Pat Finley (born October 14, 1940) is an American stage and television actress. She was also credited as Patte Finley in From a Bird's Eye View, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Perry Mason, and on Broadway.

Life and career

Finley is the daughter of Robert Finley, a Washington state supreme court judge, and his wife Werdna, a philanthropist and promoter of children's theater.[1] She grew up in the Pacific Northwest with her siblings Mary Ellen "Sparkle" and younger brother Randy Finley, who would go on to operate a chain of movie theaters in the Pacific Northwest.[2][3]

Beginning in the early 1960s Finley appeared in stage musicals,[4] including Bye Bye Birdie[5] and Greenwich Village, U.S.A.[6] For a time she was managed by Wally Amos, future cookie entrepreneur, then of the William Morris Agency.[7] She appeared in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway as a replacement for the character of "Irene Molloy".[8]

During the 1970s Finley had recurring roles on a number of TV shows, including on the short-lived The Funny Side, The Bob Newhart Show in 15 episodes, as Bob's sister Ellen, who becomes romantically involved with neighbor Howard, portrayed by Bill Daily, and The Rockford Files in 6 episodes, as the wife of Dennis Becker, portrayed by Joe Santos. She reprised her role on The Rockford Files in the 1996 television film Godfather Knows Best.[9]

In 1990 Finley became a co-host of Seattle Today, a local daytime television show.[10]

Since the 1980s she has divided her time between Seattle and Annecy, France.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Birkland, Dave (September 30, 1992). "Werdna Finley, Longtime Advocate Who Brought Theater to Children". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. ^ Bargreen, Melinda (August 14, 2002). "Connoisseur of life: from Film to wine, art-cinema founder follows his dreams". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. ^ Gallagher, Dave (May 9, 2016). "Longtime Whatcom winery up for sale". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Oby, Jenny (June 12, 2017). Lakewood Theatre. Arcadia Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-4671-2594-9.
  5. ^ Carpenter, Carleton (September 5, 2016). The Absolute Joy of Work: From Vermont to Broadway, Hollywood, and Damn Near 'Round the World. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-6293-3082-2.
  6. ^ Hischak, Thomas (February 18, 2011). Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919: From Greenwich Village Follies to the Toxic Avenger. Scarecrow Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-8108-7772-6. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Ingham, John N.; Feldman, Lynne B. (1994). African-American Business Leaders: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-3132-7253-0. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Patte Finley" Internet Broadway Database
  9. ^ Rayan, Stephen (June 7, 2018). The Essential James Garner. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-4422-7821-9.
  10. ^ Beers, Carole (October 5, 1990). "'Seattle Today' Gets A Fresh Format -- Ratings Are Rising As Finley, Chester Join Lenz". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 20, 2020.

External links

Pat Finley at IMDb


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