Patricia Hardy, Actress in 1950s Television
A familiar face in ”50s TV, Hardy was married to actor Richard Egan for 30 years.
Patricia Hardy, a film and television actress in the 1950s, died August 20, 2011, at her Los Angeles home. She was 80.
According to news reports, the cause was colon cancer.
Hardy, who was married to actor Richard Egan for 30 years, appeared in many television series in the 1950s. She met Egan in 1956, and they married in 1958. He died in 1987.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 23, 1931, Hardy was a beauty pageant contestant in her youth, and was named Miss Brooklyn, Miss Coney Island and Miss New York Press Photographer.
She became a nightclub performer, and appeared with such stars as Jimmy Durante and Danny Thomas at the Copacabana in New York City. She also appeared the cover of Look magazine.
After moving to Los Angeles, Hardy scored roles in films such as Girls in the Night and Don’t Knock the Rock, but the majority of her work was in television.
Her many TV appearances include episodes of Schlitz Playhouse, The Loretta Young Show, Lassie, Mike Hammer, State Trooper, Yancy Derringer and Perry Mason.
In Schlitz Playhouse, Hardy co-starred opposite James Dean, who was a close friend off-screen.
Survivors include four daughters and a son.