Patricia Roc

Acting

Patricia Roc

Born 1915-06-07 · Hampstead, London, England, UK

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945) and The Wicked Lady (1945), though she only made one film in Hollywood, Canyon Passage (1946). She also appeared in Millions Like Us (1943), Jassy (1945), The Brothers (1947) and When the Bough Breaks (1947). She was employed by the studio of J. Arthur Rank, who called her "the archetypal British beauty" She achieved her greatest level of popularity in British films during the Second World War in escapist melodramas for Gainsborough Studios. Roc began as a stage actress, debuting in the 1938 London production of Nuts in May, in which she was seen by Alexander Korda who gave her an uncredited bit in The Divorce of Lady X (1938) and her in a leading role as a Polish princess in The Rebel Son. She had roles in The Gaunt Stranger (1939), The Mind of Mr. Reeder (1939), and The Missing People (1940). She had a bigger part in A Window in London (1940), the comedy Pack Up Your Troubles (1940), Dr. O'Dowd (1940), Three Silent Men (1940), It Happened to One Man (1940), and The Farmer's Wife (1941). Her parts grew bigger: My Wife's Family (1941), Suspected Person (1942), Let the People Sing (1942), and We'll Meet Again (1943) with Vera Lynn. Roc was top billed in Millions Like Us (1943) from Gainsborough Studios. It was a success and Gainsborough gave her another lead, as a nun interned by the Germans in Two Thousand Women (1944). She appeared alongside two of Gainsborough's biggest stars, Margaret Lockwood and Stewart Granger in Love Story (1944), a big hit. Roc played the jealous rival of Margaret Lockwood. She later commented that although they were required to slap each other's faces, she and Lockwood were always the best of friends. Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), with Granger and Phyllis Calvert, was another success. Neither of them, however, did as well as The Wicked Lady (1945), where Roc played Lockwood's best friend. It was the most successful movie at the British box office in 1946. Roc's more overt sexuality in such films as The Wicked Lady was downplayed for the American market; her décolletage led US censors to call for retakes to de-emphasise it) and "the Goddess of Odeons", whilst Noël Coward said she was "a phenomenon" and "an unspoiled film star who can act". She was also in Johnny Frenchman (1945). Co starring in that film was Ralph Michael who soon after divorced his wife Fay Compton; Roc was named in proceedings. Her brief move to Hollywood to film Canyon Passage (1946) was a lend lease agreement between Rank Pictures and Universal Studios of British in return for American film actors. During filming, Roc was romantically linked with Ronald Reagan, while her US co-star Susan Hayward stated "that Limey glamour girl is a helluva dame." Roc returned to Britain to make The Brothers (1947), a melodrama that was a commercial disappointment. She was in an expensive British-US co production So Well Remembered (1947) which was a hit in Britain but failed to recoup its cost. Jassy(1947), a melodrama with Lockwood, was a big hit. When the Bough Breaks (1947), another melodrama, performed reasonably well.

Acting credits

Return to Life poster
6.4

In France in 1946, the difficult return to civilian life of five deportees and prisoners of war after having lived through the hell of the Second World War.

Return to Life

1949

Canyon Passage poster
6.7

In 1850s Oregon, a businessman is torn between his love of two very different women and his loyalty to a compulsive gambler friend who goes over the line.

Canyon Passage

1946

The Divorce of Lady X poster
5.9

A London barrister believes the woman who spent the night in his hotel suite is the erring wife of his newest client.

The Divorce of Lady X

1938

Millions Like Us poster
5.6

When Celia Crowson is called up for war service, she hopes for a glamorous job in one of the services, but as a single girl, she is directed into a factory making aircraft parts. Here she meets other girls from all different walks of life and begins a relationship with a young airman.

Millions Like Us

1943

The Man on the Eiffel Tower poster
5.2

A down-and-out student is hired to kill a wealthy woman. When someone else is suspected of the crime, the student taunts police until they realize that they may have to wrong man.

The Man on the Eiffel Tower

1949

Circle of Danger poster
6.5

An American comes to Britain to investigate the murky circumstances of his brother's death that occurred during a WW2 commando raid.

Circle of Danger

1951

The Wicked Lady poster
6.3

A married woman finds new thrills as a masked robber on the highways.

The Wicked Lady

1945

No artwork available
8.0

A notorious swindler who returns from abroad and decides to reform his life for the sake of his estranged family.

It Happened to One Man

1940

Madonna of the Seven Moons poster
6.3

In the early part of this century, Maddelena a teenage Italian girl, is attacked whilst walking in the woods. The attack leaves her mentally scarred and our story flashes forward to the 1940s where Maddelena is still troubled. She disappears one day and her daughter vows to find her.

Madonna of the Seven Moons

1945

Black Jack poster
6.0

A man who lost everything in the war now smuggles contraband into and out of Spain, but the law's closing in.

Black Jack

1950

Two Thousand Women poster
6.9

During the Second World War, three downed English airmen hide out with women's internment camp in France.

Two Thousand Women

1944

Holiday Camp poster
6.8

The Huggett family go to a holiday camp, and get involved in crooked card players, a murderer on the run, and a pregnant young girl and her boyfriend missing from home.

Holiday Camp

1947

Love Story poster
6.5

After discovering that she has only a short time left to live, concert pianist Lissa travels to Cornwall for the final fling of her life. While there, she falls in love with young mineral prospector Kit, a man whose dark secret prevents him from fighting in the War. Unbeknownst to Lissa, however, Kit's affections are also much in demand from a rival of hers.

Love Story

1944

Cartouche poster
5.8

The son of an ailing nobleman returns to France to clear his name and prove where the true guilt lies.

Cartouche

1955

No artwork available
6.8

The bewildered wife of a bigamist allows her child to be adopted and then regrets it.

When The Bough Breaks

1947

No artwork available
9.0

Garage owner Tommy and ventriloquist friend Eric join the army and go to France, where they are captured by the Nazis. However, Eric's voice-throwing skills come in handy in engineering their escape and obtaining top secret information.

Pack Up Your Troubles

1940

The Perfect Woman poster
6.4

In need of cash, Roger Cavendish and his valet take a job escorting the perfect woman for a night on the town. She is in fact the robotic creation of Professor Belman, but it turns out rather to be the Professor's niece Penelope doing a pretty good imitation of the perfect Olga who winds up with them in the bridal suite at the Hotel Splendide.

The Perfect Woman

1949

The Gaunt Stranger poster
7.3

A lawyer receives a note telling him that he'll be dead in 48 hours - and Scotland Yard must work fast to uncover the serial killer known as 'The Ringer'.

The Gaunt Stranger

1938

The Brothers poster
5.4

An orphan wreaks havoc on a remote Scottish island when she causes an age-old feud to be reignited.

The Brothers

1947

So Well Remembered poster
5.2

A mill-owner's ambitious daughter almost ruins her husband's political career.

So Well Remembered

1947

Jassy poster
5.2

In 19th century England, Jassy is a young Gypsy girl blessed with the gift of second sight. Pursued by superstitious villagers, she is rescued by the son of the owner of Mordelaine, a vast stately home. Unfortunately, his father's drinking and gambling threaten the very ownership of the house. Despite her humble origins as a servant girl, Jassy must try to use her talents to climb the social ladder and save Mordelaine for the man whom she loves.

Jassy

1947

Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons poster
6.4

A murderer enriches his finances by marrying and then killing off a series of wealthy women.

Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons

1960

Johnny Frenchman poster
6.8

The fisherman from a Cornish village have a friendly rivalry with the fishermen (and one formidable woman) from a French port. Then war comes and they must all rethink their petty differences.

Johnny Frenchman

1945

A Window in London poster
6.2

A man witnesses a murder that isn't a murder, only to get involved with the magician and his wife who created the illusion. The insanely jealous magician husband eventually kills his wife, making for complications in life of unhappily married man who is now involved more than he ever thought he would be.

A Window in London

1940