Patty McCormack facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patty McCormack
McCormack in a photo release of the television series The New Breed, 1962
Born	Patricia Ellen Russo (1945-08-21) August 21, 1945 (age 79) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1951–present
Spouse(s)	Bob Catania ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1973)​
Children	2

Patricia McCormack, born Patricia Ellen Russo on August 21, 1945, is an American actress. She has had a long career in plays, movies, and television shows.

McCormack started acting when she was a child. She is very well known for playing Rhoda Penmark in the 1954 play The Bad Seed. She also starred in the 1956 movie version of The Bad Seed. For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her acting career has continued with many roles in films and TV. She played Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker on TV. She was also Anne Brookes in The Ropers and Adriana La Cerva's mother in The Sopranos. Later, she played Pat Nixon in the 2008 movie Frost/Nixon.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

The cast of Peck's Bad Girl: From left: Wendell Corey, McCormack, Ray Farrell, Marsha Hunt

Patty McCormack was born in New York City on August 21, 1945. Her birth name was Patricia Ellen Russo. Her parents divorced when she was young. She then used her grandmother's last name, McCormack. Her father was a firefighter and a friend of actor Walter Matthau. Matthau helped McCormack get an agent when she was a teenager. She went to New Utrecht High School in 1958.

McCormack's first movie was Two Gals and a Guy in 1951. From 1953 to 1956, she played Ingeborg in the TV series Mama. She made her first appearance on Broadway in the play Touchstone in 1953. The next year, she took on the role of Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed. This was a very challenging role as a young girl with a dark secret. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the movie version in 1956. In 1957, she played Helen Keller in the TV show Playhouse 90 in a play called The Miracle Worker.

In 1959, she appeared in an episode of One Step Beyond. She also played a spoiled child star in the 1958 comedy Kathy O'. McCormack even recorded the title song for the movie. For a short time in 1959, she starred in her own TV series, Peck's Bad Girl. She also had a main role in the 1960 movie The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the early 1960s, she acted in several movies about teenagers. These included The Explosive Generation with William Shatner.

Later Career in Television and Film

Patty McCormack (right) in 1962. She is seen here in the soap opera Young Doctor Malone

After many teen roles in the 1960s, her movie career slowed down. However, she continued to work a lot in television. In 1970, she played Linda Warren in the TV show The Best of Everything. She also made guest appearances on shows like The Streets of San Francisco. She played a paramedic on the TV series Emergency!. In 1975, she returned to movies with Bug.

McCormack had several regular roles in popular TV series. These included Dallas, Murder, She Wrote, and The Sopranos. From 1979 to 1980, McCormack starred as Anne Brookes in the ABC TV series The Ropers. This show was a spin-off from Three's Company. She also filled in for actress Kathryn Hays on the soap opera As the World Turns for a while. In 2008, McCormack played First Lady Pat Nixon in the movie Frost/Nixon. McCormack continues to act regularly. She was in the 2012 series Have You Met Miss Jones?. She also appeared in the 2014 movie Chicanery. Her recent work includes the 2012 film The Master.

In April 2018, it was announced that McCormack would join the cast of General Hospital. She temporarily replaced Leslie Charleson as Monica Quartermaine. In September 2018, McCormack played Dr. March, a child psychiatrist. This was in the 2018 TV remake of The Bad Seed. She has also performed in plays, including Just Another Day by Dan Lauria.

Awards and Recognition

McCormack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Bad Seed. On March 20, 1956, she received the Milky Way "Gold Star Award". This award recognized her as the most outstanding young performer.

She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6312 Hollywood Boulevard. She received this star in 1960 when she was 15 years old. This made her the youngest person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame at that time.

Selected Film and Television Roles

Radio Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Patty McCormack para niños

• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees