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American author (1916-2008) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patricia Burke Ziegfeld Stephenson (October 23, 1916 – April 11, 2008) was an American author.[1][2] She was known for her 1963 autobiography The Ziegfelds' Girl: Confessions of an Abnormally Happy Childhood. Born in NYC, she spent her early years in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, later moving to California where she lived until her death at age 91.
Patricia Ziegfeld Stephenson | |
|---|---|
Patricia Ziegfeld (center) with her parents in 1930 | |
| Born | Patricia Burke Ziegfeld October 23, 1916 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 2008 (aged 91) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Spouse |
William Robert Stephenson
(m. 1939; died 2007) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Florenz Ziegfeld Billie Burke |
Patricia Ziegfeld was born in New York City in 1916 to Florenz Ziegfeld, a Broadway impresario, and Billie Burke, an actress best known for playing Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz.[2] She grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County, New York. She also lived at the family's home in Palm Beach, Florida.[1]
Her father died in 1932 and she moved to California with her mother. She attended UCLA then did some acting and writing for newspapers.[1][2]
She married William Robert Stephenson, Sr. (1912–2007) on June 11, 1939.[3][4][5] She met Stephenson while he was working as a dance instructor at the Beverly Hills Hotel.[1] He designed homes including the General Electric show home for Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan.[1] They had four children: Cecilia Duncan Stephenson, Florenz Crossley Stephenson, Susan Plemons Stephenson (1950–2021), and William Robert Stephenson, Jr.[1][2]
In 1963, she published an autobiography, The Ziegfelds' Girl: Confessions of an Abnormally Happy Childhood. She also wrote the introduction for a biography of her father, The Ziegfeld Touch: The Life and Times of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., which was written by her cousins, Richard and Paulette Ziegfeld.[1]
She died of congestive heart failure at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 91. She had nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, at the time of her death.[2]
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