Character Bios

Patty

Patty Lane is an American actress and mental health advocate. She was married to basketball hall-of-famer Calvin O'Keeffe until his death in 2007. 

Early life:

Lane was born Patrica Maria Elvira Lane on March 22nd 1949 in Brooklyn Heights New York. 

Her father was Martin Lane, who, at the time, was the managing editor of the New York chronicle. 

Lane grew up loving rock and roll music and was very popular at school. She was the captain of her school's debating team and even got credit for inviting Sammy Davis Jr to perform at the prom one year.

In her teens, Lane discovered her identical cousin Cathy when she came to America to live with her.

"We were really on the beam, Cath and I. Separately, we were two girls who looked exactly alike, but were totally different. But together, we were just fab. We would have made ourselves into a movie if Cath weren't so camera shy" said Lane in 1988.

Lane's education was at Brooklyn Heights High School, the same school where Sal Mineo had his education. Mineo visited the school in the early 60s and befriended Lane. 

Marriage and Australia:

In 1966, Lane and her cousin Cathy met and befriended basketball legend Calvin O'Keeffe, Alan Brady Show screenwriter Charles Wallace Murry and Sam Pan of Sam & Robin fame. 

Lane was particularly interested in O'Keeffe, but hid her feelings because he lived in Australia. 

However, he frequently invited her over to his home and made it harder for her to hide her feelings.

"Calvin was the coolest guy ever. He was living with bands like the Beatles and his classmate is married to Chad [Stuart] of Chad and Jeremy. I've always had a fondness for the duo. Cal and I bonded over our similarities, including getting sudden feelings that we should be somewhere or do something. We didn't get those often, but when we did, we obeyed it. So I moved to Australia and dated him. Simple as that" said Lane in 2008.

Lane and O'Keeffe married in the spring of 1966 while her cousin Cathy Lane married English disk jockey Lord Tim Hudson.

"It was a double wedding. It might as well be famous because two men married two women who looked exactly the same" said Lane in 1997.

Career:

In her teens, Lane was a temporary band manager for a short-lived duo Nigel and Patrick. Coincidentally, she was also close friends with Chad & Jeremy, whom she always said reminded her of Nigel and Patrick.

Lane became very close friends with Jeremy Clyde in particular, seeing as they shared a birthday.

"I feel very proud to share a birthday with Jeremy. I've always admired him and Chad. He always says how his first birthday with me was his first good birthday, so... that kinda makes me even prouder" said Lane in 2018. 

In the 1970s, Lane decided she wanted to be an actress. Under Clyde's recommendation, she went to the Central School of Speech and Drama in England to study acting.

After graduating, Lane has appeared on several television shows, including and episode of the Disney channel original Liv and Maddie. 

Lane was also known for her frequent speeches about mental health advocacy, thanks to some inspiration by another band she was friends with, the Wiggles.

"When I met them, Sam [Pan] was married to their guitarist and had a lot of nice things to say about 'em. Most of the times I saw the Wiggles, they talked about some kids they met who were autistic or dyslexic or had some kind of mental condition. The stories always ended positively because they seem to have affected the way they think. In other words, they taught them how to be positive. They sorta inspired me to advocate for mental health so positively. Honestly, they're probably the real reason I still have the cheery disposition I had in my youth" said Lane in 2011.

For most of her career, she was credited under the name Patty O'Keeffe, but after Calvin O'Keeffe died, she returned to her original name Patty Lane. 

To this day, Lane remains friends with Jeremy Clyde and kept in touch with Chad Stuart until his death in 2020. 

She also remains friends with Stuart's wife Meg and ex-wife Jill. 

More importantly, she's still acting at her age and claims that she might never retire.