by Marianna Trzeciak, Esq
August 9, 2010
August 9, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life actress, Patricia Neal, died at age 84 on Sunday. She had been suffering from lung cancer and was surrounded by her family at her home in Massachusetts. Neal is best known for her Oscar-winning portrayal of a housekeeper in the 1963 movie, Hud, with Paul Newman.
She is also very well known for her valiant recuperation from a series of strokes which she suffered while pregnant in 1965. She was in a coma for 21 days. The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, situated in Neal's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, is also award-winning for its care for people recovering from strokes and spinal cord and brain injuries.
The actress herself described her life as a Greek tragedy, in some measure. She had 5 children with her husband, Roald Dahl. The first, Olivia, died of measles at age seven. Another, Theo, was severely injured when his baby carriage was hit by a car. After thirty years of marriage and the survival from her strokes, Neal was divorced from Dahl after discovering his affair with a friend.
However, Neal said that her only regret in life was aborting a child when the actress was 21 years old.
Her lover (and co-star) Gary Cooper had persuaded her to have the abortion, as he was still married and had a daughter with his wife. That daughter, Maria Cooper, famously spat on Neal to show her displeasure that Neal had interfered with the marriage of the Coopers. However, later, the wife and daughter reconciled with Neal.
She is also very well known for her valiant recuperation from a series of strokes which she suffered while pregnant in 1965. She was in a coma for 21 days. The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, situated in Neal's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, is also award-winning for its care for people recovering from strokes and spinal cord and brain injuries.
The actress herself described her life as a Greek tragedy, in some measure. She had 5 children with her husband, Roald Dahl. The first, Olivia, died of measles at age seven. Another, Theo, was severely injured when his baby carriage was hit by a car. After thirty years of marriage and the survival from her strokes, Neal was divorced from Dahl after discovering his affair with a friend.
However, Neal said that her only regret in life was aborting a child when the actress was 21 years old.
Her lover (and co-star) Gary Cooper had persuaded her to have the abortion, as he was still married and had a daughter with his wife. That daughter, Maria Cooper, famously spat on Neal to show her displeasure that Neal had interfered with the marriage of the Coopers. However, later, the wife and daughter reconciled with Neal.
