biography

Lee Patterson Born Beverley Frank Atherly Patterson on March 31, 1929, in Vancouver, British Columbia, actor Lee Patterson attended Ontario College of Art, aiming to be a cartoonist. He soon abandoned his art career in favor of acting. Patterson found work as a stage actor in Canada and, following a trip to London, decided to stay in Britain. He quickly found work as a stage manager on British TV programs and as a stage actor before getting his break in films. By 1953 he was landing small roles, until he signed a contract with Romulus Films in 1954. Throughout the early phase of Patterson's career, he most often portrayed Americans in a number of British B movies. His breakthrough role came in the crime drama The Good Die Young (1954; with Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, and Joan Collins). Soon, he was starring in British noir including The Passing Stranger (1954; with Diane Cilento), Spin a Dark Web (1956; with Faith Domergue), and The Counterfeit Plan (1957; with Zachary Scott and Peggie Castle).

Lee Patterson

Patterson's career in the late 1950s was going well, as he starred in five films in 1959 alone, including Jack the Ripper (1959; with Eddie Byrne) and the Disney family film Third Man on the Mountain (1959; with Michael Rennie, Janet Munro, and James MacArthur). He was supporting his mother and putting his brother through college back in Canada. Needing to be closer to home, in 1959 Patterson landed a contract with Warner Bros. and left Britain, as his mother was ill. The studio cast him as Dave Thorne on the ABC detective series Surfside 6 (1960-1962; with Troy Donahue, Diane McBain, and Van Williams).

Lee Patterson
Stardom eluded Patterson, despite being cast on ABC's hit series Surfside 6. When the series was canceled in 1962, Patterson found himself without a contract, and film and television roles were few and far between. After some guest shots on such series as Perry Mason and Bonanza, he was cast as Joe Riley on the then-new ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, starting in July 1968. This began a 20-year association with the series, but Patterson also was a regular on the NBC daytime dramas Another World and the short-lived Texas.

the films of lee patterson

The Good Die Young (1954)

Lee Patterson

Patterson had a supporting role in the Romulus noir thriller The Good Die Young

Spin a Dark Web (1956)

Lee Patterson and Faith DomergueLee Patterson and Faith Domergue

With Faith Domergue in the British crime drama Spin a Dark Web, released by Columbia

Assignment Foreign Legion (1956-1957 CBS TV Series)

Lee Patterson and Norah Gorsen

With Norah Gorsen in an episode of the British anthology series Assignment Foreign Legion titled The Man Who Found Freedom

The Counterfeit Plan (1957)

Robert Arden and Lee Patterson

From the Warner Bros. crime drama The Counterfeit Plan with Robert Arden

The Story of Esther Costello (1957)

Heather Sears and Lee Patterson

With Heather Sears in the Joan Crawford vehicle The Story of Esther Costello, produced by Romulus and released by Columbia

The Inbetween Age (1958)

Lee Patterson and Terry Dene

Patterson stars with British pop star Terry Dene in the rock and roll flick The Inbetween Age, released in the U.S. by Allied Artists

Jack the Ripper (1959)

Lee Patterson

As Sam Lowry in the mystery/thriller Jack the Ripper

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)

Lee Patterson

As Reldresal in the Columbia adventure The Three Worlds of Gulliver

Surfside 6 (1960-1962 ABC TV Series)

Lee PattersonTroy Donahue, Lee Patterson, and Van WilliamsMargarita Sierra, Troy Donahue, Lee Patterson, Diane McBain, and Van WilliamsLeslie Parrish and Lee Patterson

From the ABC series Surfside 6, produced by Warner Bros. LEFT: As Dave Thorne. CENTER A: With costars Troy Donahue and Van Williams. CENTER B: With Margarita Sierra, Troy Donahue, Diane McBain, and Van Williams. RIGHT: With Leslie Parrish in a 1961 episode titled Circumstantial Evidence

later years

Patterson put the wraps on his acting career in the early 1990s and later retired to Galveston, Texas, completely stepping out of the limelight and losing touch with others in the industry. A heavy smoker, Patterson passed away from multiple causes (congestive heart failure, cancer, and emphysema) on February 14, 2007, at age 77. Sadly, his death went unnoticed in the press for months. A lifelong bachelor, Patterson left no immediate survivors.

filmography

FILM
Healer (1994) with Tyrone Power Jr., Turhan Bey, Tobey Maguire, and David McCallum
Bullseye! (1990) with Michael Caine, Roger Moore, and Sally Kirkland
The Last Days of Patton (1986) with George C. Scott, Richard Dysart, Murray Hamilton, Ed Lauter, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Shane Rimmer, and Eva Marie Saint
Death Wish 3 (1985) with Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam, Gavan O'Herlihy, and Alex Winter
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) with Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr, Chuck Connors, Rip Torn, Chad Everett, Peter Graves, Kent McCord, William Shatner, Stephen Stucker, and John Vernon
Chato's Land (1972) with Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Simon Oakland, Ralph Waite, and Victor French
The Search for the Evil One (1969) with Lisa Pera
Valley of Mystery (1967) with Richard Egan, Peter Graves, Joby Baker, Lois Nettleton, Harry Guardino, Julie Adams, Fernando Lamas, Karen Sharpe, and Leonard Nimoy
The Ceremony (1963) with Laurence Harvey, Sarah Miles, Robert Walker Jr., John Ireland, Ross Martin, Jack MacGowran, and Fernando Rey
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) with Kerwin Mathews and Jo Morrow
October Moth (1960) with Robert Cawdron, Peter Dyneley, and Lana Morris
Third Man on the Mountain (1959) with Michael Rennie, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Herbert Lom, and Laurence Naismith
The White Trap (1959) with Conrad Phillips
Deadly Record (1959) with Barbara Shelley, Jane Hylton, and Peter Dyneley
Jack the Ripper (1959) with Eddie Byrne and Betty McDowall
Breakout (1959) with Hazel Court and Billie Whitelaw
Man with a Gun (1958) with Rona Anderson
The Desperate Men (1958) with Ann Sears and Victor Maddern
The Spaniard's Curse (1958) with Tony Wright
The Inbetween Age (1958) with Mary Steele and Peter Dyneley
The Mailbag Robbery (1957) with Kay Callard and Alan Gifford
Night Girls (1957) with Hanne Borchsenius
Time Lock (1957) with Robert Beatty, Betty McDowall, and Sean Connery
The Story of Esther Costello (1957) with Joan Crawford, Rossano Brazzi, Heather Sears, and Ron Randell
Life at Stake (1957) with Hy Hazell
The Counterfeit Plan (1957) with Zachary Scott, Peggie Castle, and Bernard Fox
Checkpoint (1956) with Anthony Steel, Stanley Baker, Paul Muller, and Anne Heywood
Dry Rot (1956) with Ronald Shiner and Heather Sears
Reach for the Sky (1956) with Kenneth More
Spin a Dark Web (1956) with Faith Domergue and Rona Anderson
Faccia da mascalzone (1956) with Valentina Cortese, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rossano Brazzi, and Luciana Paluzzi
The Whiteoak Chronicles: The Building of Jalna (1955) with Above Us the Waves (1955) with John Mills
Passing Stranger (1954) with Diane Cilento
Diamond Expert (1954)
The Good Die Young (1954) with Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, Richard Basehart, Joan Collins, John Ireland, Stanley Baker, Margaret Leighton, and Robert Morley

TELEVISION SERIES
Texas, 1980-1982 NBC daytime TV series. Patterson portrayed Dr. Kevin Cook
Another World, 1964-1999 NBC daytime TV series. Patterson portrayed Dr. Kevin Cook during the 1980 season
One Life to Live, 1968-2012 ABC daytime TV series. Patterson portrayed Joe Riley from 1968 through 1988
Surfside 6, 1960-1962 ABC TV series. Patterson portrayed Dave Thorne

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Zorro, episode Alejandro Rides Again, originally aired November 24, 1991
MacGyver, episode Gold Rush, originally aired March 27, 1989
War and Remembrance, episode Part 2, originally aired November 15, 1988
Lytton's Diary, episode The Miracle Man, originally aired 1986
Scarecrow and Mrs. King, episode The Times They Are a Changin', originally aired October 8, 1984
Hunter, episode Hunter, originally aired September 18, 1984
The A-Team, episode Chopping Spree, originally aired February 14, 1984
Riptide, episode Pilot, originally aired January 3, 1984
Matt Houston, episode The Hunted, originally aired April 24, 1983
ABC Weekend Specials, episode All the Money in the World, originally aired March 19, 1983
The Fall Guy, episode Reluctant Traveling Companion, originally aired November 24, 1982
Magnum, P.I., episode Flashback, originally aired November 4, 1982
Jason King, episode All That Glisters...: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired December 8 and 15, 1971
The Immortal, episode Man on a Punched Card, originally aired October 29, 1970
Bonanza, episode The Crime of Johnny Mule, originally aired February 25, 1968
12 O'Clock High, episode Angel Babe, originally aired February 28, 1966
Perry Mason, episode The Case of the Midnight Howler, originally aired January 16, 1966
The Virginian, episode Show Me a Hero, originally aired November 17, 1965
Combat!, episode 9 Place Vendee, originally aired November 11, 1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Twixt the Cup and the Lip, originally aired June 3, 1965
Arrest and Trial, episode The Revenge of the Worm, originally aired March 29, 1964
ITV Play of the Week, episode The Fixers, originally aired October 8, 1963
The Avengers, episode The Undertakers, originally aired October 5, 1963
ITV Play of the Week, episode The Rainmaker, originally aired May 21, 1963
The Alaskans, episode Sign of the Kodiak, originally aired May 29, 1960
The Deputy, episode The Chain of Action, originally aired May 7, 1960
The Alaskans, episode Behind the Moon, originally aired March 6, 1960
International Detective, episode The Rose Bowl Case, originally aired February 20, 1960
Encounter, episode You Win, You Lose, originally aired January 24, 1960
Armchair Theatre, episode The Sentry, originally aired January 4, 1959
ITV Play of the Week, episode The Troublemakers, originally aired June 11, 1958
ITV Television Playhouse, episode The Ponyman, originally aired May 23, 1958
White Hunter, episode The Sickness of Kilimanjaro, originally aired April 26, 1958
Assignment Foreign Legion, episode The White Kepi, originally aired October 15, 1957
Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!, episode The Billion Franc Mystery, originally aired July 20, 1957
Rheingold Theatre, episode Together, originally aired February 11, 1957
The New Adventures of Martin Kane, episode The Absconder Story, originally aired 1957
The New Adventures of Martin Kane, episode The Kidnap Story, originally aired 1957
Assignment Foreign Legion, episode The Man Who Found Freedom, originally aired November 12, 1956
The Vise, episode Frame Up Without Gloves, originally aired April 13, 1956
ITV Television Playhouse, episode Teddy Gang, originally aired February 4, 1956
The Vise, episode Code Name: Murder, originally aired December 23, 1955
Rheingold Theatre, episode Heritage, originally aired December 5, 1955
The Vise, episode Gabriel's Choice, originally aired November 5, 1954
Rheingold Theatre, episode Dream Stuff, originally aired September 8, 1954
Rheingold Theatre, episode The Apples, originally aired July 21, 1954
Rheingold Theatre, episode Johnny Blue, originally aired May 26, 1954
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode Operation North Star, originally aired October 25, 1953

lee patterson trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Lee Patterson's 1959 thriller Jack the Ripper

lee patterson film now showing

Watch Lee Patterson's 1956 noir thriller Spin a Dark Web
filmstrip image
Back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered May 24, 2017.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information