Patricia Breslin

Patricia Breslin
Breslin in a 1951 headshot
Born	Patricia Rose Breslin (1931-03-17)March 17, 1931 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 12, 2011(2011-10-12) (aged 80) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	College of New Rochelle
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1949–1969
Spouse(s)	David Orrick McDearmon ​ ​ (m. 1953; div. 1969)​ Art Modell ​ ​ (m. 1969;  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). She also appeared in Go, Man, Go! (1954), and the William Castle horror films Homicidal (1961) and I Saw What You Did (1965).

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. Her father was a Catholic of Irish descent and her mother was of Scottish descent. Breslin was raised in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Southeast Bronx. She graduated from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School in the Bronx before attending the College of New Rochelle in New York State.

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. 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.

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.

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.

Personal life

From 1953 to 1969, Breslin was married to character actor and director David Orrick McDearmon, and they had two children. Later, Breslin married then Cleveland Browns (later the Baltimore Ravens) NFL team owner, advertising and business executive Art Modell in 1969. Shortly after their marriage, Modell legally adopted Patricia's sons from her first marriage and they took his surname. The family lived in Waite Hill, Ohio later moving to 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. 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.

Death

Breslin died on October 12, 2011, at the age of 80 after a lengthy hospitalization with pancreatitis. 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.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Faith Is a Nine-Letter Word		TV movie; episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame
1953	Man Against Pain		TV movie; episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame
1954	Go, Man, Go!	Sylvia Franklin Saperstein
1958	Andy Hardy Comes Home	Jane Hardy	Final film in M-G-M's "Andy Hardy" series
1961	Homicidal	Miriam Webster
1965	I Saw What You Did	Ellie Mannering

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Broadway Television Theatre	Rebecca	1 episode
1953	The Goldbergs	Dora Barnett	1 episode
1954	Armstrong Circle Theatre	Jeannie McTavish	2 episodes
1954	The Telltale Clue	Sally Bell	1 episode
1955	The Best of Broadway	Elaine Harper	1 episode
1955	Appointment with Adventure	Sally	1 episode
1955–1958	The People's Choice	Amanda 'Mandy' Peoples Miller	104 episodes
1958	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars	Julia Heyton	1 episode
1958	Alcoa Theatre	June Dunlap	1 episode
1958–1962	Alfred Hitchcock Presents		3 episodes
1959	Maverick	Alice Appleton / Abigail Allen	1 episode
1959	The Millionaire	Susan Ballard	1 episode
1960	Hotel de Paree	Ellie Graham	1 episode
1960	Tate	Jessica Jackson	1 episode
1960	Outlaws	Julie Kittrick	1 episode
1960	The Detectives	Jean Graham	1 episode
1960–1963	Perry Mason	Laura Hewes / Karen Ross / Karen Lewis	3 episodes
1960–1963	The Twilight Zone	Abigail Sloan / Pat Carter	2 episodes
1961	The Rifleman	Cora Seevers	1 episode
1961	The DuPont Show with June Allyson	Anne Mitchell	1 episode
1961	The Rebel	Elizabeth Purdy	1 episode
1961	The New Breed	Ruth Wollock	1 episode
1961	Tales of Wells Fargo	Theresa Coburn	1 episode
1962	The Donna Reed Show	Millie	1 episode
1962	Adventures in Paradise	Lorraine Maybery	1 episode
1962	Thriller	Dinah Duffay	1 episode
1962	Bonanza	Susan Blanchard	Episode: "The Miracle Maker"
1962	Stoney Burke	Lee Anne Hewitt	1 episode
1962	Saints and Sinners	Nancy Rogers	1 episode
1962–1964	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Doris Parkerson / Linda Mallory	2 episodes
1963	The Dick Powell Theatre	Susan Baird	1 episode
1963	Arrest and Trial	Elizabeth Forellen	1 episode
1963	Dr. Kildare	Marion French	1 episode
1964	Insight	Maria	1 episode
1964	The Greatest Show on Earth	Lisa	1 episode
1964	The Virginian	Mary Ann Martin	1 episode
1964	Death Valley Days	Nancy	1 episode
1964–1965	Peyton Place	Laura Harrington Brooks	30 episodes
1966–1969	General Hospital	Meg Bentley, R.N.	Contract role, (final appearance)

External links

• Patricia Breslin at IMDb