Comes Up Smiling, where she and Fairbanks have a memorable scene as a cute couple in a park.
Collinge toured with in A Regular Businessman, was the original Pollyanna Whittier in Polyanna, and toured with Tillie in 1919 after a successful two years performing Pollyanna.
In 1932 Collinge appeared in Autumn Crocus. Her acting was acclaimed by a New York Times critic, who said of her: "Miss Collinge plays with the soft, pliant sincerity that makes her one of the most endearing actresses."
She was in the Broadway cast of The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes
The Little Foxes is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 in the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Set in a small town in Alabama in...
with Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
in 1939, playing the role of Birdie Hubbard. In 1941, she played the same part in the motion picture version
The Little Foxes (film)
The Little Foxes is a 1941 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1939 play of the same name...
, which starred Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
.
Her other stage work includes roles in productions of The Heiress, Just Suppose, The Dark Angel, The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
, To See Ourselves, and Lady With A Lamp. Her final stage appearance came at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....
in December 1952, in I've Got Sixpence.
Film career
Collinge debuted in film in 1941 in The Little FoxesThe Little Foxes (film)
The Little Foxes is a 1941 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1939 play of the same name...
, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Other films include Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Shadow of a Doubt
Shadow of a Doubt
Shadow of a Doubt is a 1943 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story for Gordon McDonell...
(1943), Teresa (1951), Washington Story (1952), and The Nun's Story
The Nun's Story (film)
The Nun's Story is a 1959 Warner Brothers film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Audrey Hepburn. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same title by Kathryn Hulme, the story tells of the life of Sister Luke , a young Belgian woman who decides to enter a convent and make the many sacrifices...
(1959).
According to the featurette included in the DVD of Shadow of a Doubt, Collinge actually rewrote the scene between Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper...
and MacDonald Carey
Macdonald Carey
Edward Macdonald Carey was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera Days of our Lives...
in the garage. At the time, Hitchcock and the actors were not too happy with the dialogue as written and Collinge rewrote it. Hitchcock was reported to be delighted and used her rewrite. Collinge also worked with Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville
Alma Reville
Alma Reville, Lady Hitchcock was an English assistant director, screenwriter and editor. She was the second daughter of Edward and Lucy Reville....
and Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
(all uncredited), on the screenplay for Hitchcock's next film Lifeboat
Lifeboat (film)
Lifeboat is an American war film directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a story written by John Steinbeck. The film stars Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, Hume Cronyn and Canada Lee, and is set entirely on a lifeboat.The film is...
(1944).
Television
Collinge appeared in four episodes of the popular anthology series Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
(1955–61). For example, in an episode entitled "The Cheney Vase," she memorably stole her scenes as an ailing philanthropist who outwits being victimized by a scheming Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin
Darren McGavin was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker and his portrayal in the film A Christmas Story of the grumpy father given to bursts of profanity that he never realizes his son overhears...
in attempting an art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
, and playing opposite Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
.
She was in many other television dramas of the period beginning with an episode of Laramie
Laramie (TV series)
Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
(1961). Later roles included: The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour
The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation....
(1962), East Side/West Side
East Side/West Side
East Side/West Side is an American drama series starring George C. Scott, Elizabeth Wilson, Cicely Tyson, and later on, Linden Chiles. The series aired for only one season and was shown Monday nights on CBS.-Synopsis:...
(1963), two further episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–64), and N.Y.P.D. (1967).
Author
She wrote the play Dame Nature (1938), which was an adaptation of a French drama by André BirabeauAndré Birabeau
-Novels and short stories:* La débauche English trans. Revelation cited as the first novel about a homosexual man from the mother's point of view* Voyage d'agrément became 1935 movie...
. Collinge penned The Small Mosaics of Mr. and Mrs. Engel, a story of travel in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, for which she received a gold medal from the Italian government. With Margalo Gillmore
Margalo Gillmore
Margaret Lorraine "Margalo" Gillmore was an English American film, stage and television actress....
, she co-authored The B.O.W.S., a play about the American Theatre Wing
American Theatre Wing
The American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...
unit which performed The Barretts of Wimpole Street
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
The Barretts of Wimpole Street is a 1934 American film depicting the real-life romance between poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning , despite the opposition of her father Edward Moulton-Barrett . The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture...
to soldiers in Italy and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She also wrote a series of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
for the New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and contributed to the New York Times Book Review. She was a councilor of Actors Equity.
Personal life
Collinge married James Nichols Smith, an investment counsellor on June 10, 1921. The marriage lasted many decades. The couple had no children.Death
Patricia Collinge died in 1974 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, aged 81, following a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. Her home was at Beekman Place, Manhattan
Beekman Place (Manhattan)
Beekman Place is a small street located on the east side of Manhattan, New York City. The street runs from north to south for approximately two blocks and is situated between the eastern end of 51st and 49th streets. Beekman Place is also used to refer to the residential neighborhood that surrounds...
.
External links
- Patricia College photo album NY Public Library, Billy Rose Collection