Shirley Patterson

Shirley Patterson
Born (1922-12-26)December 26, 1922
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died April 4, 1995(1995-04-04) (aged 72)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Other names Shawn Smith
Occupation Film, television actress
Years active 1942–1959
Spouse(s) Alfred F. Smith, Jr (?-1971)
John L. Bodette (1979-1995) (her death)[1]
Parent(s) Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Patterson

Shirley Patterson, sometimes billed as Shawn Smith, (December 26, 1922 – April 4, 1995) was a Canadian born B-movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.

Early years

Born in Winnipeg,[2] Patterson grew up in Eastend, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was the daughter of druggist Benjamin Patterson. The family moved to Los Angeles because of her father's health problems, and she finished her education there.[3]

Career

Patterson began her acting career after being a beauty contestant in pageants in California in 1940. She graduated from the Mar-Ken School in Sherman Oaks, California in 1941, and shortly thereafter she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures. Her career spanned 40 films, a small quantity of television appearances, and a serial.

Patterson played the role of heroine in the 1943 15-chapter Batman serial. In 1944 she starred in The Vigilantes Ride alongside Russell Hayden and Bob Wills. In 1946 she accompanied Eddie Dean and Roscoe Ates in the film Driftin River, and starred with them again that same year in Tumbleweed Trail. She also was Eddie Dean's object of affection in the song, "Let's Go Sparkin'" in the 1948 film Black Hills.

After leaving acting because of her marriage,[3] Patterson returned to portray Poppea, Nero's consort, in a non-speaking role in The Silver Chalice (1954).[2] Two of her last films were the 1957 movie The Land Unknown and the 1958 science fiction film It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

Personal life

Patterson was married to Alfred F. Smith Jr.[3]

Death

Patterson had a long fight with cancer in her later years, and died in 1995 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Shawn Smith - The Private Life and Times of Shawn Smith. Shawn Smith Pictures". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
  2. 1 2 Willett, Bob (April 23, 1955). "Lucky Nero: His Wife Doesn't Talk". The Ottawa Citizen. p. Weekend Magazine - 14. Retrieved September 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lucky Nero". The Ottawa Citizen. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. April 23, 1955. p. Weekend Magazine - 16. Retrieved September 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.


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