Lee Patrick

She was born in New York City on November 22, 1901, the daughter of an editor of a trade paper who initially prompted her interest in theater.

Lee started off on the stock stage as a teen and debuted on Broadway as part of the ensemble of the musical "The Bunch and Judy" with the dancing Astaires in 1922.

She continued regularly on Broadway, despite many short runs, in more visible roles with "The Green Beetle" (1924), "Bachelor Brides" (1925), "The Matrimonial Bed" (1927), "June Moon" (1929), "Little Women" (as Meg) (1931), "Blessed Event" (1932), "Knock on Wood" (1935), "Stage Door" (1936) and "Michael Drops In" (1938). Lee's film career began at the advent of sound.

Making her debut as the star of the drama Strange Cargo (1929), she focused thereafter on theatre work until returning to the big screen with a vengeance in 1937 when she was featured in the RKO western Border Cafe (1937) starring Harry Carey. Appearing in scores of films, Lee made strong impressions as a stock player in such Warner Bros.

She would have plenty of places to show off her range from the late 1930's on for over five decades.

Henrietta was initially played on late 1930's film by none other than Billie Burke.

Was once seriously considered for the title role in the tearjerker Stella Dallas (1937), which went to Barbara Stanwyck, who won an Oscar nomination.

films as Law of the Underworld (1938), The Sisters (1938), Invisible Stripes (1939), Saturday's Children (1940), City for Conquest (1940), Ladies Must Live (1940), Dangerously They Live (1941), Footsteps in the Dark (1941), Million Dollar Baby (1941), Kisses for Breakfast (1941), Now, Voyager (1942), In This Our Life (1942), and Mildred Pierce (1945), as well as other studio pictures of quality, including A Night to Remember (1942), Larceny with Music (1943), Mrs.

Lee's most fondly-remembered role of that period would be that of Effie, the wry, altruistic Girl Friday to Humphrey Bogart' 's Sam Spade in the Warner film noir classic The Maltese Falcon (1941). Lee also found time to do radio with a running part on the family drama "The O'Neils. " She later appeared in the 50's detective drama "Let George Do It" and in "Suspense.

Parkington (1944) and See My Lawyer (1945).

" She continued in post-WWII filming with roles including The Walls Came Tumbling Down (1946), Mother Wore Tights (1947), The Snake Pit (1948), The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) and Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951). During her potboiler run at Warner Bros.

The highly versatile character actress Lee Patrick could readily play a tough, scrapping, hard-bitten dame as she did in the gritty women's prison drama Caged (1950), or a meek and twittery wife as exemplified by her uppity socialite Doris Upson in the freewheeling farce Auntie Mame (1958).

, she seemed to play everything with a biting, cynical edge, from nurses to floozies, but in the mid-1950's, the more matronly actress suddenly seemed to blossom into a dithery and obtuse Billie Burke-like delight. As she geared herself towards these comedy eccentrics, TV got a heads up on this delightful angle and signed her to play society doyenne Henrietta Topper, the flighty, quivery-voiced wife of Leo G.

Carroll on the popular ghostly sitcom Topper (1953) which ran from 1953 to 1955.

Adams and Eve (1957) and occasionally lent her voice to animated projects ("The Alvin Show").

There would be other fun and fluttery film turns as snooty patricians or gossipy types in such films as Pillow Talk (1959), Wives and Lovers (1963) and 7 Faces of Dr.

In the mid-1960s Lee retired to travel and paint, but was coaxed back one more time to revive her role of Effie in the Maltese Falcon spoof The Black Bird (1975). The only one joining her from the original cast was Elisha Cook Jr.. .

Lao (1964), to name a couple, in addition to standard dramas like Vertigo (1958), Summer and Smoke (1961) and A Girl Named Tamiko (1962). TV guest appearances would include "Circus Boy," "The Lineup," "Wagon Train," "Lawman," "Hawaiian Eye," "77 Sunset Strip," "The Real McCoys," "The Farmer's Daughter," "The Donna Reed Show" and "Hazel. " She also had a recurring role on Mr.