Patricia Quinn

This article is about the Northern Irish actress. For the American actress, see Pat Quinn (actress).
Patricia Quinn
Lady Stephens
Born (1944-05-28) 28 May 1944
Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Nationality British
Occupation Actress and singer
Years active 1971–2013 (Film)
1969–1992 (TV)
Known for The Rocky Horror Show (play)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (film)
Spouse(s) Don Hawkins (m. 1963; div. 1975)
Robert Stephens (m. 1995; d. 1995)
Children 1 son
Family Jonny and Bradley Quinn (nephews)
Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens (stepsons)
Website patriciaquinn.co.uk

Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born 28 May 1944) is a Northern Irish actress and singer best known for her role as Magenta in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and the original stage play from which it was adapted.

Personal life

Quinn was born in Belfast to Rebecca and James Connolly Quinn, a bookmaker.[1] She attended the Princess Gardens Grammar School, where she developed an early talent for acting. Following stints at Belfast’s Arts Theatre and British Drama League, she left for London aged 17. In 1969 she trained at the Drama Centre London while simultaneously working as a blackjack-dealing Bunny at Mayfair’s Playboy Club. In 1971 she was in repertory for six months with the Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre.

She has a son, Quinn Hawkins, from her first marriage to Don Hawkins. Her nephews, Jonny Quinn and Bradley Quinn, are members of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.[2]

In January 1995, Quinn married the actor Robert Stephens, who died in November that year. Quinn thus became the stepmother of Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, Stephens' two actor sons from his previous marriage to Maggie Smith. Quinn had previously appeared alongside Stephens in the BBC TV adaptation of The Box of Delights (1984) in the role of Sylvia Daisy Pouncer, and had played his on-screen wife in the serial Fortunes of War (1987). Stephens had been knighted prior to his death, giving Quinn the title of Lady Stephens.

Acting career

Quinn is known primarily for her role as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). In the film's opening title sequence, the movements of her disembodied lips are synchronised with the lyrics of the title song, "Science Fiction/Double Feature" (the singing voice is that of scriptwriter and actor Richard O'Brien).

She also played Elizabeth Siddal in the 1975 mini series The Love School. In I, Claudius (1976), she took the role of the Emperor Claudius' sister Livilla. Other film and TV roles included the semi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment.. She played "Woman" in Hawk the Slayer. (1980). She appeared in the Hammer House of Horrors episode "Witching Time" as Lucinda Jessop (1981), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), and the 1987 Doctor Who serial Dragonfire. Her latest film credit is Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem (2012).

Recent work

In 2000, Quinn recorded the song "Guts To Dream" with London-based band The Grand. The song was due to form part of an EP titled Open Displays of Affection, but the group had disbanded before it was released. Quinn gave a copy of the unreleased CD to the winner of a Magenta costume contest at the Rocky Horror Picture Show 25th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas.

In 2002, she returned to Doctor Who, playing an alien queen in the audio play Bang-Bang-a-Boom!. In September 2006, she re-launched her career as a DJ and club kitten, hosting the monthly "Club Myra" night at various venues in Central London. In April 2007, she joined Patrick Wolf at a concert in London, singing "Accident and Emergency".

In October 2008, Quinn made a guest appearance in a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in New York City, participating in a question-and-answer session as well as unexpectedly performing "Science Fiction/Double Feature". She attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey in July 2011, answering questions as well as introducing a performance of the show, staged at the House of Blues.

In May 2013, she served as the honorary Master of Ceremonies for a Rocky Horror Picture Show performance hosted by Dallas shadowcasting troupe Amber Does Dallas while attending the Texas Frightmare Weekend horror convention.[3] That same month, she was the guest of honor at a "40th Anniversary Tribute Concert" to the original Rocky Horror Show stage production, hosted at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, California by local drag celebrity Peaches Christ. During the tribute conference, Quinn performed "Science Fiction/Double Feature", answered questions on stage with Christ, and signed autographs for the audience.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1971 Up the Chastity Belt Wife
1972 Up the Front Magda
1972 Rentadick Chauffeuse
1972 The Alf Garnett Saga Jim's girlfriend
1974 Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall Second girl at dance
1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Magenta
1976 Sebastiane Emperor's guest Uncredited
1977 A Christmas Carol Ghost of Christmas Past Television film
1978 Clouds of Glory: William and Dorothy Annette Vallo Television film
1980 The Outsider Siobhan
1981 Hawk the Slayer Woman, Sorceress
1981 Shock Treatment Dr. Nation McKinley
1983 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Mrs. Williams
1995 England, My England Elizabeth Purcell
2010 Your Number's Up N/A Short film
2010 Tamara Drewe Posh hippy
2011 Mary Horror Madam Ruth
2012 The Lords of Salem Megan
2013 Yurei No Henka Godmother Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1969 Parkin's Patch Sylvia Episode: "Dead or Alive?"
1972 Van der Valk Yvonne Episode: "Destroying Angel"
1972 Villains Dorothy Episode: "Grass"
1972 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Cynthia Episode: "Ted"
1972 The Fenn Street Gang Rona Episode: "The Left Hand Path"
1973 Armchair Theatre Maggie Episode: "That Sinking Feeling"
1974 Shoulder to Shoulder Christabel Pankhurst 6 episodes
1975 The Love School Lizzie Siddall 3 episodes
1976 I, Claudius Livilla 4 episodes
1977 Leap in the Dark Rosalind Toynbee Episode: "Parlour Games"
1978 The Professionals Isla Episode: "Look After Annie"
1978 ITV Sunday Night Drama Annette Vallo Episode: "Clouds of Glory: William and Dorothy"
1980 Tales of the Unexpected Phyl Tinker Episode: "The Stinker"
1980 Fox Liz 2 episodes
1980 Hammer House of Horror Lucinda Jessop Episode: "Witching Time"
1982 Minder Monica Episode: "Rembrandt Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
1983 Good Behaviour Rose 2 episodes
1984 The Box of Delights Sylvia Daisy Pouncer 4 episodes
1986 Lost Empires Doris Tingley 2 episodes
1987 Fortunes of War Mona Castlebar 2 episodes
1987 Doctor Who Belazs 2 episodes
1988 Bergerac Dolly Hayward Episode: "Crossed Swords"
1991 The Bill Susan White Episode: "Downtime"
1992 Screenplay Margot Episode: "The Countess Alice"

References

  1. ↑ "Biography - Patricia Quinn". patriciaquinn.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "News—August 7, 2006". patriciaquinn.co.uk. 7 August 2006. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  3. ↑ Video on YouTube
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