Pat Hitchcock–the only child of legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock–passed away this week at her home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. at the age of 93.
Hitchcock–who said she always wanted to be an actress–began her career on Broadway as a teenager and made her genre film debut in 1950’s Stage Fright, directed and produced by her famous father, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hitchcock’s most prominent role came in Strangers on a Train (1951), in which she played Barbara Morton, who witnessed Bruno (played by Robert Walker) try to strangle a woman to death at a cocktail party.
And then, in 1960’s iconic Psycho (also helmed by her late father), Hitchcock appeared near the start of the film as Caroline, an office worker who offers to share her tranquilizers with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh). Horror fans know what happened to her soon after at the Bates Motel.
Hitchcock also worked with her father on CBS’ classic Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series from 1955-1960, appearing in 10 episodes. She once joked during an interview that she would be cast on the show “whenever they needed a maid with an English accent.”
Hitchcock said she was “very close” to her father. “He used to take me out every Saturday–shopping and to lunch,” she said. “On Sundays, he took me to church regularly. It’s because of his diligence that my religion is so strong today.”
Hitchcock joked in another interview that she wished her father had believed in nepotism. “I’d have worked a lot more,” she said. “But he never had anyone in his pictures unless he believed they were right for the part. He never fit a story to an actor.”
Survivors include daughters Mary, Tere and Katie; grandchildren Kelly, Caitlin, Trisha, Kate, Samantha and Chris; and great-grandchildren Ava, Joey, Maddie, Scarlett, Cole, Charlotte, Whitley and Jamie.
The staff of Horror News Network extends its condolences to Hitchcock’s family, friends and colleagues.
