20 Facts About Patty McCormack

Patricia McCormack was born on Patricia Ellen Russo; August 21,1945 and is an American actress with a career in theater, films, and television.

Patty McCormack is perhaps best known for her performance as Rhoda Penmark in Maxwell Anderson's 1956 psychological drama The Bad Seed.

Patty McCormack received critical acclaim for the role on Broadway and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mervyn LeRoy's film adaptation.

Patty McCormack was born in New York City on August 21,1945, as Patricia Ellen Russo.

Patty McCormack's parents divorced when she was young, and she took on her maternal grandmother's surname.

Patty McCormack's father, Frank Russo, was a fireman and a friend of Walter Matthau; as a favor to Frank, Matthau secured McCormack a deal with his agent, Leonard Hirshan, when she was a teenager.

Patty McCormack made her motion-picture debut in Two Gals and a Guy and appeared as Ingeborg in the television series Mama with Peggy Wood from 1953 to 1956.

Patty McCormack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film version.

Patty McCormack portrayed Helen Keller in the original 1957 Playhouse 90 production of William Gibson's The Miracle Worker opposite Teresa Wright.

Patty McCormack had the role of a pampered child star in the 1958 comedy Kathy O' and recorded the title song for Dot Records.

Patty McCormack briefly starred in her own series, Peck's Bad Girl, with Marsha Hunt and Wendell Corey in 1959, and had a leading role in MGM's remake of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Eddie Hodges.

Patty McCormack guest-starred on The Streets of San Francisco, season two, episode "Blockade".

Patty McCormack resumed her cinema career with Bug in 1975.

Patty McCormack held several recurring roles in popular television series, including Dallas; Murder, She Wrote; and The Sopranos.

When Kathryn Hays left the CBS soap opera As the World Turns for an extended period, Patty McCormack took Hays' role until she returned.

Patty McCormack starred as a psychotic mother in the cult thriller Mommy and its 1997 sequel Mommy 2: Mommy's Day.

In September 2018, Patty McCormack portrayed Dr March, the child psychiatrist consulted in the 2018 television remake of The Bad Seed.

Patty McCormack starred in Dan Lauria's play Just Another Day in 2023 at Ellenville, New York, in 2024 at an off-Broadway venue Theater555, and in 2025 at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Patty McCormack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for The Bad Seed.

Patty McCormack received the star in 1960 aged 15, making her the youngest honoree on the Walk.