Patricia Quinn

Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born May 28, 1944) is an actress best known for her role as Magenta in the perennial cult-hit film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Hers were the red lips that appeared in the film's opening song Science Fiction/Double Feature (although the singing voice was that of Richard O'Brien). She has appeared in many film and television roles including the Rocky Horror semi-sequel, Shock Treatment (1981), as well as I, Claudius (1976), Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), and the 1987 Doctor Who serial Dragonfire.

Background

Quinn was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She began her career as a Playboy Bunny in London, and met the man who would become her first husband, Don Hawkins, when she was 19 years old, in 1963. The marriage ended in divorce, but produced a son, Quinn Hawkins, who was born on September 18th, 1970. Quinn dabbled with acting as a child, appearing in Derek Jarman's Jubilee along with his mother's Rocky co-star Nell Campbell. However he is now a top London barrister and married with one son.

In January 1995, Quinn married the ailing British actor, Robert Stephens, whose wife she had played in the BBC serial, Fortunes of War. She thus became stepmother to his two actor sons by his previous marriage (to Dame Maggie Smith), Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. Quinn had also played alongside Stephens in the BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights (1984), in the role of Sylvia Daisy Pouncer. Robert Stephens died in November 1995. He had been knighted earlier that year, giving Quinn the title of Lady Stephens.

Quinn's nephew, Jonny Quinn, is the drummer of the Northern Ireland-based band Snow Patrol.

Recent appearances

In 2000, Quinn recorded the song "Guts To Dream" with London based band The Grand. The song was to be part of an EP titled Open Displays Of Affection, but the band dissolved and the EP was never released. Quinn gave a copy of the unreleased CD to the winner of the Magenta costume contest at the 25th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas.

In 2002 she returned to Doctor Who, playing an alien queen in the audio play Bang-Bang-a-Boom!. In September 2006, she relaunched herself as a DJ & club kitten, hosting the monthly Club Myra night at various venues throughout central London. In April 2007, Quinn joined Patrick Wolf at his London concert, singing, "Accident and Emergency," with him as a finale of the show.

On October 3, 2008, Quinn made an appearance at the New York City cast's production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, participating in a question & answer session as well as unexpectedly performing the show's opening number, Science Fiction/Double Feature.

Filmography

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
• I, Claudius (1976)
• Sebastiane (1977) (uncredited)
• Hawk the Slayer (1980)
• Shock Treatment (1981)
• Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
• The Box of Delights (1984) (TV)
• Fortunes of War (1987) (TV)

External links

• Patricia Quinn's Official Website
• Patricia Quinn Interview at Sci-fi-online.com
• Patricia Quinn at the Internet Movie Database