Doris Patston
Doris Patston | |
|---|---|
 Doris Patston, from a 1925 publication | |
| Born | 28 May 1904 Islington, England, U.K. |
| Died | 12 June 1957 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, dancer, pianist |
Doris May Patston Sheehan (28 May 1904 – 12 June 1957) was an English actress, dancer, pianist, and singer, active on the London, New York, and Chicago stages from the 1910s into the 1950s.
Early life and education
Patston was born in Islington, the daughter of Edward Henry Patston and Clara Eliza Denton Patston. She studied voice and piano with Landon Ronald at the Guildhall School of Music in London.[1][2]
Career
Patston was a concert pianist and a dancer as a young woman. Later, she was an actress and singer on Broadway,[3] in both musicals and dramas. Her New York debut came in 1925 in Florenz Ziegfeld's comedy Louie the 14th, starring Leon Errol.[4][5] She also appeared in shows at the St. Louis Municipal Opera.[6][7]
Stage credits
- Cherry (1920)[8]
- The Tempest (1921)[9]
- Music Box Revue (1923)[9]
- The Babes in the Wood (1923)[9][10]
- Little Nellie Kelly (1923–1924)[9]
- The Punch Bowl (1924–1925)[9]
- Louie the 14th (1925)[4][11]
- Katja (also known as Katja the Dancer; 1926–1927)[12][13][14]
- Lovely Lady (1927–1928; 1929, Chicago)[11][15]
- The Circus Princess (1930, St. Louis)[2]
- Smiling Faces (1932)
- The Blue Paradise (1932, St. Louis)[16]
- Nina Rosa (1933, St. Louis)[7]
- Bitter Sweet (1933, St. Louis)[17]
- All the King's Horses (1934)
- Frederika (1937)
- A Kiss for Cinderella (1942)
- The New Moon (1942)[18]
- Flare Path (1942)[19]
- Sheppey (1944)[20]
- Sadie Thompson (1944–1945)[18]
- Thérèse (1945)[21]
- The Chocolate Soldier (1946–1947)[18]
- Toplitzky of Notre Dame (1946–1947)[18]
- My Romance (1948–1949)[22]
- Gigi (1951–1952)[23]
- The Starcross Story (1954)[24][25]
- Witness for the Prosecution (1954–1956, Chicago)[26]
Personal life
Patston married actor Jack Sheehan in 1929, while they were both in the cast of Lovely Lady in Chicago.[27] She died in 1957, at the age of 53, in New York City.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Doris Patston, 53, Actress, Is Dead; Broadway Musical Comedy and Dramatic Performer Made U.S. Debut in 1925". 1957-06-13. p. 32. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ a b "Very English, but Ably American, is Doris Patston". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1930-06-08. p. 28. Retrieved 2025-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(still image) Doris Patston (1850 - 2020)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "Theatre: New Plays". TIME. 1925-03-16. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Figuring in New York 'Girl and Music Shows'". The Spur: 43. 15 August 1925.
- ^ "Municipal Opera Names Casts for All Productions". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1939-05-14. p. 50. Retrieved 2025-08-11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Two Muny Opera Stars Just Old Married Folks". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1933-06-30. p. 23. Retrieved 2025-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Whitaker, Joseph (1921). An Almanack...: By Joseph Whitaker, F.S.A., Containing an Account of the Astronomical and Other Phenomena ...information Respecting the Government, Finances, Population, Commerce, and General Statistics of the Various Nation's of the World, with an Index Containing Nearly 20,000 References. Whitaker's Almanack. p. 832.
- ^ a b c d e Wearing, J. P. (2014-03-27). The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. pp. 77, 136, 227, 238, 295. ISBN 978-0-8108-9302-3.
- ^ Cochran, Charles Blake (1926). The Secrets of a Showman. H. Holt. p. 388.
- ^ a b Dietz, Dan (2019-04-10). The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. pp. 250–252, 333, 436–438. ISBN 978-1-5381-1282-3.
- ^ "English Plays Arrive for 'Katja the Dancer'". Billboard. 18 September 1926. p. 25.
- ^ "'Katja the Dancer' has Excellent Music". Billboard. 16 October 1926. p. 29.
- ^ "This Week at the Theatres". Reform Advocate. 73 (7): 212. 19 March 1927.
- ^ Mantle, Burns; Chapman, John; Sherwood, Garrison P. (1928). Burns Mantle Best Plays and the Year Book of the Drama in America. Dodd, Mead. p. 484.
- ^ "Second Eysler Piece Also New to Forest Park". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1932-07-24. p. 33. Retrieved 2025-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Municipal Opera Begins 15th Season Before Record-Breaking Crowd". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1933-06-06. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Dietz, Dan (2015-02-02). The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. pp. 127–128, 117–188, 246–247, 366–368. ISBN 978-1-4422-4528-0.
- ^ "Premiere Tonight for 'Flare Path'; Henry Miller's Theatre to Be the Scene of Production for London Hit". The New York Times. 23 December 1942. p. 22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ Nichols, Lewis (19 April 1944). "Edmund Gwenn in the Leading Role of a Slowish Somerset Maugham Play Called 'Sheppey' Opening at the Playhouse". The New York Times. p. 27.
- ^ Nathan, George J. (1974). The Theatre Book of the Year, 1945-1946. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-8386-1174-6.
- ^ "Out-of-Town Openings". Billboard. 16 October 1948. p. 50.
- ^ Woodward, Ian (2012-05-31). Audrey Hepburn: Fair Lady of the Screen. Random House. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4481-3293-5.
- ^ "The Starcross Story (review)". Billboard. 23 January 1954. p. 11.
- ^ Zolotow, Sam (13 January 1954). "'Starcross Story' Arrives Tonight; English Drama, With Eva Le Gallienne and Mary Astor, at the Royale". The New York Times. p. 27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ Martin, Boyd (1957-06-18). "Doris Patston, Delightful Performer at the Amphitheatre, Dies at 53". The Courier-Journal. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wedding in 'Lovely Lady'; Doris Patston Married to John F. Sheehan by Judge Borelli". 1929-02-22. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
External links
- A cigarette card featuring Doris Patston, from the George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library Digital Collections