Patricia Neal - Perseverance and Strength Personified

Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress Patricia Neal brought her sultry voice and warm spirit to the TCM studios in 1998 to record this interview. She discusses her career highs, personal setbacks, favorite roles and her love of Gary Cooper, as well as her working relationships with Elia Kazan, Andy Griffith, Lee Strasberg and Otto Preminger.
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[@RyanHLee-nc7hg]

I am only 28 years old, and before Patricia Neal died in 2010, I wrote her a letter around 2008, in which I told her how much I admired her and loved her movies. I was 16 then (but always have had an "old soul"). She sent me a beautiful autographed picture, which she inscribed "To Ryan." Most especially, her performance in "A Face in the Crowd" is among my favorites of all time, and it is one of my favorite movies, too.

[@privatedeborah1004]

I can imagine how thrilling this must have been for you, when I was only 13 years old I wrote my very first fan letter to Lillian Gish. It was just one year before her death almost 100 years old and she actually replied! She send me a personal letter on beautiful stationary and enclosed a vintage autographed photograph of hers. She died only 3 months later and I cried my heart out. Another wonderful experience was with Joan Fontaine, she send me for years beautiful greeting cards, she was such a great and gracious human being. It is wonderful when the celebrities you admire turn out to be just as great in real life!

[@ror312gallery19]

good for you ryan, love from italy, robert

[@TrangPakbaby]

@@privatedeborah1004 so great to hear. I adore Joan Fontaine. I used to have a nice correspondence with Sybil Jason. She was such a sweet gracious lady and so cool. I was so hurt when she died

[@jac4chuck663]

Ryan, I did the same! In 1992 I was 16yo, I wrote and received I beautiful response from Ms. Neal. Her letters even included her home address! I was able to meet her as well, which was thrilling; she was such a kind and genuine soul.

[@call2872]

I hope you framed it! She was a brilliant actress.

[@randyking3057]

What a beautiful smile.

[@dancewomyn1]

I adored Patricia Neal...What an actress!

[@meboneme1]

I had forgotten how MARVELOUS this LEGEND'S voice was! I HAVE LOVED/ADMIRED HER FOR YEARS!

[@MTknitter22]

She and Gary Cooper really loved each other, I think, but he did the right thing.

[@white2925]

Well.. She got an abortion. Not a very good deed.

[@fosbury68]

“I’m a friendly woman”. Yes you are Ms Neal.

[@traxiii]

Loved her in "In Harms Way" and many others.

[@marthadwyer2856]

When I hear her-live her past life as she speaks of it, I see nothing but a very kind loving woman who life through her a ton of curb balls but with that inner strength she never truly broke ❤️ her love for Gary Cooper was, I believe extremely deep his feelings for her were the same. RIP PATRICIA, GARY,ROCKY, PATRICIA .👼CHILDREN❤️✝️

[@l.d.d.2062]

She has always been one of my favorite actresses, LOVE her voice. (-:

[@danielbisson8032]

one of the best aactress of 20th c

[@frederickcombs8661]

ACTING ROYALTY

[@friendofdorothy9376]

This was fascinating...I so enjoyed it.

[@karenmccarthy578]

This wonderful lady is my inspiration since my husband's multiple brain infarcts.

[@legrandeanorey3860]

MARAVILLOSA !!

[@windwarattack2300]

She did great in the Movie " A Hasty Heart" with Ronald Reagan

[@hmdoc16]

I would have love to see Patricia Neal played by Kate Mulgrew... she would nail it.

[@cindyb8775]

oooh that would've been perfect!!!!!

[@wotan10950]

Glenda Jackson portrayed her in a tv movie.

[@barb8341]

She reminds me of tallulah Bankhead speaking

[@tombennett3827]

She reminds me of Jayne Mansfield speaking. 😉

[@scotnick59]

YES

[@roberthenleynola]

@@tombennett3827 I don't think I've EVER heard anyone sound less like Jayne Mansfield.

[@SuperEmmitt1]

This interviewer is the worst! Maybe someone told her to just read the questions with disinterest.

[@RobertJohnson-ci5wx]

An Intelligent and Very Classy Lady!!---in her Prime she was So Beautiful!---and was an Excellent Actor!!

[@privatedeborah1004]

And very sexy!

[@tanithjackson8686]

Too bad she married Roald Dahl. He was awful. I think she said in an interview that if she had it to do over again "I wouldn't have married the bastard."

[@avocate2017]

Patricia Neal was a great storyteller. I love how she lights up whenever she's talking about Gary Cooper. You can tell that she remembers meeting him for the first time like it was yesterday.

[@slc2466]

A few months before she passed I met Ms. Neal at the Egyptian Theater, wherein she was signing autographs and did an interview before a showing of "A Face in the Crowd." Her still-incredible voice and wonderful down-to-earth sensibility left me tongue-tied and star-struck as she signed a couple books and engaged in a brief conversation with me. She was exactly as I'd hoped she'd be- what a terrific talent and lady!

[@Whippets]

Criminally underrated as an actress, perhaps less so as a person. A subdued beauty that personifies drive, determination and perseverance ... always classy.

[@tonybennett4159]

At least she got an Oscar for her wonderful performance in Hud.

[@Whippets]

@@tonybennett4159 How could she not?! lol

[@wotan10950]

I love watching her and listening to her. Can you imagine having the tragic life she had, and still have such a positive attitude?

[@MTknitter22]

Barbara Stanwyck a classy lady too, Pat’s recollections of her graciousness is not surprising

[@divox9pqr]

She was charming...devine really

[@wotan10950]

Patricia did another TCM interview during this era with Robert Osborne. It’s a completely different experience. He was knowledgeable, effusive, sympathetic; and she responded well. That was one of the best interviews I’ve seen.

[@JESUSISLORDforevermore888]

Wow, what an actress.

[@jimanderson5883]

I live in Knoxville and am distantly related to Patricia Neal. I met her in the 70s at a family reunion, and she was the most gracious, down-to-earth person you could ever meet. She did not want to discuss her career or Hollywood but rather recalled stories of growing up and our relatives. I was only 8 or 9 then and did not realise who she truly was, and I was not impressed. At that time, Lee Majors, AKA the six million dollar man, was supreme Hollywood royalty. What a talent she had and what a loss.

[@kathleenhorn2441]

Such a talent. That voice.

[@muse7746]

📽⚘Patricia Neal is gracious, jovial, and forth coming about her Hollywood career. The interviewer is cold, borderline rude, seems disinterested, and fails as an interviewer. 😐

[@HolgerRuneFan]

I can't blame Pat Neal for worshipping Gary Cooper. What woman wouldn't? He was incomparably gorgeous and she was lucky to have loved him and be loved back.

[@donnareed1015]

They don't make them like anymore!!! Great Actress❤

[@yodhin79]

I know her from Hud and it was an incredible performance.

[@reneehurt387]

Rest in peace and birthday greetings to Patricia Neal 1 20. My favorite performances of yours are Marcia the one who built up lonesome Rhodes in a face in the crowd a must see before your birth month ends and as the first Mrs. Walton in the homecoming. Thanks you make your characters fit you well

[@rdo1231]

excellent interview - so well done!

[@yosoykarito]

I like how she respects Gary Cooper and is not afraid of telling that he was the love of her life. Such a free woman!

[@triciajohansen3027]

Yes, unfortunately, the timing was off. He was married with a daughter. I believe Gary was the love of her life and I believe he loved her, but he was married and he had a daughter. I was glad that Patricia, Veronica (Gary's wife), and Msria (Gary's daughter) were able to make peace with each other. To err is human, to forgive divine. They were classy women! RIP Gary, Patricia, and Veronica.

[@triciajohansen3027]

Sorry, Maria, damn spellcheck!!!

[@yosoykarito]

@@triciajohansen3027 I totally agree with you, they were classy women. So sad for them to love the same man. Maria is a wonderful woman and just like you, I am glad they made peace and forgave. Even Maria said that they thought it was Gary's plan to make them reunite after his death, the women he loved the most.

[@triciajohansen3027]

@@yosoykarito thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts.

[@yosoykarito]

@@triciajohansen3027 No at all, thank you for commenting. It was lovely to exchange opinions.

[@sgabig]

Ms Neal said she initially wanted an American vs Glenda Jackson to portray her in her biopic but ultimately she was happy with the performance

[@lpjewkes]

BREAKING POINT is a masterpiece!

[@MargaretLaFleur-j5j]

I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia on Martha’s Vineyard . What a class act. Love her “whiskey and cigarettes “ voice.

[@Dana_inc]

Never heard of her before , they talked about Marilyn Monroe so much, one would think she was the only female in Hollywood.

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

😮

[@donnacobb4027]

I loved loved loved Alma

[@peterhoulis1184]

The DAY the earth stood still with Michael Rennie

[@susanb2015]

TCM was so good back then and New York didn't have it.

[@drewknight7126]

its a cinema life Right before Neal passed away I was at a restaurant called Urth Cafe on Melrose in Los Angeles. I was attending school at UCLA. I was standing in front of her and her companion waiting to be seated. They called my table and I said to Ms. Neal to please take our seats. She was surprised I knew who she was. She thanked me and sat down. We ended up picking up her check. Now here’s what’s interesting. Urth cafe is filled with wannabee actors even some known ones, it was a trendy hangout. Nobody gave her a second glance not even with her most recognisable voice! An Academy Award winning actress who was married to writer Roald Dahl. It was embarrassing these peons hadn’t recognised her!! She was so gracious and kind and appreciative. I still can’t get over people not knowing who this brilliant actor was!! Considering they all hung out there like they were hot s***! But they didn’t know who one of our great actors were! 🎭

[@privatedeborah1004]

Just look at the Oscars, I always hated the " In Memoriam Segment" because it really shows how little the so called celebrities of today know and acknowledge their famous predecessors. They just look bored and the applause is almost always sparse for actors of the vintage era.

[@avocate2017]

What a great story.

[@brianoyler706]

Hollywood and California has always been the here and now. Much of the history of Hollywood seems to be unbeknownst to today's contemporary actors. If more of these contemporary actors knew more of its history, I think they would be trying to emulate more of the old stars. Definitely a different caliber of people!!

[@mthivier]

Interesting, her story about Barbara Stanwyck. Ms. Neal supposedly had a similar circumstance involving her 1971 role as Mrs. Walton in "The Homecoming", where she was said to have been resentful that she was not offered to continue in the role when it became a series (despite whether she would have actually accepted it, she was upset that she wasn't even asked). But when she met Michael Learned (who ultimately played Mrs. Walton in the series), she was extremely gracious, and the two became friends, and she never resented her, or held against her that she might have wanted the role. According to Ms. Learned, she'd always just assumed that Patricia had been offered the series and turned it down, and only learned several years into their friendship that she'd never even been asked, and so apparently Ms. Neal had never even mentioned it to her, for fear of making Learned feel uncomfortable or awkward.

[@briandiaz2234]

(whispering in your ear) I absolutely adore you. ❤️💙❤️💚

[@tobingallawa3322]

She always reminds me of my mother

[@billhosko7723]

The Original, Mrs. Walton. I was captivated by her performance as a boy age 9. Thank you for posting this. Cheers

[@j1st633]

George P always seemed to me as an actor with a high ego. Even with the TV show A Team. Talented attractive but a PIA.

[@cliffgaither]

Patricia Neal was a very charismatic actor. No matter who was in the scene, her presence and voice dominated. She was even more charismatic after the stroke.

[@call2872]

Her life has more ups and downs than a roller coaster. A phenomenal woman. Her real life self is as strong as Alma, her character in Hud. Just brilliant.

[@barbarahourigan8462]

❤️

[@danielstanwyck2812]

she's great, a stunning actress. . the interviewer, however, is another story. she's done other interviewers. wish they'd stop using her.

[@j1st633]

Why ask her about her characters? I want to know about her.

[@hudsony777]

No one mentions "The Fountainhead." In the comments, that is.

[@chrisnatmills7802]

She was such a great actress, in Hud, she was soooo good.

[@fifthavenuegirl]

she should be asking her how she overcame her stroke

[@MovieJon]

Why is nearly every interviewer a flat, curt, almost rude, sort of person? Thankfully they are never heard in "Word of Mouth" but it would be nice if they could have been a little more enthusiastic and encouraging in their work...! Pat is wonderful. So frank and honest with herself and generous towards others. A real survivor.

[@toyiahm]

I think they've all been direct and kind and far from rude. Funny how women asking questions makes people uncomfortable as if these stars didn't endure the tyranny of moguls.

[@rah62]

Because she's an interviewer, not a squeeing fangirl.

[@Muirmaiden]

@@rah62 She's a terrible interviewer, she's rude in the way she asks questions. No one said you have to be a fan girl or a fan boy to be an interviewer, but you can at least be polite.

[@rah62]

@@Muirmaiden What you see as not being polite, I see as being professional and impersonal - both qualities required in an interviewer, not some fawning groupie.

[@Muirmaiden]

@@rah62 Again, who said anything about fawning? Common courtesy isn't too much to ask.

[@NewPhaseBand2010-rw5jo]

She made me cry in Heidi

[@windwarattack2300]

Such a great Great Actress she was

[@godivaley]

I remember when I was little watching Little House on Prairie and she was on the "Remember Me" episode where she was a widowed mother. My God as a young child I was in awe of her voice...mesmerized by it. Just saw the same episode not too long ago and cried my eyes out. What I great actress!! Her voice calms me.

[@j1st633]

Why did she leave Hollywood after only 5 years?

[@rachelwalsh6116]

She had three strokes and they left her unable to walk and talk

[@HC-cb4yp]

I had no idea she had recovered so thoroughly from her stroke. That's wonderful.

[@cadilacdesert]

HUD

[@gregthebaritone]

Patricia Neal and Shohreh Aghdashloo have very similar speaking voices.

[@hudsony777]

Who

[@disgruntledpedant2755]

Mrs roald dahl

[@babypinkrose73]

Was this before her stroke ?

[@cindyb8775]

no she had her stroke in the late sixties when she was quite pregnant with her last daughter.

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

And an adultress, don't forget. She had a long-term affair with Gary Cooper (as who didn't), and he had no intention of divorcing his wife to marry her.

[@triciajohansen3027]

Both were at fault, but Veronica and Maria Cooper both forgave her.

[@hudsony777]

@@triciajohansen3027 Who are we to judge?

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

He absolutely DID intent to marry her, but his wife was Catholic and refused to give Gary a divorce.

[@rolandcassar75]

Am I mistaken or is she drunk ?

[@puppetoz]

I got the same impression :)

[@jmj5388]

More likely late effect of the devastating stroke she had in the 1960’s. Notice she had difficulty recalling names. Besides, she had a Kentucky/Tennessee drawl.

[@steveprice2718]

Yes, you are certainly mistaken.

[@wotan10950]

After her stroke(s), she had to spend months and months to regain her speaking voice. And depending on the severity (her stroke was very severe), the patient never fully regains speech, movement, memory. No, she was not drunk.

[@rolandcassar75]

@@wotan10950 How disappointing.