Patricia Castle Richardson, better known as Patricia Richardson is an American actress and a film actor who is best known for her work in the sitcom Home Improvement. Richardson has started her career with the Broadway, since then she has turned into the television and film industry. She has received four Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for her role in Home Improvement. Apart from being an actress, Richardson has also produced films like Acceptable Limits and Long Story Short.
Table of Contents
Patricia Richardson Biography, Career, Television, Films, Awards, Family, and Sons
Individual Life
Patricia was born in Bethesda Naval Hospital, where her father was a test pilot; she grew up a “Navy brat” and moved numerous times throughout her childhood. She graduated in 1972 from Southern Methodist University. Richardson married actor Ray Baker in 1982 and they had three children together: Henry Richardson Baker, and twins Roxanne Elizabeth Baker and Joseph Castle Baker. They got divorced in 1995. She’s is the godmother of actress Betty Gilpin, the daughter of actor Jack Gilpin. In 1969 she was graduated from the prestigious Hockaday School For Girls-Dallas, Texas.
Richardson served many years on the Board of Directors and is the National Spokesperson for “Cure PSP”, a patient advocacy and research organization for progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, multiple system atrophy and related “Prime Of Life” diseases.
| Real Name | Patricia Castle Richardson |
| Nick Name | Patricia Richardson / Pat |
| Profession | Actress |
| Birth Place | Bethesda, Maryland, USA |
| Hometown | Bethesda, Maryland, USA |
Physical Appearance
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.7 m in Feet Inches- 5′ 7″ |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 70 kg in Pounds- 154 lbs |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Black |
Education Qualification
| Education Qualifications | BFA – 1972 |
| Graduation | Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, United States |
Family
| Father | Laurence Baxter Richardson |
| Mother | Elizabeth Richardson |
| Sister | Catherine Moseley |
| Sister | Marianna Bates |
| Ex-Husband | Ray Baker |
| Daughter | Roxanne Baker |
| Son | Henry Baker |
| Son | Joseph Baker |
Awards
- 1998, Independent Spirit Awards — Best Supporting Female: Nominee
- 1994, Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: Nominee
- 1995, Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: Nominee
- 1994, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
- 1996, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress for a Comedy Series: Nominee
- 1997, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
- 1998, Emmy — Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Nominee
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | You Better Watch Out | Moss’ mother | |
| 1984 | C.H.U.D. | Ad Woman | |
| 1986 | Yuri Nosenko, KGB | Joan Black | TV movie |
| 1987 | Hands of a Stranger | Helen | TV movie |
| 1989 | Parent Trap III | Cassie McGuire | TV movie |
| 1989 | Lost Angels | Cheryl’s Mother | |
| 1989 | In Country | Cindy | |
| 1996 | Sophie & the Moonhanger | Bonnie Edgerton | TV movie |
| 1996 | Undue Influence | Laurel Vega | TV movie |
| 1997 | Ulee’s Gold | Connie Hope | nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female |
| 2001 | Blonde | Gladys Baker | |
| 2001 | Viva Las Nowhere | Helen/Wanda | |
| 2005 | Candy Paint | Linda Miller | short film |
| 2007 | California Dreaming | Aunt Bonnie | |
| 2009 | Lost Dream | Patricia | |
| 2010 | The Jensen Project | Ingrid | TV movie |
| 2011 | Bringing Ashley Home | Michelle McGee | TV movie |
| 2012 | Beautiful Wave | Sue Davenport | Direct-to-video |
| 2012 | Smart Cookies | Lola | TV movie |
| 2013 | Avarice | Claire | |
| 2013 | Snow Bride | Maggie Tannenhill | TV movie |
| 2013 | Chance at Romance | May | Hallmark movie |
| 2017 | County Line | Maddie Hall | |
| 2018 | A Christmas in Tennessee | Martha |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Doctors | Nurse Marion | |
| 1981 | Love, Sidney | N/A | episode: “A Piece of the Rock” |
| 1984 | Double Trouble | Beth McConnell | 8 episodes |
| 1985 | ABC Weekend Special | Pamela Sawyer | episode: “The Adventures of Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn” |
| 1985 | Kate & Allie | Pamela | episode: “The Reunion” |
| 1986 | Spenser: For Hire | Sarah Cabot | episode: “Shadowsight” |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | Mrs. Schrader | episode: “Calling Doctor Huxtable” |
| 1987 | The Equalizer | Sandy | episode: “In the Money” |
| 1988 | Eisenhower and Lutz | Kay ‘K.K.’ Dunne | 13 episodes |
| 1989 | Quantum Leap | Rachel Porter | episode: “Good Morning, Peoria – September 9, 1959” |
| 1989–1990 | FM | Lee-Ann Plunkett | 13 episodes |
| 1991–1999 | Home Improvement | Jill Taylor | 202 episodes nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1994–95) nominated—People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Performer nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1994, 1996–98) nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Annabel Hayes | episode: “Wanderlust” |
| 2002–2005 | Strong Medicine | Dr. Andy Campbell | 59 episodes nominated—Prism Award for Best Performance in a Drama Series |
| 2005–2006 | The West Wing | Sheila Brooks | 9 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Last Man Standing | Helen Potts | 2 episodes “Helen Potts”, “Tanks For The Memories” |
| 2019 | Blindspot | Dr. Nora Lee Roga | episode: “The Big Reveal” |
Personal Quotes
- I always hated perfect TV moms because I always thought that was unrealistic.
- I kind of feel like people like to dump on ‘Home Improvement,’ and I don’t know why.
- I live in such a sweet world in the world of ‘Home Improvement’ that I tend to be drawn to stuff that’s really on the other end of the spectrum entirely.
- Good actresses can often accomplish miracles, and it is possible to be someone you’ve never been or will be. But in a sitcom, there’s no time.
- I curse too much. I really do. I have a horrible cursing mouth.
- People who meet me think of Jill and transfer her strong qualities to me.
- I still get the kids to the doctor and dentist and plan their play dates and buy their clothes.
- Part of the whole L.A. mentality that nothing really matters unless it’s a success… is such a shallow and dangerous attitude to have.
- But then my mother, who’s a very selfless, stoic person from a family of Marines, would tell us that what was good for our father was good for us – he would make more money; therefore, we’d be able to get better educations.
- Losing their reproductive rights is the first step to how women live in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
It was extremely hard going from being a parent of one to a parent of three, because now all these instant decisions have to be made about how you balance out the time and attention between them. - I didn’t want to do comedy again. It is way harder when you are doing comedy. You can’t just concentrate on the character and the plot. In comedy, the writers, instead of obsessing about character and plot, obsess about the jokes.
- I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a positive way.
- I don’t understand that, because I think that what people like most about the show is that they recognize themselves in the characters and their problems, so the more believable the family is, the more we can draw the audience in.
- I know it’s a lot harder for women who don’t have enough help, but the truth is, no matter how much money you have, if you want to stay involved with your children and don’t want to lose being a primary parent to them, you’re still in the game.
- I really was about to pass out during my entire wedding. I just didn’t know if I could marry anybody.
- When you’re a woman with a certain amount of fame and money, you are never certain what someone’s motives are.
- You have to be the parent; you can’t be their friend.
- Tim on the show does a lot of that posturing, of course, and feels sort of threatened by women. But even at that, you do see him cooking, and ultimately he’s a good father because he spends a lot of time with the boys.
- They see me as being this Super Mom on TV who also can more than handle a difficult husband, and they assume I’m going to be just full of wisdom as a mother and wife myself.
- I’d like us to deliver a little message to all the men still out there who think it’s the ’50s, and coming home simply means watching television with a beer.
- I have born-again Christians in my family, and they are completely against abortion… Everybody’s got to stop being afraid of it real soon. Who’s going to do it if a woman’s network doesn’t? People are going to be dying.
- Instead of yelling and spanking, which don’t work anyway, I believe in finding creative ways to keep their attention – turning things into a game, for instance. And, when they do something good, positive reinforcement and praise.
- Getting married and then having children just centered me and grounded my values. It was like a whole new world. It started happening in New York with a little play called Cruise Control, where I relaxed, and then I kept getting work in Hollywood till this series happened.
- Television is a real woman’s medium… but what’s disturbing is, still even in television, women have so little to do with what’s going on behind the scenes.
- You go where you think it’s good for your work and your soul to go. I need to go someplace where I am reminded about why I wanted to act in the first place, and for me, that’s the theater.
- I’ve had so many horrible things happen in my life since I did ‘Home Improvement’ that it’s worried me about doing comedy because – how do I say this – I’m a much darker person than I was.
Facts
- Born in Bethesda Naval Hospital, where her father was a test pilot; she grew up a “Navy brat” and moved numerous times throughout her childhood.
- Classmates at SMU included Kathy Bates, Powers Booth, and playwrights Jack Heffner and Beth Henley; she later appeared in several productions of Heffner’s Vanities and in Henley’s 1982 Broadway play The Wake of Jamie Foster.
- Made her Broadway debut in the 1974 revival of Gypsy, starring Angela Lansbury, in the roles of a waitress and a Hollywood blonde, and as understudy for the part of Louise.
- Is a spokesperson for the battle against PSP (a brain disease, progressive supranuclear palsy), which claimed the life of her father.
- Won an Independent Spirit nomination for her first starring film role in Ulee’s Gold (1997) in 1997.
- She is a registered Democrat and over time has supported Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
