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Patricia Hitchcock death: Strangers on a Train actor and daughter of Alfred Hitchcock dies at 93

‘She was so memorable and spunky in Strangers on a Train and did such a good job maintaining her father’s legacy,’ a fan wrote

Peony Hirwani
Wednesday 11 August 2021 01:57 EDT
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File image: Patricia Hitchcock speaks to fans of Alfred Hitchcock during a DVD signing at Rocket Video in 2005
File image: Patricia Hitchcock speaks to fans of Alfred Hitchcock during a DVD signing at Rocket Video in 2005 (Getty Images)

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Patricia Hitchcock, the daughter of director Alfred Hitchcock and actor best known for her role in the 1951 film Strangers on a Train, has died at the age of 93.

The England-born American actor, who was commonly known as Pat, died on Monday in Thousand Oaks, California, according to her daughter Katie O’Connell-Fiala.

Hitchcock appeared in several of her father’s films, including Stage Fright, Psycho, and Sabotage.

Stage Fright was Hitchcock’s first British-made feature film since emigrating to Hollywood. In it, Pat played the role of a jolly acting student named Chubby Bannister, one of Wyman’s school chums.

She also appeared in movies including the 1950s film The Mudlark, the 1956 film The Ten Commandments, and TV series such as Suspense and Suspicion.

And Pat featured in 10 episodes of her father’s half-hour television programme, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

She graduated from the Marymount High School in Los Angeles in 1947, and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in London, going on to appear on the stage in London.

She married Joseph E O’Connell Jr in New York, and they had three daughters named Mary Alma Stone, Teresa Tere Carrubba, and Kathleen Katie Fiala.

Many fans have paid tribute to the actor on Twitter. One person wrote: “Patricia Hitchcock was one of the many reasons that ‘Strangers on a Train’ remains my favorite Hitchcock film. She’s a joy to watch and I hate that we’re losing her link to this rich cinematic legacy. She’ll be greatly missed.”

“So sorry to hear about the passing of Patricia Hitchcock. She was so memorable and spunky in Strangers on a Train and did such a good job maintaining her father’s legacy,” wrote another.

Film director Daniel Raim wrote: “RIP Patricia Hitchcock O’Connell. I was blessed that she agreed to executive produce my first documentary about Robert Boyle, her father‘s longtime production designer. Below is François Truffaut‘s dedication to Patricia for his book ‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’.”

“When I was in high school my friend and I exchanged birthday gifts and we had gotten each other the exact same thing - a signed headshot of Patricia Hitchcock! She was very sweet and wrote us a note saying she’s glad we were enjoying her father’s films,” wrote another fan.

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