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Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Ellis became interested in acting at a young age, much due to her being the step-daughter to actor Alexander Leftwich. In 1932 she had two bit parts, both uncredited, in the films Three on a Match and Central Park. That same year she was one of fourteen girls chosen as WAMPAS Baby Stars. Ellis, at 16, was the youngest. The others selected that year included future Hollywood legends Ginger Rogers and Gloria Stuart, the latter of which starred in the more recent 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

Her first credited role was the following year, in the 1933 film The Kings Vacation, starring George Arliss. With that film, her career took off, with her working steadily, starring mostly in lower budget B-movies, but still having her working steadily. She would have roles in eight films in 1933, and another seven in 1934. She started 1935 off with A Night at the Ritz, in which she had the lead female role, opposite William Gargan. She would star in seven films that year, and another seven in 1936.

Starring alongside some of Hollywood`s biggest names, to include James Cagney, Ricardo Cortez, and Bela Lugosi, Ellis` career was at its peak by 1937. Most of her roles were in comedy films, with some also being mysteries or crime drama, and by 1936 almost all her roles had her playing the lead. She would star in five films that year, then only three in 1938, and two in 1939.

Unlike many actresses of the day, whose careers just ended because they stopped receiving roles, Patricia Ellis was at her height and on a steady climb, but slowed her own career by choice. She chose to retire by 1941, choosing to marry a successful businessman from Kansas City, Missouri named George T. O`Malley. Ellis left Hollywood behind her, and settled into life raising a family in Kansas City. She was the aunt to actor D. David Morin, a supporting role actor who has starred in mostly television series episodes, including roles on Northern Exposure and CSI: Miami. His mother Marty Morin was Ellis` sister.

Patricia Ellis remained married to O`Malley for the remainder of her life. She died young, of cancer at 53, on March 26th, 1970, in Kansas City.