A Memory of Patricia Neal 

Patricia Neal, the Oscar-winning actress, lover of Gary Cooper and wife of Roald Dahl, died today of lung cancer. She was 84. Miss Neal was a remarkable woman. At 39, while pregnant, she had a series of strokes that left her unable to speak or walk, and yet she was able to recover from this and continue to act in films and television productions (and racking up more Emmy nominations and an additional Oscar nomination).

In the early '90s, I had the amazing good fortune to interview her for the video release of An Unremarkable Life. I was flown to New York and the interview was set to take place over lunch at the fabled Russian Tea Room. We spoke for more than an hour, had an awesome lunch, and I was left with a warmth that enveloped me for the walk back to my hotel that crisp spring afternoon. No subject was off limits and she was so gracious. I will never forget this woman or the time I spent with her.

I am reminded of another Hollywood great I was supposed to interview in the mid-nineties for the video release of, if memory serves, a boxed set of her films. My interview was set for April 25, 1995, at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. I remember driving to my two o'clock appointment when my husband called me on my cell. He told me the studio publicist had called the house and that the interview would have to be put on hold indefinitely. Turns out that never would have been more accurate than indefinite. I turned on the car radio and listened in shock to hear that Ginger Rogers had just died and hence the interview would not take place ever!