Pati Behrs

Pati Behrs
John Derek & Pati Behrs, 1950
Born
Pati Behrs Eristoff

(1922-02-13)February 13, 1922
DiedJuly 4, 2004(2004-07-04) (aged 82)
Occupation(s)Actress, ballerina
Years active1946–1949 (film)
Spouse(s)Gogi Tchitchinadze
(m. 19??; div. 19??)
(m. 1948; div. 1956)

Lucius Lindley
(m. 1975; died 1986)
Children2 including Sean Catherine Derek
RelativesLeo Tolstoy (great-uncle)

Pati Behrs Eristoff (February 13, 1922 – July 4, 2004) was a Russian American prima ballerina and actress.

Biography

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Pati Behrs Eristoff was a prima ballerina and a grandniece of Leo Tolstoy. She is perhaps best known as the first of John Derek's wives. She was born in Turkey to Russian émigré parents.[2] Her family fled to Paris after her father refused to partake in pogroms. She survived World War II and Occupied France by dancing in Parisian nightclubs, while at the same time doing all she could to hide Russian Jews and gypsies from the Nazis.

Receiving a Hollywood contract after the war, she emigrated to the United States. Behrs had a brief first marriage to George 'Gogi' Tchitchinadze (1917–1970), a host at the Bel-Air Hotel.[3]

In December 1947 she met John Derek in an acting class, and they married on October 9, 1948. The couple had two children: son Russell Derek (1950–1999) and daughter Sean Catherine Derek (born 1953), who became a screenwriter. Behrs and Derek separated in September 1955 and divorced in April 1956.

In 1975, she married pediatrician Dr. Lucius Lindley (1919–1986), who predeceased her.

She became a grandmother in 1969, and a great-grandmother in 1996. She died on July 4, 2004, aged 82.

Philosophical and/or political views

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An animal-rights advocate, she presented Actors and Others with her 1926 Steinway baby grand piano. Her daughter, Sean, requested it be sold to help as many animals in need as possible.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1946 The Razor's Edge Guest Uncredited
1947 Forever Amber Makeup Artist Uncredited
1948 Apartment for Peggy Jeanne
1948 Unfaithfully Yours Minor Role Uncredited
1948 When My Baby Smiles at Me Woman in Box Uncredited
1949 The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend Roulette
1949 Come to the Stable Nun Uncredited, (final film role)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Capua, Michelangelo (2020). John Derek: Actor, Director, Photographer. McFarland. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4766-7588-6.
  2. ^ "Person Details for Pati Behrs-Eristoff, 'New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957'". FamilySearch.
  3. ^ Carroll, Harrison (October 19, 1948). Behind the Scenes in Hollywood. The Daily Clintonian
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