Patricia Knight

Patricia Knight (born Marjorie Heintzen) was an American actress who appeared in a few movies in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

She met rising actor Cornel Wilde in 1936 at a booking agent's office and married him the following year following an appearance in the Broadway play "Sea Legs." They went on to appear together in the off-Broadway play "Moon Over Mulberry Street" in 1938 and, following a part in the musical smash "Dubarry Was a Lady," earned a small role in the prestigious Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh Broadway production of "Romeo and Juliet" in which husband Wilde both played Tybalt and choreographed the dueling scenes. Following a tragic miscarriage, Patricia bore a healthy daughter, Wendy, in 1943. Following her husband's meteoric rise to film stardom with his Oscar-nominated role as composer Chopin in A Song to Remember (1945), Patricia began to pursue films as well with his help. His desire to cast her opposite him in Forever Amber (1947) failed, but it did spark interest in her and she made her debut with Roses Are Red (1947) despite the fact that she had no film training. As a platinum blonde Patricia photographed beautifully in her second film The Fabulous Texan (1947) but found her most noticeable work steaming up the proceedings opposite Wilde himself in Shockproof (1949).

In the meantime, the volatile Wilde proved to be an extremely jealous husband and constant source of interference when it came to controlling her career. After more than a few tumultuous breakups, they separated for good and she met and fell in love with Danish skating champion/sometime actor Nils Larsen. They married a few days after her August 30, 1951 divorce from Wilde. Without Wilde's influence, however, Patricia's career dissolved. After prime roles in The Second Face (1950) and The Magic Face (1951), she was finished -- after only five movie parts. She and her second husband lived in Spain for many years, returning to the States in 1969, two years before Larsen's death. Her third husband was building advisor David Wright who died in 1996. Patricia passed away in Hemet, California on October 26, 2004.

FILMOGRAPHY

• The Fabulous Texan (1947) as Josie Allen
• Roses are Red (1947) as Jill Carney
• Shockproof (1949) as Jenny Marsh
• The Second Face (1950) as Lynn Hamilton
• The Magic Face (1951) as Vera Janus