American actress Patsy Kelly was BOTD in 1910. Born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrant parents, she appeared in vaudeville from her early teens and made her Broadway debut in 1927, appearing in comedy revues alongside Al Jolson, Jack Benny and Clifton Webb. Lured to Hollywood in the 1930s, she became famous for her comedy performances in a series of silent short films directed by Hal Roach, co-starring with her long-term friend (and possible lover) Thelma Todd. A friend of drag performer Gene Malin, she often acted as his escort/beard at social events. In 1933, Malin was killed after driving his car into Venice Pier. Kelly, who was also a passenger, survived the accident, though the attendant publicity and her association with Malin concerned Hollywood studio executives and may have damaged her career. Eventually transitioning to feature-length films, she appeared in cameos and supporting roles alongside most of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Marion Davies, Bing Crosby, Laurel and Hardy, Bela Lugosi, Jean Harlow, Loretta Young, Gary Cooper and John Wayne. After telling film producers that she was a lesbian and in a long-term relationship with her “roommate” Wilma Cox, she was effectively blacklisted from film work. Undaunted, she returned to New York, becoming a live-in “personal assistant” (and lover) to actress Tallulah Bankhead. With the advent of television in the 1950s, she made occasional appearances on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Dick van Dyke Show and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She had a unexpected career resurgence in her 60s, appearing as a bespectacled Satanist in Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby, and made a triumphant return to Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award for a revival of No, No, Nanette and appearing with Debbie Reynolds in Irene. Her final screen appearances included the Disney films Freaky Friday and The North Avenue Irregulars and a cameo on TV series The Love Boat. She died in 1981, aged 71.