Patricia Englund Lefferts

1925 - 2018

February 16, 1925 - January 6, 2018 Patsy died peacefully on January 6 in Santa Monica, California. She was 92 and still possessed of the vital spirit that meant so much to those who loved her. In her long career as an actress, Patsy performed on Broadway, in films, and on television. A highlight for her came in 1962 on Broadway when she played the role of April Monkhood in S.J. Perelman's comedy "The Beauty Part," starring Bert Lahr. No work of literature gave Patsy more pleasure, or more laughs, than Perelman's play. It was a happy touchstone for her ever after. Patsy was born Patricia Julia Ripley in Philadelphia in 1925 to actress Mabel Albertson and Harold Austin Ripley, who divorced when Patsy was young. Patsy and her brother, George, were adopted by their stepfather, Ken Englund, a screenwriter, whom Mabel married in 1937. After attending UCLA, Patsy made her Broadway debut in 1946 when she went on as the understudy to the ingénue in George Kelly's "The Fatal Weakness," starring Ina Claire. In 1948 she joined the cast of "Oklahoma" on Broadway in the role of Ado Annie, and appeared again in the role at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. Back in New York, she played Audrey in a Broadway production of "As You Like It," starring Katherine Hepburn. In that show she met her future sister-in-law, Cloris Leachman. Her final Broadway role was in "Angel," a 1978 musical version of Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward, Angel." On television Patsy appeared in commercials, soap operas, and episodes of "The Naked City," "Omnibus," and other series, and she was a regular on NBC's "That Was the Week That Was" in the mid-1960s. In films she had roles in "Stage Struck" (1958) and "The Day of the Dolphin" (1973). Patsy was married in 1955 to D. Barney Lefferts, an editor on The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and later a freelance journalist. He died in 1976. Patsy lived in Westport, Connecticut, for nearly 50 years before moving to Santa Monica in 2013. In 1979 she premiered her one-woman show, "Songs I Learned at My Mother's Knee and Other Low Joints," at the White Barn Theatre in Westport. Many of her songs and routines were indeed inspired by her mother, and by her uncle, Tony- and Oscar-winning actor Jack Albertson. Patsy was witty, funny, and wise. She was fervently curious and brought great zest to conversation. In particular she was fascinated by the American experiment. She was moved and made hopeful by the stories of immigrants. Patsy was alert to the wonders of the world, and she helped others be too. Survivors include her son, Nicholas Lefferts, daughter-in-law Annie Hansen, and two grandsons, of Denver; her stepson, Tom Lefferts, and his wife Melinda; and her stepbrother, Steven Englund. Donations in memory of Patsy may be made to the Fresh Air Fund, www.freshair.org.