Golden Globe-winning actress Patricia Crowley died Sunday, September 14, 2025, at age 91 in Los Angeles, just two days before her 92nd birthday. Her son Jon Hookstratten, executive vice president of administration and operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment, confirmed she died of natural causes.
Crowley was best known for starring as Joan Nash in the NBC sitcom “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” which aired for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965 to 1967. In the series, based on Jean Kerr’s 1957 book and the 1960 Doris Day film, she portrayed a newspaper writer and mother of four rambunctious boys, married to college professor Jim Nash, played by Mark Miller. The family lived in a castle-like home with their giant sheepdog, Ladadog.
Born Patricia Crowley on September 17, 1933, in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of a coal miner. As a teenager, she followed her older sister Ann to New York City, where Ann had landed a role in the chorus of “Oklahoma!” on Broadway. Patricia attended the High School of Performing Arts and made her Broadway debut in 1950 as the lead in the comedy “Southern Exposure” while still a high school senior.
Crowley’s film career began in 1953 with “Forever Female,” starring alongside Ginger Rogers and William Holden as a young actress seeking an ingenue role. That same year, she appeared in “Money From Home” with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Her performances in these films earned her the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1954. Crowley noted the writing on “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” was “very intelligent and very sweet.”
Throughout her six-decade career, Crowley appeared in more than 100 television and film roles. She made guest appearances on numerous classic television series, including “The Twilight Zone,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “The Fugitive,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Columbo,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Love Boat,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Friends,” and “Frasier.”
In the 1980s, Crowley played Emily Fallmont in 10 episodes of the ABC primetime soap opera “Dynasty” during its sixth season in 1986. Her character, the wife of Senator Buck Fallmont and mother of Clay and Bart, met her end when she was struck by a taxi. She also appeared as the romantic interest of Lloyd Bridges in the CBS cop drama “Joe Forrester” from 1975 to 1976.
Crowley’s extensive soap opera work included portraying Rebecca Whitmore in 65 episodes of “Generations” from 1989 to 1990 and Mary Scanlon in 251 episodes of “Port Charles” from 1997 to 2003. She also appeared in “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Natalie DeWitt in 2005.
Her film credits included “Red Garters” (1954), “There’s Always Tomorrow” (1956) with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, “Hollywood or Bust” (1956), the final Martin and Lewis comedy together, and “Key Witness” (1960). In 2001, she portrayed the widow of baseball legend Roger Maris in the HBO biopic “61*,” directed by Billy Crystal.
Crowley was married twice. Her first marriage was to Ed Hookstratten, a prominent sports and entertainment attorney who represented high-profile clients including Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Tom Brokaw, and Vin Scully. The couple had two children together: Jon and Ann Hookstratten Osher. Hookstratten died in 2014.
In 1986, Crowley married television producer and executive Andy Friendly, who worked on “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Tomorrow Show” with Tom Snyder. Friendly, who received an Emmy nomination in 1982 for Outstanding Informational Series, is the son of producer Fred Friendly. The couple donated to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, establishing the Pat Crowley and Andy Friendly Endowed Fund for Student Support with an additional $50,000 donation.
Crowley’s final screen appearance came in the 2012 film “Mont Reve.” She is survived by her husband Andy Friendly, her children Jon and Ann, son-in-law Robert, daughter-in-law Marion, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her sister was singer Ann Crowley.