- Born
- Died
- Birth nameBridget Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly
- Nickname
- The Queen of Wisecracks
- Height5′ 2½″ (1.59 m)
- Patsy Kelly was born Bridget Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly on January 12, 1910, in Brooklyn, New York. She began performing in vaudeville when she was just twelve years old. Patsy worked with comedian Frank Fay and starred in several Broadway shows. She was discovered by producer Hal Roach, who paired her with Thelma Todd in a series of comedy shorts. They became a popular onscreen team and made thirty-five films together including Top Flat (1935) and Done in Oil (1934). Although Patsy never became an A-list star she continued to work throughout the 1930s. She had supporting roles in Pigskin Parade (1936), Merrily We Live (1938), and Topper Returns (1941). Patsy was a lesbian and she was always open with the press about her sexuality. She had a long-term relationship with actress Wilma Cox. By the early 1940s Patsy was drinking heavily and making headlines for her erratic behavior. She decided to quit show business and moved to New York City. She started dating Tallulah Bankhead and worked as her secretary. Eventually, Patsy went back to acting and appeared on numerous television shows. She also had small roles in the films Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Freaky Friday (1976). Patsy won a Tony award in 1971 for her performance in No No Nanette. After suffering a stroke she moved into a nursing home. She died from pneumonia on September 24, 1981. Patsy is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Elizabeth Ann
- She wanted to be a fireman, but was trained as a dancer instead. By age 13, she was good enough to get paid to teach tap dancing at school.
- Her brother gave her the nickname "Patsy".
- In 1933, she and Jimmy Forlenza were passengers in an automobile driven by actor/female impersonator Jean Malin who accidentally backed the car off the Venice Pier and drowned. Kelly and Forlenza (a close friend of Malin) survived.
- She was known for her ability to ad-lib on screen, a skill she developed in vaudeville.
- Patsy was unusual for her time by admitting publicly that she was a lesbian. Many movie historians believe her frankness about her lifestyle hurt her acting career which all but ended in movies by 1944, until television revived it.
- I laughed from the time I arrived at the studio until I left at night. I was almost ashamed to take a paycheck. In 40-odd years in show business, some years I could do no wrong, and some years I could do nothing right. Show business. I owe it everything - it owes me nothing.
- [Before going to Hollywood] I'll be a flop in movies. Besides, I don't like 'em, and I never did believe there was a place called Hollywood. Somebody made it up!
- I think people are starved for happy endings. I know I was.
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