Patricia Blair R.I.P.

Patricia Blair, best known for playing Daniel Boone's wife Rebecca on Daniel Boone, died 9 September 2013 at the age of 80. The cause was breast cancer.

Patricia Blair was born Patsy Lou Blake in Fort Worth, Texas on 15 January 1933. As a teenager she was a model before moving to Los Angeles at age 17 to pursue acting. She made her film debut under the name "Pat Blake" in the film Jump into Hell in 1955. She appeared in such films as Crime Against Joe (1956) and The Black Sleep (1956) as "Patricia Blake", and in the television shows as Telephone Time (on which she made her television debut in 1956)  The Bob Cummings Show as both "Patricia Blake" and "Pat Blake". It was with a 1958 episode of Mike Hammer that she was finally billed as "Patricia Blair". For the rest of the Fifties she appeared in such shows as Rescue 8; Richard Diamond, Private Detective; Steve Canyon; The Dennis O'Keefe Show; Not For Hire; and The Loretta Young Show. She had the recurring role of Goldy on the show Yancy Derringer. She appeared in the films City of Fear (1959) and Cage of Evil (1960).

In the Sixties Patricia Blair was a regular on The Rifleman in its final season as hotel owner Lou Mallory. In 1964 she was cast in the role of Daniel Boone's wife, Rebecca Boone, on the long running frontier drama Daniel Boone. She guest starred on Surfside 6, The Virginian, Perry Mason, Bonanza, and Temple Houston. In the Seventies she guest starred on the TV shows Dusty's Trail and Petrocelli. She appeared in the films Left Hand of Gemini (1972) and The Electric Horseman (1979). Afterwards she retired from acting, and in later years she produced trade shows.

There can be no doubt that Patricia Blair was beautiful. Standing 5'9" she was also tall. She was one of the few actresses who could stand beside such actors as Chuck Connors and Fess Parker (both of who stood over 6 foot) and not look tiny. She was also a very good actress. She could play a devoted wife, as she did on Daniel Boone, but she could also play a conniving model, as she did in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Badgered Brother". What is more, she was convincing as both. Patricia Blair was a very good actress who added grace to any show in which she appeared.