Sarah Patterson
Sarah Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) London, England, UK |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | South Hampstead High School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1984–1987; 2002–2007 |
Sarah Patterson (born 1970) [a] is an English film actress. She is best known for her lead role in the 1984 gothic-horror movie The Company of Wolves.
Early life and education
[edit]Patterson was raised in Camden Town by her father, David Llewelyn Hood Patterson, a London-trained National Health Service (NHS) General Practitioner (GP) of welsh origin and his spouse.[1] She attended South Hampstead High School, an independent school for girls in Swiss Cottage, London.
Career
[edit]1984–1987: Discovery and child notoriety
Patterson's acting debut at the age of 14 was accidental.[2] Planning tto provide moral support to a friend who was auditioning, [3] she was noticed by director Neil Jordan and cast in the lead role as Rosaleen, [4]a Little Red Riding Hood character spin-off, in 1984's gothic-horror film The Company of Wolves.[5]
"Sarah accompanied a friend to auditions,” Jordan recalls. “I spotted her waiting, auditioned her and gave her the role. When you write a part for a child, you either end up with a child actress, which is generally bad news, or with someone who has never acted before. That was the first time I gave a role to someone inexperienced, but I’ve done it subsequently in The Butcher Boy and other films like The Miracle. In The Crying Game, Jay Davidson’s character could not have been played by an actor because you would have recognised him and known he was a man. Sarah had this particular kind of beauty and was very anxious to do it. Her parents were enlightened enough to let her play in this quite disturbing film.”[6]
After the film's release, she returned to school to complete her O-levels in 1986. Encouraged by critics of her initial performance, in 1987, Patterson starred in another fairy tale-inspired movie playing the titular heroine (but a typecast role) in Cannon Film's Snow White which was shot on location in Israel.[7]
Cannon Film's musical fantasy was, however, a commercial failure and released direct-to-video. Subsequently, Patterson secured a couple of movie offers, but none impressed her enough to accept to continue acting and she decided to retire from the industry at the age of 17.
2002–2007: Acting reprisal and indie movies
Patterson briefly reprised acting in two films since, both produced by Valiant Doll, her friend Lisa Gornick's independent film production company. The Valiant Doll film Do I Love You? marked her return to screen after an absence of over a decade,[8] and she later appeared in Tick Tock Lullaby, albeit, in a supporting role.[9][10] However, since 2007, there has been no sign of activity.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Company of Wolves | Rosaleen | Feature Film |
| 1987 | Snow White | Snow White | direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Do I Love You? | Louise | Feature Film |
| 2007 | Tick Tock Lullaby | Gillian | Feature Film |
Notes
[edit]- ^ There is some doubt as to her birthdate: IMDb (the Internet Movie Database) states the year as 1972. But this would mean that Patterson was eleven, or else just turned twelve, when she made The Company of Wolves. The sleevenotes for The Company of Wolves Special Edition say she had just turned 13 when she auditioned for the film, which would give a more likely birth date of 1970.
References
[edit]- ^ The Press and the People: Annual Report of the Press Council · Volume 33. Press Council. 1986. p. 185.
- ^ Churchill, Peter (28 September 1984). "Entertainment and Leisure". Fulham Chronicle.
- ^ Edwards, Matthew (24 July 2018). Film Out of Bounds: Essays and Interviews on Non-Mainstream Cinema Worldwide. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 11. ISBN 9781476607801.
- ^ Gracey, James. The Company of Wolves. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 9781911325321.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (19 April 1985). "Film: Red Riding Hood in 'Company of Wolves'". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "From the Archive: Neil Jordan on The Company of Wolves". Film Ireland. 105. 2005.
- ^ "A Review of Snow White on Film". HouseofGeekery.com. 23 December 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Do I Love You? (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (21 March 2007). "Tick Tock Lullaby". Variety. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Tick Tock Lullaby". LisaGornick.com. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
External links
[edit]- Sarah Patterson at IMDb
- Sarah Patterson at the TCM Movie Database
- Sarah Patterson at AllMovie
- Sarah Patterson at Rotten Tomatoes
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