Patricia Ellis
| Patricia Ellis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Patricia Gene O'Brien May 20, 1918 Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 1970 (aged 51) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | American film actress |
| Years active | 1932–1939 |
| Spouse(s) | George T. O'Maley (1941)-1970; her death) |
Patricia Ellis (May 20, 1918 – March 26, 1970) was an American film actress of the 1930s.
Born Patricia O'Brien in Birmingham, Michigan, Ellis was the oldest of four children born to Eugene Gladstone O'Brien, a Detroit insurance salesman, and Florence Calkins. She was later known as Patricia Leftwich after her step-father, Alexander Leftwich, "an eminent New York producer of musical shows." She had a step-brother, Alexander Leftwich Jr. Her childhood activities included singing and dancing, and she learned French and German.
A 1932 newspaper article said, "Since she was able to walk, Patricia has been familiar with the world of the theater, accompanying her father constantly to rehearsals and performances." Also in 1932, another newspaper reported, "She understudied all her father's leading women in the last few years, assisted him with lighting and costuming and knows stage production, too."
Ellis attended Brantwood Hall School and Gardner School for Girls and began her stage career after leaving school. She took classes in studio facilities while pursuing her acting career.
Ellis "appeared with Chamberlain Browns stock company at Mount Vernon, N.Y., and at the Riviera Theater, New York City."
Given a film test while appearing on stage in New York City, Ellis was put under contract by Warner Bros.. In 1932, she had two small parts, both uncredited, in the films Three on a Match and Central Park. That same year, she was one of fourteen girls chosen as WAMPAS Baby Stars; Ellis, at 14, was the youngest. Her first credited role was in the 1933 film The King's Vacation, starring George Arliss and Marjorie Gateson.
After that film, her career took off, with her starring mostly in lower-budget B-movies but still working steadily. She had roles in eight films in 1933, co-starring that year with James Cagney in Picture Snatcher, and in another seven in 1934. She started 1935 off with A Night at the Ritz, in which she had the lead female role, opposite William Gargan.
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