# James Patterson (actor)

James Patterson (June 29, 1932 – August 19, 1972) was an American actor who won a Tony Award for his role in the 1968 Harold Pinter play The Birthday Party.
He appeared in Lilith (1964), and he had numerous guest appearances on television through the early 1970s, including in Silent Night, Bloody Night, a cult classic horror film .

## Early life and education

Patterson was born in Derry, Pennsylvania, For a time, he was a painter and later studied acting at the Carnegie Institute of Technology with Hebert Berghof. He met his future wife, actress, Rochelle Oliver on the set of the off-Broadway production of The Brothers Karamazov. He was also a cast member. In 1960, they were living together in their small apartment on the Upper East Side.

## Career

Patterson was both a stage and screen actor. For his stage work, he won both Tony and Obie awards. His career started on a Pittsburgh radio show with "Starlets on Parade" as a boy soprano.
In 1968, Patterson played the part of Dave Barca in Hawaii Five-O, episode "The Ways of Love".
In 1972, Patterson was in the horror slasher film Silent Night, Bloody Night that starred Patrick O’Neal, playing Jeffrey Butler, a man trying to sell a house with a terrible history that belonged to his grandfather Wilford Butler.

## Death

Patterson died of cancer at age 40 in 1972 in New York City. He was survived by his wife Rochelle and son John.

## Filmography

Films :
| Title | Year | Role | Director | Notes |
| Lilith | 1964 | Dr. Lavrier | Robert Rossen | |
| In the Heat of the Night | 1967 | Lloyd Purdy | Norman Jewison | |
| Castle Keep | 1969 | Elk | Sydney Pollack | |
| A Fable | 1971 | The Husband | Al Freeman Jr. | |
| Silent Night, Bloody Night | 1972 | Jeffrey Butler | Theodore Gershuny | (final film role) |
Television shows :
| Title | Episode | Role | Director | Air date |
| Deadline | "The Case of the Stranger" | Stagg | | 5 November 1959 |
| Buick-Electra Playhouse | "The Fifth Column" | | John Frankenheimer | 29 January 1960 |
| The Witness | "Bugsy Siegel " | | Ralph Nelson | 27 October 1960 |
| The DuPont Show of the Month | "I, Don Quixote" | Anselmo | Karl Genus | 9 November 1959 |
| The DuPont Show of the Month | "The Lincoln Murder Case" | | Alex Segal | 18 February 1961 |
| Play of the Week | "The Master Builder " | Ragnar Brovik | John Stix | 21 March 1960 |
| Play of the Week | "A Cool Wind Over the Living" | Lexy | Joseph LeSueur | 27 March 1961 |
| Way Out | "Dissolve to Black" | Nighttime Harry | William Corrigan | 2 June 1961 |
| Look Up and Live | "The Flies" | Oreste | Joseph K. Chomyn | 27 August 1961 |
| Route 66 | "A Bridge Across Five Days" | Paul Guin | Richard Donner | 17 November 1961 |
| Naked City | "Strike a Statue " | Carver | John Newland | 16 May 1962 |
| The Defenders | "The Unwanted " | Barney LeMay | Alex March | 13 October 1962 |
| Alcoa Premiere | "The Contenders" | Barnaby Evans | David Lowell Rich | 6 December 1962 |
| Stoney Burke | "Joby" | Mark Wheeler | John Erman | 18 March 1963 |
| Naked City | "Stop the Parade! A Baby Is Crying! " | Phil North | William A. Graham | 20 April 1963 |
| The Defenders | "Loophole " | Don Franks | Charles S. Dubin | 16 November 1963 |
| East Side/West Side | "Don't Grow Old " | Fred Cameron | Herschel Daugherty | 17 February 1964 |
| The Defenders | "Survival" | Minister | Tom Gries | 14 March 1964 |
| Brenner | "Point of Law" | Bert | Herman Hoffman | 14 June 1964 |
| Slattery's People | "Question: Did He Who Made the Lamb Make Thee?" | Adam Marsten | Richard C. Sarafian | 5 March 1965 |
| The Big Valley | "The Young Marauders " | Jamie Drumm | Paul Wendkos | 6 October 1965 |
| The Felony Squad | "The Immaculate Killer" | Peter Holland | Seymour Robbie | 24 October 1966 |
| Flipper | "A Dolphin in Time " | Scott Emson | Edward Haldeman | 25 February 1967 |
| Hawaii Five-O | "The Ways of Love " | Dave Barca | Charles Dubin | 21 November 1968 |
| Bonanza | "A World Full of Cannibals" | Charles Ball | Gunnar Hellström | 22 December 1968 |
| Mission: Impossible | "The System" | Johnny Costa | Robert Gist | 26 January 1969 |
| Mission: Impossible | "The Double Circle" | Barry Crane | Victor Laszlo | 7 December 1969 |