Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc
Born 07/06/1915 in Hampstead, London, England, UK

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945) and The Wicked Lady (1945), though she only made one film in Hollywood, Canyon Passage (1946). She also appeared in Millions Like Us (1943), Jassy (1945), The Brothers (1947) and When the Bough Breaks (1947).

She was employed by the studio of J. Arthur Rank, who called her "the archetypal British beauty" She achieved her greatest level of popularity in British films during the Second World War in escapist melodramas for Gainsborough Studios.

Roc began as a stage actress, debuting in the 1938 London production of Nuts in May, in which she was seen by Alexander Korda who gave her an uncredited bit in The Divorce of Lady X (1938) and her in a leading role as a Polish princess in The Rebel Son.

She had roles in The Gaunt Stranger (1939), The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939), and The Missing People (1940). She had a bigger part in A Window in London (1940), the comedy Pack Up Your Troubles (1940), Dr. O'Dowd (1940), Three Silent Men (1940), It Happened to One Man (1940), and The Farmer's Wife (1941).

Her parts grew bigger: My Wife's Family (1941), Suspected Person (1942), Let the People Sing (1942), and We'll Meet Again (1943) with Vera Lynn.

Roc was top billed in Millions Like Us (1943) from Gainsborough Studios. It was a success and Gainsborough gave her another lead, as a nun interned by the Germans in Two Thousand Women (1944).

She appeared alongside two of Gainsborough's biggest stars, Margaret Lockwood and Stewart Granger in Love Story (1944), a big hit. Roc played the jealous rival of Margaret Lockwood. She later commented that although they were required to slap each other's faces, she and Lockwood were always the best of friends. Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), with Granger and Phyllis Calvert, was another success.

Neither of them, however, did as well as The Wicked Lady (1945), where Roc played Lockwood's best friend. It was the most successful movie at the British box office in 1946. Roc's more overt sexuality in such films as The Wicked Lady was downplayed for the American market; her décolletage led US censors to call for retakes to de-emphasise it) and "the Goddess of Odeons", whilst Noël Coward said she was "a phenomenon" and "an unspoiled film star who can act".

She was also in Johnny Frenchman (1945). Co starring in that film was Ralph Michael who soon after divorced his wife Fay Compton; Roc was named in proceedings.

Her brief move to Hollywood to film Canyon Passage (1946) was a lend lease agreement between Rank Pictures and Universal Studios of British in return for American film actors. During filming, Roc was romantically linked with Ronald Reagan, while her US co-star Susan Hayward stated "that Limey glamour girl is a helluva dame."

Roc returned to Britain to make The Brothers (1947), a melodrama that was a commercial disappointment. She was in an expensive British-US co production So Well Remembered (1947) which was a hit in Britain but failed to recoup its cost. Jassy(1947), a melodrama with Lockwood, was a big hit. When the Bough Breaks (1947), another melodrama, performed reasonably well.

External links

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0733540

Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q275397

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Filmography (Movies)

Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons

Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons

Character:Vivienne

Release Date:02/04/1960

The House in the Woods

The House in the Woods

Character:Carol Carter

Release Date:31/10/1957

The Hypnotist

The Hypnotist

Character:Mary Foster

Release Date:29/07/1957

The Widow

The Widow

Character:Diana

Release Date:01/08/1955

Cartouche

Cartouche

Character:Donna Violante

Release Date:01/07/1955

Something Money Can't Buy

Something Money Can't Buy

Character:Anne Wilding

Release Date:09/07/1952

Torticola versus Frankensberg

Torticola versus Frankensberg

Character:A Penitent

Release Date:19/04/1952

Circle of Danger

Circle of Danger

Character:Elspeth Graham

Release Date:17/04/1951

Black Jack

Black Jack

Character:Ingrid Dekker

Release Date:20/11/1950

Fugitive from Montreal

Fugitive from Montreal

Character:Helen Bering

Release Date:17/11/1950

The Man on the Eiffel Tower

The Man on the Eiffel Tower

Character:Helen Kirby

Release Date:12/12/1949

Return to Life

Return to Life

Character:Lieutenant Evelyne (segment "Le retour d'Antoine")

Release Date:14/09/1949

The Perfect Woman

The Perfect Woman

Character:Penelope Belman

Release Date:23/05/1949

One Night with You

One Night with You

Character:Mary Santell

Release Date:25/04/1948

When The Bough Breaks

When The Bough Breaks

Character:Lily Bates

Release Date:19/11/1947

Jassy

Jassy

Character:Dilys Helmar

Release Date:13/08/1947

Holiday Camp

Holiday Camp

Character:Herself

Release Date:05/08/1947

So Well Remembered

So Well Remembered

Character:Julie Morgan

Release Date:09/07/1947

The Brothers

The Brothers

Character:Mary

Release Date:07/05/1947

Canyon Passage

Canyon Passage

Character:Caroline Marsh

Release Date:17/07/1946

The Wicked Lady

The Wicked Lady

Character:Caroline

Release Date:15/11/1945

Johnny Frenchman

Johnny Frenchman

Character:Sue Pomeroy

Release Date:29/10/1945

Madonna of the Seven Moons

Madonna of the Seven Moons

Character:Angela Labardi

Release Date:22/01/1945

Love Story

Love Story

Character:Judy

Release Date:20/11/1944

Two Thousand Women

Two Thousand Women

Character:Rosemary Brown

Release Date:06/11/1944

Millions Like Us

Millions Like Us

Character:Celia Crowson

Release Date:01/06/1943

We'll Meet Again

We'll Meet Again

Character:Ruth Cole

Release Date:18/01/1943

Let the People Sing

Let the People Sing

Character:Hope Ollerton

Release Date:11/08/1942

Suspected Person

Suspected Person

Character:Joan Raynor

Release Date:01/06/1942

My Wife's Family

My Wife's Family

Character:Peggy Gay

Release Date:22/07/1941

The Farmer's Wife

The Farmer's Wife

Character:Sibley

Release Date:20/04/1941

It Happened to One Man

It Happened to One Man

Character:Betty Quair

Release Date:12/10/1940

Three Silent Men

Three Silent Men

Character:Pat Quentin

Release Date:07/09/1940

Dr. O'Dowd

Dr. O'Dowd

Character:Rosemary

Release Date:22/06/1940

A Window in London

A Window in London

Character:Pat Thompson

Release Date:15/06/1940

Pack Up Your Troubles

Pack Up Your Troubles

Character:Sally Brown

Release Date:01/02/1940

Bits of Our Aircraft are Missing

Bits of Our Aircraft are Missing

Character:(uncredited)

Release Date:01/01/1940

The Missing People

The Missing People

Character:Doris Bevan

Release Date:01/05/1939

The Mind of Mr. Reeder

The Mind of Mr. Reeder

Character:Doris Bevan

Release Date:04/03/1939

The Gaunt Stranger

The Gaunt Stranger

Character:Mary Lenley

Release Date:27/10/1938

The Rebel Son

The Rebel Son

Character:Marina

Release Date:02/02/1938

The Divorce of Lady X

The Divorce of Lady X

Character:Minor Role (uncredited)

Release Date:15/01/1938

Television Appearances

Images

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