Born in Packard, KY; educated at Northwestern University. Talented, stage-trained actress (Another Part of the Forest) who gave a memorable performance in her screen debut opposite Gary Cooper in King Vidor's adaptation of Ayn Rand's THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949). (Neal's affair with the then-married Cooper generated unrelenting publicity and caused her a nervous breakdown.) In 1953 she married writer Roald Dahl, returning to the screen in 1957 in Elia Kazan's acid portrait of political demagoguery, A FACE IN THE CROWD. Neal's career was interrupted by a series of strokes in the mid-1960s; she was offered the role of Mrs. Robinson in THE GRADUATE (1967) but she was nervous about doing such a demanding role so soon after her stroke. Her comeback appearance in THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES (1968) earned her an Oscar® nomination, but subsequent appearances have been intermittent. Dahl was credited with helping her rehabilitate after her strokes. He designed her recovery routines. Her physical recovery was deftly handled in the 1981 TV movie THE PATRICIA NEAL STORY, in which Neal was expertly played by Glenda Jackson. She received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1986. She is the grandmother of model/actress Sophie Dahl. Other notable (non-nominated) credits include JOHN LOVES MARY and THE HASTY HEART (both 1949), BIRGHT LEAF (1950), THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961), IN HARM'S WAY (1965), THE PASSAGE (1979), GHOST STORY (1981), AN UNREMARKABLE LIFE (1989), COOKIE'S FORTUNE (1999), and FOR THE LOVE OF MAY (2000), as well as many guest appearances on television.  Actress 1963: HUD  Nominated for Actress 1968: THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES 2 nominations, 1 Award