Hollywood is in mourning after the death of the Golden Globe-winning actress Pat Crowley. She was 91 years-old.
Crowley died at her home in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, September 14. This was tragically just two days before what would have been her 92nd birthday.
Crowley’s son Jon Hookstratten, an executive vice president at Sony Pictures, confirmed his mother’s death to People Magazine. Hookstratten told The Hollywood Reporter that Crowley died of natural causes.
Crowley’s History
Born in Pennsylvania in 1933, Crowley stormed onto the Hollywood scene when she won the Golden Globe for the New Star of the Year in 1954. She was only 21 years-old at the time. Crowley won this award for her work in the 1953 movies Forever Female and Money From Home.
Forever Female was actually Crowley’s big screen debut. In it, she portrayed a perky young actress who wants the role of an ingenue in a Broadway drama. Unfortunately for her, a veteran actress (Ginger Rogers) wants the playwright (William Holden) to retool this part her.
Meanwhile, Money From Home was a classic comedy starring the iconic comedic duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film’s IMDB description states, “When Herman promises the mob to fix a racing horse in order to pay off his debts, he selects his veterinarian cousin as a patsy to help him but things go awry.”
Crowley played Lewis’ love interest in this hilarious comedy that ultimately helped lead to her Golden Globe win.
Crowley’s Most Famous Role
Unlike many other stars who won the New Star of the Year award, Crowley was able to parlay this Golden Globe win into a decades-long career that saw her pass away with 130 IMDB film and television credits to her name.
Crowley will arguably be best remembered for her role in the television series. Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. The sitcom aired for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965-67. Crowley played Joan Nash, a newspaper writer who’s married to a college professor (Mark Miller). Crowley’s character was also the mother of four rambunctious boys (played by Kim Tyler, Brian Nash and twins Jeff and Joe Fithian).
The family on the show lived in a home that looked like a castle. They were joined by their giant sheepdog Ladadog, who created lots of mayhem. The sitcom was based on a book and on a popular 1960 movie starring Doris Day and David Niven.
“I thought the writing was very intelligent and very sweet,” Crowley previously told Pioneers of Television.
Crowley’s Later Roles
Later work of Crowley’s included a recurring role as Emily Fallmont in the ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty. She appeared on multiple episodes throughout then 1980s. Crowley’s run on the soap ended when her character was fatally struck by a taxi.
Other television appearances that Crowley made came on shows like The Twilight Zone, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Friends, The Love Boat, Beverly Hills, 90210, and General Hospital. She appeared in over 250 episodes of the soap opera Port Charles as Mary Scanlon from 1997 until 2001. Crowley’s final onscreen role came in the 2012 movie Mont Reve.
Crowley was previously married to the late Ed Hookstratten. He was a powerful sports and entertainment attorney who represented A-list celebrities like Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Tom Brokaw and Vin Scully.
Crowley and Hookstratten married in 1957 and divorced at some point years later. She then married Andy Friendly in 1986. He survives her, as do two children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Rest in peace, Pat Crowley.