biography

Like her character Jill Taylor on Home Improvement, Patricia is a working mom of three. While growing up her family moved often because of her father's career as a U.S. Navy test pilot. It is this type of upbringing that she believes was a catalyst for her career. It forced her to be outgoing and gregarious in order to make new friends with each move. Therefore molding her personality to reflect the type of character one needs to draw from to become an actor.

Patricia pursued acting while still in High School in Dallas, Texas. She went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University with a BFA degree in acting. After moving to New York, her first audition was for the Angela Lansbury revival of "Gypsy". She was signed to understudy the tittle role, but after 11 long months on tour and on-Broadway she was never granted the opportunity to fill the spotlight.

The majority of her early career was playing on and off-Broadway. Patricia's stunning performance in the off-Broadway production of "Cruise Control" was declared "one of the ten best of 1985" by New York Magazine. Her talent for comedy was realized in her appearances on Televisions "Double Trouble" and "Eisenhower and Lutz". In 1988 Patricia moved to Los Angeles where she soon found work on the NBC comedy series, "FM".

However, it wasn't until Home Improvements debut in the fall of 1991 that Patricia Richardson became a true celebrity. The smash hit reached the Nielsen top-ten list that same year. Home Improvements success has made her the Jill Cleaver of the 90's, and rightfully so. Her believable portrayal of Tim "The Tool Man's" Taylor's wife has granted her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and a Viewers for Quality Television Award nomination.

In addition, Patricia has applied her talent to film with roles in "Lost Angels" with Donald Sutherland and "In Country" with Bruce Willis. She landed the starring role in "Ulee's Gold" opposite Peter Fonda in 1997. She received critical acclaim in 1996's telefilm "Sophie and the Moonhanger" where she plays the abused wife of a Ku Klux Klan official. She also starred with Brian Dennehy in the CBS mini-series "Undue Influence" based on Steve Martini's New York Times best seller.

Patricia Richardson has proved her flexibility between comedy and drama many times over. Her ability to let her audience identify with her characters and bring an element of trust is remarkable. We said good-bye to Jill Taylor and Home Improvement this week. Maybe we should be saying hello to Patricia Richardson.