| Birth: | Nov. 22, 1874
Savannah
Hardin County
Tennessee, USA | | Death: | Jan. 31, 1966
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County
California, USA | 
Actress. Best known for her recurring role as ‘Little Ricky's' babysitter ‘Mrs. Matilda Trumball' in the television series "I Love Lucy." She was born Mary Elizabeth Patterson in Tennessee in 1874. She was the daughter of a confederate solider turned judge. Her family was very strict and it was unheard of to become an actress. When she decided to become an actress it was quite the scandal. She left home and moved to Chicago. ‘Patty,' as she was known, became a member of Chicago's Ben Greet Players. In 1907, she made her stage debut. She toured with a company of Shakespeare in the United States and Canada. Her first major part came with the play "Intimate Strangers." She continued work on stage until she decided to try her craft in the movies. She made her screen debut in the 1926 silent film "The Boy Friend." The same year she appeared in yet another silent film "The Return of Peter Grimm." She did not care for the silent movie making business and moved back to New York to work once again in theatre. At age fifty-five, she appeared in her first "Talkie." She played Will Rogers wife in the 1929 film "It Happened in Paris." Her film career would span over forty years. She appeared in films with several big stars. In 1931, she played opposite Tallulah Bankhead in "Tarnished Lady." In 1932 she appeared with Katharine Hepburn and John Barrymore in "A Bill of Divorcement." She played ‘Aunt Susan' in 1939's "The Cat and the Canary," opposite Bob Hope. Her biggest film role came in 1941 in the John Ford directed ""Tobacco Road." She was first seen on "I Love Lucy" in 1952 playing wife of the justice of the peace and town mayor "Mother Willoughby" in an episode entitled "The Marriage License." She would come back a year later to make her first of 11 appearances as the beloved character neighbor ‘Mrs. Trumball.' She continued work in film during the 1950s including a part in the 1957 film "Pal Joey." She was last seen on an episode of the short-lived "The Barbara Stanwyck Show," in 1961. Elizabeth Patterson never married and lived the last thirty-five years in Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel. She died in Los Angeles of pneumonia at age 91. (bio by: The Perplexed Historian)
Search Amazon for Elizabeth Patterson | | | Burial:
Savannah Cemetery
Savannah
Hardin County
Tennessee, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: The Perplexed Historian
Record added: Jan 27, 2007
Find A Grave Memorial# 17718866 |
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Rest in peace Mrs. Trumbull - love you and Lucy
-Anonymous
Added: May. 16, 2013 |
and Elizabeth Patterson
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Added: Apr. 27, 2013 |
I didn't realize Elizabeth Patterson had led such an interesting life. I will always remember her as Mrs. Trumbull, the Ricardo's elderly neighbor. She is also a fellow middle Tennessean. To a life well lived. May she rest in peace.
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Anonymous
Added: Apr. 22, 2013 |
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