Paddy Croft

Patricia "Paddy" Croft was born on July 1, 1923, in Worthing, West Sussex, England, and died on July 27, 2015. An English-born Irish-American actress, she built a career across stage, film, and television spanning several decades.

Croft's Broadway career ran from 1966 to 2000, during which she appeared in a number of productions both as a principal performer and in standby and understudy capacities. Among the shows for which she served as standby or understudy were Major Barbara, Night Must Fall, The Plough and the Stars, and The Killing of Sister George. On multiple occasions she assumed the featured roles when the stars she was covering departed their productions. Her final such instance came in 1999, when she succeeded Judy Parfitt in the revival of Night Must Fall, which starred Matthew Broderick. Her last Broadway credit was James Joyce's The Dead in 2000.

In 1973, Croft appeared in Crown Matrimonial, earning favorable notices for her portrayal of Mary, Princess Royal in support of Eileen Herlie, who played Queen Mary. She was also affiliated with the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City, where she frequently took on Irish roles that became a hallmark of her stage work. As recently as 2005, she appeared there as Madge in a revival of Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come. She additionally performed in Hugh Leonard's Da at the Irish Repertory Theatre.

Beyond the stage, Croft appeared on television, including roles on the long-running NBC series Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.