Elizabeth Patterson was an American film and television character actress best remembered for her portrayal of elderly neighbor and occasional babysitter on I Love Lucy. She was born in Savannah, Tennessee, on November 22, 1874. Her father, who had been a Confederate soldier, was a judge in Hardin County, Tennessee. In college, Patterson's participation in college theatricals helped form her interest in drama. Her parents sent her to Europe in the hope of discouraging her interest in the theater but her determination to become an actress was only reinforced by her attending productions at the Comedie Francaise. After returning from Europe, she used a small inheritance to move to Chicago where she joined a theatrical troupe. In 1913, she made her Broadway debut in the play Everyman. She remained active in New York City theatre through 1954.In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, The Boy Friend. Additional screen appearances included A Bill of Divorcement, Tarnished Lady, Dinner at Eight, High Wide and Handsome, Intruder in the Dust, Remember the Night, No Man of Her Own, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Little Women, My Sister Eileen, and Pal Joey.
In 1952, at the age of 77, Elizabeth Patterson made her first appearance on I Love Lucy in the episode entitled "The Marriage License" as the wife of the justice of the peace who married Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The following year she was cast in a guest role in "No Children Allowed" as Mrs. Matilda Trumbull , a neighbor of the Ricardos and the Mertzes. The role was so popular that she continued in the role for three more years as Little Ricky's babysitter.
Elizabeth Patterson never married and lived alone at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her 35 year motion picture career. She died in Los Angeles on January 31, 1966, of complications from pneumonia at the age of 91 and is buried in her hometown of Savannah, Tennessee.
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