Lee Patterson, a dashing actor, will forever be etched in the memories of American audiences as the rugged detective, alongside his equally handsome counterparts Van Williams and Troy Donahue, on the popular television series Surfside 6, which aired from the early 1960s.
However, prior to his success in the United States, Patterson had already established a solid second-string career in British films, taking on Americanized roles.
Born in British Columbia, Canada, Patterson attended a college in Ontario before crossing the Atlantic and settling in England. With a background in stage management and theatre public relations, he transitioned seamlessly into acting, becoming a stalwart presence in low-budget films such as Terror Street (1953),The Good Die Young (1954),Reach for the Sky (1956),The Mailbag Robbery (1957),and Jack the Ripper (1959).
The monumental success of the private eye series 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and the subsequent "Kookie" craze, led by Edd Byrnes, inspired a wave of imitations, with Surfside 6 (1960) being one of them. Although the show only lasted for two seasons, it did establish Patterson as a household name in America.
Patterson's striking good looks and charming on-screen presence carried him far, leading to numerous guest appearances and soap opera roles, including a notable stint on One Life to Live (1968) as the one-time husband of Erika Slezak.
As he transitioned into character acting, Patterson also made his mark on the stage in his later years.
After a lengthy period of relative obscurity, Patterson's death on Valentine's Day in 2007, at a Galveston Island, Texas hospital, due to congestive heart failure, complicated by lung cancer and emphysema, was only reported nearly a year later.
A significant portion of Patterson's estate was left to charitable organizations, including the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was founded by his dear friend Danny Thomas.
