The Tragedies and Triumphs of Actress Patricia Neal

By PopEater Staff Posted Aug 9th 2010 06:00PM

Patricia Neal experienced as many tragedies off screen as as she did triumphs on screen.

The Oscar-winning actress, who succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 84 this past Sunday, had a life marked with tragic circumstances immersed with her Hollywood success.

While filming 'The Fountainhead,' the actress began an affair with the married Gary Cooper. Neal became pregnant but Cooper would not leave his wife and daughter for the young starlet, and encouraged her to have an abortion.

Furthermore, the movie itself was a bomb. "You knew, from the very first reel, it was destined to be a monumental bomb ... My status changed immediately. That was the end of my career as a second Garbo," Neal said after watching, The New York Times reports.

It was around this time that she left Hollywood for New York, due to the stress of the end of her romance with Cooper.

She then met and married acclaimed author Roald Dahl in 1953, despite the fact that she did not love him, according to her autobiography.

In 1960, Neal's 4-month-old son with Dahl, named Theo, was hit by a taxi, leaving him brain-damaged. Two years later, their oldest daughter Olivia died of measles at the age of 7.

But her career continued to peak. She appeared in 1961's classic 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' and at the 1964 Academy Awards, Neal earned the trophy for best actress in a leading role for 'Hud.'

Tragedy was never far away, though. The honored actress became pregnant with her youngest child Lucy in 1965, but suffered a series of strokes that left her in a coma for three weeks. Fortunately, she gave birth without complications, but her road to recovery was not easy.

According to the New York Times, surgeons worked on Neal for 14 hours after she collapsed in her Beverly Hills home. Two weeks later, her doctor told Dahl his wife would live. "I'm not sure whether or not I've done her a favor," the surgeon told him at the time.

But Dahl became merciless with her recovery, putting her into physical and speech therapy and continued to be demanding of her on his own. Gradually, she regained her ability to walk and talk.

Then he announced, in 1967, that she would speak at a charity dinner for brain-damaged children, and later Neal recollected in her tome: "I knew at that moment that Roald the slave driver, Roald the bastard, with his relentless scourge, Roald the Rotten, as I had called him more than once, had thrown me back into the deep water. Where I belonged."

Shortly thereafter, she was offered the now-iconic role of Mrs. Robinson in 'The Graduate,' but turned it down, believing it to be too soon after her strokes.

Nevertheless, she would work on the big screen again. 'The Subject Was Roses' became her next feature film, which earned her a second Oscar nomination in 1969.

Of course, her personal life struck again. Her 30-year marriage to Dahl ended in 1983, when she found out about her husbands infidelities with her close friend, Felicity Crosland.

After her divorce, Patricia continued to appear on the big and small screens in lesser roles and worked to open and fund raise for the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center which aids brain-injured adults and children.

"I can't see from one eye. I've been paralyzed. I've fallen down and broken a hip. Stubbornness gets you through the bad times. You don't give in," she said in 1988.

Tags: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, roald dahl

Comments

(87)

Monday 09 August

By uncle buck

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

She was great in "Hud" and "The Fountainhead", but my favorite was the exceptional film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" opposite Michael Renie(sp?). Great artistic talent often leads to a tortured life for some reason.

By sansrascal

she just had that special something about her, kinda like M Streep or Fay Dunaway thing, not so great a beauty but a magnatism thing.

By Charles Carter

I thought Fountainhead was a great movie. It didn't "bomb" because it was a bad movie with poor acting. The Hollywood Liberals hated it because they hated Ayn Rand's philosophy in the Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. After I saw movie, read books and saw why Hollywood panned it. I agreed with Aynn Rand's philosophy. Got into a lot of "debates" with fellow college students about it all. They were too high on that Liberal kool aid to reason with.

By emma

An inspiration for anyone who has had a stroke or a loved one who has had one..Her husband pushed her to get back to as normal as possible..it is hard work..and she was able to work again, which was huge ..but what he gaveth to her he also tooketh away..which is so very sad after all they went through together.
Also very sad about the affair with the married actor which culminated in an abortion she always regretted. But at least she was courageous enough to be open about it and her feelings of regret..most celebs never would.
No matter what, her work stands on it's own as that of an extremely talented, brilliant actress..and her work will be with us on film forever..and most of it before her creepy cheating husband was even in the picture.. May she rest in peace and God Bless her family..

By thogordo

Emma is on the beam. About 3 years ago, I met Ms. Neal at the Jersey City Loews Theatre. She was there to be interviewed on stage, and she discussed many things, including her love for Cooper. She then joined us in the audience to watch a screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still. We gave her a standing ovation at the end. We all went to the lobby and she chatted with us, one-on-one. I told her that everyone said my mother and she were look-alikes. I showed her a picture of Mom to prove it. She had said earlier that she wouldn't sign autographs (the stroke made it almost impossible). But, she was sweet enough to sign my mother's picture. Mom (who was 95 at that time) cherished that autograph until she died a year later. The picture was taken when Mom was about 30. They could have been twins. Patricia was great in Hud with Paul Newman and In Harm's Way, with John "Duke" Wayne. She told me a fortune teller had predicted she would live to be 94. Sometimes a 9 can look like an 8?

By Candiscat

Some life she led with few ups and many downs. At least she did end up living at Martha's Vineyard which would be wonderful. A affair with Gary Cooper- back then how many women wouldnt if they had that chance. She had a great voice and was a grand actress. Hope her life was blessed at the end.

By mw

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Watching a movie right now with her and John Wayne. RIP Patricia. Such tragedy in her life.

Tuesday 10 August

By Dwayne

Vote down Vote up Report this

Now THIS was an ACTRESS! In these times of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Kin Kardashian (SP) it is good to recall there were and are people getting paid to act that can really do so.

By Babs

I hope that her final years were happy ones. God bless her....

By mar

Am i remembering correctly the name of the movie as 'A Face in the Crowd' she starred in with Andy Griffith and Lee Remick? Her character portrayal was poignant and Oscar worthy.

By kathy

Yes-that was the title. Excellent movie!!!! Hard to believe Sheriff Andy could play such a creep! And, Pat Neal was excellent in her role.

By ohiomoon

Klatu nektoo Barata. I'll miss you, cool lady....Give em' hell in outer space.

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

It's part of movie folk lore that Gary Cooper had a foot longer. A 12 inch "thingie", if you get my drift....I'm sure Ms. Neal found it no big feat to handle properly, and with aplomb

By cmilliou

Adieu to a wonderful lady and actress. My own mother loved her very much as I do and try to watch every movie she has ever made.
I have pictures of my mother at about the same age and must say they looked incredibly alike;an air of grace and beauty, not the Hollywood looks of the time but very elegant. My mother died at age 49 and had a very similar life, minus the affairs . My condoleances go out to Ms. Neal's family.
CAM

By colleen

It states that Cooper encouraged Neal to have an abortion but it doesn't say if she went on to give birth to that child or whether or not she raised that child. It mentions other children with Dahl but leaves one wondering if there was a child with Cooper.

By maria

No, she had the abortion & is quoted in People magazine, that it was the only thing in her life she regretted.

Thank you Maria, that really had me wondering.

By Fred

And I said, "In your life, Pat, if there was one thing you could change, what would it be?" And Patricia Neal said, "Father, none of the things you just mentioned." But she said, "Forty years ago I became involved with the actor Gary Cooper, and by him I became pregnant. As he was a married man and I was young in Hollywood and not wanting to ruin my career, we chose to have the baby aborted." She said, "Father, alone in the night for over 40 years, I have cried for my child. And if there is one thing I wish I had the courage to do over in my life, I wish I had the courage to have that baby."

By Barb

WOW, talk about a survior!!!

By Becky

I thought she was a great actress, and looked very much like my grandmother... I feel bad for all her tragedies, but I am just wondering, how a 4 month old child gets hit by a taxi??

Page 2 of 5