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Patricia Hardy

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Patricia Hardy
Patricia Hardy in Don't Knock the Rock 1956
Born(1931-12-23)December 23, 1931
DiedAugust 20, 2011(2011-08-20) (aged 79)
Burial placeHoly Cross Cemetery
Spouse
(m. 1958; died 1987)

Patricia Hardy (December 23, 1931[1] – August 20, 2011) was an American television and film actress whose career was most active during the 1950s. She was the wife of actor Richard Egan.[2][3]

Biography

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The third daughter of parents of Irish descent, James J. and Mary (née Toal) Hardy, Patricia Hardy was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.[2] She won several beauty pageants during her early years, including Miss Brooklyn, Miss Coney Island and Miss New York Press Photographer. She was a model for Walter Thornton[4] and appeared on the cover of Look Magazine. She began her entertainment career in New York City, performing at the Copacabana nightclub with such well-known performers as Danny Thomas and Jimmy Durante.[2]

She met her future husband, actor Richard Egan, in 1956.[2] The couple married on June 7, 1958, in San Francisco[5] and remained together until Egan's death in July 1987.[2] The couple had four daughters - Patricia, Kathleen, Colleen, and Maureen Egan, a writer and music video director,[2] as well as a son, Richard Egan Jr., who founded Vagrant Records.

Hardy moved from New York to Los Angeles to pursue a film and television career. She was cast in several 1950s television episodes including two appearances on Perry Mason: as defendant Claire Olger in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Haunted Husband," and as Jo Ann Blanchard in the 1959 episode, "The Case of the Startled Stallion." She also appeared in the series' State Trooper, The Loretta Young Show, Lassie and Schlitz Playhouse, in which she co-starred in an episode with James Dean.[2] Her film credits included Girls in the Night in 1953 and Don't Knock the Rock in 1957.[2]

Death

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Hardy died of colon cancer at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on August 20, 2011, aged 79.[2] She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, alongside her husband, at Section AA, Tier 37, Grave 139[6]

References

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  1. ^ Profile, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen; accessed November 9, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Actress Patricia Hardy Dies - Star of films, TV shows in the 1950s".
  3. ^ Patricia Hardy profile, The Hollywood Reporter, 2011-08-30; accessed 2011-09-02.
  4. ^ Heimer, Mel. "Dancing in Chorus Line". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 17 B.
  5. ^ "Actor Richard Egan Weds Patricia Hardy". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. United Press International. June 8, 1958. p. Part 1A – 5. Retrieved September 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Scott Wilson, Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3rd Edition, p. 316
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