Pat Crowley, a beloved actress from Hollywood’s golden age, who enchanted audiences alongside the era’s biggest stars before making a successful and enduring transition to television, passed away peacefully on Sunday at her Los Angeles home. She was 91.
Her passing was confirmed by her son, Jon Hookstratten, who serves as the executive vice president of administration and operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Right after high school, Ms. Crowley burst onto the scenes of television and Broadway. Her undeniable charisma, warm presence, and vibrant energy quickly set her on a path to becoming a prominent actress of her time.
A Glimpse into Her Early Stardom:
A beautiful black-and-white portrait of Pat Crowley in 1955, radiating charm at the beginning of her illustrious career.
Her Hollywood journey kicked off with two memorable Paramount films, notably “Money From Home” (1953). This marked her first collaboration in a Martin and Lewis comedy, where she charmingly portrayed the veterinarian love interest to Jerry Lewis’s eccentric character. This film also ignited a professional bond with Dean Martin that would last for decades, often seeing her as a cherished guest on his popular variety show.
In the 1954 theater-world comedy “Forever Female,” a witty adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s “Rosalind,” Ms. Crowley captivated audiences as a spirited teenager vying for a role coveted by the aging star Ginger Rogers. Eventually, her character gracefully accepted the role of the mother. The film boasted a stellar cast, including William Holden and Paul Douglas. Her remarkable performances in both this film and “Money From Home” earned her the prestigious Golden Globe for “new star of the year” in 1954, a category that was later retired in the 1980s.
“Forever Female” Poster:
A classic movie poster for “Forever Female” (1954), featuring Pat Crowley who played a lively teenager aiming for a significant role.
Frequently cast as the charming ingénue, Ms. Crowley continued to grace the screen with an array of cinematic legends. She shared the spotlight with Rosemary Clooney in the lively western musical “Red Garters” (1954) and delivered compelling performances alongside Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Douglas Sirk’s acclaimed noir, “There’s Always Tomorrow” (1956). In “The Square Jungle” (1955), she portrayed the romantic interest of Tony Curtis’s character, a grocery clerk with dreams of becoming a boxer.
Despite her promising start, Ms. Crowley didn’t quite reach the pinnacle of stardom Paramount had envisioned, eventually parting ways with the studio. Undeterred, she continued to act, finding her niche and building a lasting legacy primarily in television. Reflecting on her career in a 2020 interview, she admitted, “The business of this business is really tricky, and I was never really into that. I never had a manager. I never had a publicity person. I was in that medium thing where I would have an agent call and say, ‘Go and do this audition.’”
Her remarkable success on the small screen continued for decades, marked predominantly by captivating guest-starring roles. Her compelling portrayal of a captain’s ex-wife in the 1963 military drama “The Lieutenant” left such an impression on her co-star, Robert Vaughn, that he personally selected her for a pivotal role. She was cast as a Midwestern housewife suddenly plunged into the thrilling realm of espionage in the pilot episode of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” (1964), where she starred alongside Vaughn and David McCallum. A particularly memorable scene featured her and Vaughn, soaked with sweat and steam, dramatically suspended from a pipe in a boiler room.
A Thrilling TV Moment:
Pat Crowley in an iconic 1964 scene from “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” with co-star Robert Vaughn, showcasing her versatility in the espionage drama.
In 1965, Ms. Crowley’s career gained further momentum with “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” a beloved family sitcom inspired by Jean Kerr’s book. She starred as Joan Nash, a newspaper columnist navigating a lively home with four boys, a loyal sheepdog, and a college professor husband. Ms. Crowley felt a deep connection to Ms. Kerr, as both hailed from northeast Pennsylvania, and Kerr had loosely based the main character on her own life. Patricia Margaret Crowley was born on September 17, 1933, in Olyphant, Pennsylvania. She was the younger of two daughters to Vincent and Helen (Swartz) Crowley. Her father worked as a foreman in the coal mines, while her mother, a homemaker, fostered a great love for music and theater.
During her teenage years, Pat’s older sister, Ann, caught the attention of renowned pianist and vocal coach Frank La Forge after a performance at a local men’s luncheon. La Forge offered to train Ann in New York, leading Ann and their mother to relocate to the city. A year later, the rest of the family joined them, settling into an apartment in Manhattan’s vibrant Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
Early Career Portrait:
Another captivating image of Ms. Crowley from 1955, a testament to her talent blooming on television and Broadway shortly after graduating high school.
During a touring production of “Carousel,” where her sister held a starring role, a young Ms. Crowley made her stage debut with a walk-on part in the chorus. Her passion for acting, singing, and dancing flourished, leading her to graduate from Manhattan’s prestigious High School of Performing Arts in 1950, sharing her class with future comic actor Dom DeLuise. Following graduation, Ms. Crowley immersed herself in various theater productions, consistently earning accolades for her performances even when the shows themselves received lukewarm reviews. Notably, Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times, in his review of Margo Jones’s “Southern Exposure,” lauded her as “practically the only professional thing on the stage.” Her talent was further recognized with a Theater World Award as one of the most promising personalities of the 1950-51 season. She also gained significant recognition as the titular character in “A Date With Judy,” a popular live television show broadcast on Saturday mornings in New York during the early 1950s.
In 1957, Ms. Crowley tied the knot with Ed Hookstratten, who would later become a highly successful entertainment lawyer and agent. They had two children together before separating in the early 1980s. She found love again, marrying television executive Andy Friendly in 1986.
Later Career Portrait:
A recent photograph of Ms. Crowley from 2014, a testament to her enduring presence in entertainment. She continued to grace television with guest roles for decades, culminating in her final cinematic appearance in the 2012 indie romance film “Mont Rêve.”
She is survived by her devoted husband, Andy Friendly; her son, Jon Hookstratten; her daughter, Ann Osher; five cherished grandchildren; and four beloved great-grandchildren, all of whom carry on her remarkable legacy.
Her television work showcased incredible versatility, with guest appearances across numerous iconic shows and genres for decades. Her credits include “Columbo” (1971), “Happy Days” (1980), “Police Story” (1980), “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1997-98), and “Friends” (1998). She also became a familiar face in the world of soap operas, with recurring roles in popular series like “Dynasty,” “Generations,” “Port Charles,” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Her final on-screen performance was in the 2012 indie romance film “Mont Rêve,” bringing her career full circle back to cinema.
Reflecting on her early career in that 2020 interview, she modestly observed, “I didn’t really have the face for film, like when you see the great beauties. I always played the feisty little troublemaker.” A role she clearly embraced with delightful success.