Patricia Crowley, the Golden Globe-winning actress best known for her starring role in the 1960s NBC sitcom “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” and later appearances on “Dynasty,” died Sunday, September 15, 2025, at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91 years old, passing away just two days before her 92nd birthday.
Crowley’s death was announced by her son Jon Hookstratten, who serves as executive vice president of administration and operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment. She died of natural causes, according to multiple reports.
Born Patricia Crowley on September 17, 1933, in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, to a coal miner’s family, she followed her older sister Ann to New York City as a teenager. Ann had landed a role in the chorus of “Oklahoma!” on Broadway, and Patricia attended the High School of Performing Arts while pursuing her own theatrical ambitions.
Crowley made her Broadway debut in 1950 as a high school senior, playing the lead role in the comedy “Southern Exposure.” Her early television work included starring as Judy Foster in the ABC series “A Date With Judy” in 1951, and she appeared in a live episode of CBS’ “The Ford Theatre Hour” opposite Jack Lemmon and Jack Albertson.
Her film career began with Paramount’s “Forever Female” in 1953, where she played a young actress seeking an ingenue role alongside Ginger Rogers and William Holden. That same year, she appeared in “Money From Home” with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. These performances earned her the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1954.
Crowley’s most recognizable role came in 1965 when she was cast as Joan Nash in “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” based on Jean Kerr’s bestselling book and the 1960 film starring Doris Day. The NBC series featured Crowley as a newspaper columnist and mother of four rambunctious boys, living with her college professor husband Jim Nash, played by Mark Miller, and their giant sheepdog Ladadog in a castle-like home.
The show ran for two seasons and 58 episodes from 1965 to 1967. While it was not initially a ratings success, the series gained popularity through reruns in the 1970s. Crowley previously noted that “I thought the writing was very intelligent and very sweet.”
Following “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” Crowley maintained a prolific television career spanning six decades and appearing in more than 100 television shows. Her extensive credits included appearances on “The Twilight Zone,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “The Fugitive,” “Columbo,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island,” “Friends,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place,” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
In 1986, Crowley joined the cast of ABC’s primetime soap opera “Dynasty” for a recurring role as Emily Fallmont during the show’s sixth season. She played the wife of Senator Buck Fallmont and mother of Clay and Bart for 10 episodes. Her character’s storyline ended when Emily was struck by a taxi and killed.
Crowley was also a significant presence on daytime television, portraying Mary Scanlon in more than 250 episodes of the ABC soap “Port Charles” from 1997 to 2003. She appeared in 65 episodes of “Generations” from 1989 to 1990 as Rebecca Whitmore and had roles on “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and “Falcon Crest.”
Her film work included “Red Garters” (1954), “The Square Jungle” (1955), “There’s Always Tomorrow” (1956) with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, “Hollywood or Bust” (1956), “Key Witness” (1960), and “The Wheeler Dealers” (1963). In 2001, she portrayed the widow of baseball legend Roger Maris in HBO’s “61*,” directed by Billy Crystal.
Crowley’s final screen appearance was in the 2012 film “Mont Reve.” Throughout her career, she also showcased her singing and dancing talents on programs like “The Dean Martin Show” and appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1954.
She was previously married to Ed Hookstratten, a prominent sports and entertainment attorney who represented Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Tom Brokaw, and Vin Scully. Hookstratten died in 2015. In 1986, Crowley married television producer and executive Andy Friendly, known for his work on “Entertainment Tonight” and Tom Snyder’s “The Tomorrow Show.”
Crowley is survived by her husband Andy Friendly, her son Jon and daughter-in-law Marion, her daughter Ann and son-in-law Robert, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her sister was Broadway singer Ann Crowley.
Donations in Crowley’s memory can be made to Share Inc. or the Saban Community Clinic, according to family requests.
