Luana Patten

Luana Patten was born on July 6, 1938 in Long Beach, California, and entered the entertainment world almost as soon as she could walk. At the age of three she began a modest modeling career, which caught the attention of Walt Disney Studios, leading to a contract that would launch her as one of the studio’s most recognizable child stars of the 1940s. Her screen debut came in the 1946 musical Song of the South, where she shared scenes with Bobby Driscoll, and she quickly followed with appearances in the animated featurettes Fun and Fancy Free (1947) and Melody Time (1948), again pairing with Driscoll in the beloved Pecos Bill segment. Patten attended both Burbank High School and the Hollywood Professional School, balancing a demanding filming schedule with her education, and by the late 1940s she had already become a familiar face in Disney’s family‑oriented productions. In the 1950s and 1960s Patten transitioned to live‑action roles, portraying Jody Weaver in Joe Dakota and the spirited Priscilla Lapham in Disney’s Johnny Tremain (1957). She became a regular presence on western and adventure series, guest‑starring in Cimarron City, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Bonanza, and Perry Mason, often delivering nuanced performances that showcased her growth from child actress to competent adult performer. Her personal life included two marriages – first to John Smith in 1960, a union that ended in divorce in 1964, and later to Jerry D. Mays from 1970 to 1973 – though she left no children. After a brief retirement in 1970, Patten returned for a cameo in the 1988 thriller Grotesque before retiring permanently. She died of respiratory failure on May 1 1996 at Long Beach Memorial Hospital at the age of 57, and was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in her hometown, leaving behind a legacy of early Disney charm and a solid body of work in classic American television.