Patricia Smith

Actress Patricia Smith began her career in theater. In 1951, the talented ingénue made her Broadway debut opposite Henry Fonda in the hit play "Point of No Return." Within a few years, she made a natural transition into television, performing in theatrical anthology series like "Ponds Theater" and "Kraft Theatre." She'd go on to become a familiar face on TV, appearing in a long list of hit series over a career that spanned four decades. She may be best known for her recurring role on the acclaimed sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show," on which she played Margaret Hoover. Smith also appeared in a handful of films, most memorably as Jack Lemmon's wife in his Oscar-winning drama "Save the Tiger." When Smith found it more difficult to land worthwhile roles, she took a job at the composers' agency Gorfaine-Schwartz in their legal department. She made her final onscreen appearance in 1997 with a small role in the John Travolta/Dustin Hoffman thriller "Mad City." She died nearly 15 years later from heart failure. She was 80 years old.