Born in England of Irish stock, Patric Knowles had a few seasons' stage experience under his belt when he made his simultaneous British and American film debuts in 1936. Settling in Hollywood, Knowles signed with Warner Bros., where he alternated between full leads and stalwart "other man" support. He was often co-starred with Errol Flynn, presumably as "serious" ballast to Flynn's flamboyance. At Universal in the 1940s, Knowles was the studio's resident utility hero, forever providing a shoulder for the terrified heroine to cry on in such horror films as The Wolf Man (1941), The Strange Case of Dr. Rx (1942) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943); he also proved a good-humored foil to the antics of Abbott and Costello (Who Done It? [1942], Hit the Ice [1943]) and Olsen and Johnson (Crazy House [1943]). Free-lancing from 1946 until his retirement in 1973, Knowles could always be counted on for dignity and dependability, never more so than as Lindsey Woolsey, Mame Dennis' erstwhile through-the-years suitor, in Auntie Mame. In his last decades, Patric Knowles continued accepting film and TV character parts, wrote a novel (Even Steven), lectured at colleges, and even guested in a Kellogg's cereal commercial. Years after his retirement, Knowles often volunteered to work for the Motion Picture Country Home.
by Hal Erickson
biography
