Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography by Carol M. Ford & Dee Young & Linda J. Groundwater

Author:Carol M. Ford & Dee Young & Linda J. Groundwater [Ford, Carol M.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: AuthorMike Ink
Published: 2015-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

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The first episode of Hogan’s Heroes season two, “Hogan Gives a Birthday Party,” premiered on September 16, 1966. With the start of the new season, viewers would notice several changes. The series was not as gimmick-ridden as season one had been. The steam room in the tunnel was long gone, and Hogan and his band of prisoners were no longer manufacturing cigarette lighters in the shape of German Lugers in the tunnel. The characters were becoming more developed, and the element of danger was heightened. And most notably, Colonel Klink had employed a new secretary—Fräulein Hilda. The whereabouts of Helga and the reasons behind her departure from Stalag 13 were left to the imagination of viewers. In her place seated comfortably outside Klink’s office, Hilda had made herself at home.

Patricia Annette Olson was born on September 21, 1935, in Bakersfield, California. Of Swedish descent, Patty resided in Europe for a short time following high school graduation. Upon returning to America, she lived in New York, where she worked as a designer’s, showroom, and runway model. One of her earliest jobs was showing and selling sports cars at an agency on Park Avenue.

“They hadn’t sold a car for six months before they hired me, just for the novelty of having a girl salesman,” she said in August 1967. “Within three months, I was the manager and selling cars like I was giving them away. Six months after I quit, the agency went out of business.”

While living in New York, Patty met George Gilbert Ateyeh, and on November 5, 1958, they were married in Los Angeles. Together they had one daughter, Melissa (also called “Mitsu” or “Mits”).

“When I’m not working, I’m a full-time mother,” Patty explained in 1967. “[Mits and I] go every place together when I’m not working and she’s not in school.”

Shortly after Melissa was born, Patty’s focus turned to acting. With the money she had earned at the car agency, she enrolled at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. She had attended twenty-three schools throughout her life by that point, changing schools seventeen times just while in high school alone because her family traveled frequently.

Patty filed for legal separation from George in 1964, and soon after, she returned home to Los Angeles. They were never formally divorced, and George remained in New York for the rest of his life, passing away in November 1967.

On the West Coast, Patty sought work as a character actress but had difficulty finding roles. Producers wanted actresses to drastically change their looks to match the character, and Patty resisted at first. It was only after she agreed to conform to the demands of producers that she began to land acting jobs.

To ensure that she would be memorable in an industry saturated with plenty of female talent, Patty decided one other professional alteration was necessary. She changed her name from Patricia Olson to Sigrid Valdis, and she would be credited as such in all of her film, television, and stage performances.

“I had decided to change my name even before I decided to be an actress,” Patty said.

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