Patricia Neal

Patricia Neal, born as Patsy Louise Neal on January 20, 1926, was an esteemed American actress who graced both stage and screen. Her illustrious career spanned over 65 years with memorable roles such as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), radio journalist Marcia Jeffries in A Face in the Crowd (1957), and the exhausted housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud (1963). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her depiction in 'Hud'. Particularly noteworthy is her role as the matriarch in the TV film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971), which set the stage for the series The Waltons. With her performances deeply etched in American cinema, she later won the Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two British Academy Film Awards, and earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Neal's personal life was packed with equal intensity - after a tumultuous affair with Gary Cooper, Neal embarked on a marriage journey with British writer Roald Dahl, also producing five children. Despite several personal tragedies and health issues including a stroke, Neal made an inspiring comeback, receiving an Oscar nomination for her 1968 performance in The Subject Was Roses.

Born in Packard, Kentucky, Neal was the daughter of William Burdette Neal and Eura Mildred Neal. She attended Knoxville High School before studying drama at Northwestern. Shortly after, she moved to New York, leaving an enduring impact on Broadway with her initial roles in The Voice of the Turtle and Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (1946), for which she won the 1947 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She debuted in films alongside Ronald Reagan in John Loves Mary (1949), which later led her to other successful roles in Operation Pacific and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Facing a breakdown following the end of her relationship with Cooper, she moved back to New York and returned to Broadway in 1952 for a revival of The Children's Hour. Throughout the 50s and 60s, she appeared on television and in several films, showing her vast acting range and earning various prestigious awards. Neal passed away on August 8, 2010.