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{{Infobox person <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox person]]. -->
{{Infobox person <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox person]]. -->
| name = Mark Patton
| name = Mark Patton
| image =
| image = Mark Patton by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption = Patton in 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|9|22}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|9|22}}
| birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
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'''Mark Patton''' (born September 22, 1959) is an American interior designer and actor. Beginning his professional acting career in 1982, Patton is perhaps best known for his feature film roles as Joe Qualley in the dramatic film ''[[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean]]'' and as [[Jesse Walsh]] in the 1985 horror film ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge]]'', a role for which he is touted as the first male [[scream queen]] in modern cinema.
'''Mark Patton''' (born September 22, 1959) is an American interior designer and actor. Beginning his professional acting career in 1982, Patton is perhaps best known for his feature film roles as Joe Qualley in the dramatic film ''[[Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean]]'' and as [[Jesse Walsh]] in the 1985 horror film ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge]]'', a role for which he is touted as the first "scream king" (male equivalent of [[scream queen]]) in modern cinema.


== Career ==
== Career ==
Patton grew up in [[Riverside, Missouri]] and, after graduating high school, he moved to [[New York City]] to pursue an acting career.<ref name = hiv/> Within a few years he landed the role of Joe Qualley in the 1982 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''[[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (play)|Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean]]''. Patton reprised the role in the 1982 [[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|film of the same name]]. His character in the play and film was a pre-transition teen [[transgender]] woman. However, Patton was not allowed to do an interview with the [[LGBT]]-interest magazine, ''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]''. Patton identified this as an early indicator of the [[homophobia]] in Hollywood at that time.<ref name=hiv>{{cite journal| url=http://www.hivplusmag.com/people/cover-stories/2013/08/08/nightmare-hollywood-couldnt-kill-mark-patton| title=A Nightmare in Hollywood Couldn't Kill Mark Patton| date=August 8, 2013| last=Peeples| first=Jase| journal=[[LPI Media#HIV Plus|HIV Plus]]| accessdate=January 24, 2016}}</ref>
Patton grew up in [[Riverside, Missouri]], and, after graduating high school, moved to [[New York City]] to pursue an acting career.<ref name = hiv/> Within a few years, he landed the role of Joe Qualley in the 1982 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''[[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (play)|Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean]]''. Patton reprised the role in the [[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|1982 film of the same name]]. His character in the play and film was a pre-transition teen [[transgender]] woman. However, Patton was not allowed "by those guiding his career" to do an interview with the [[LGBT]]-interest magazine ''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]''. Patton identified this as indicative of [[homophobia]] in Hollywood at that time.<ref name=hiv>{{cite journal| url=http://www.hivplusmag.com/people/cover-stories/2013/08/08/nightmare-hollywood-couldnt-kill-mark-patton| title=A Nightmare in Hollywood Couldn't Kill Mark Patton| date=August 8, 2013| last=Peeples| first=Jase| journal=[[LPI Media#HIV Plus|HIV Plus]]| accessdate=January 24, 2016}}</ref>


In 1985, Patton landed the lead role in the horror film ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge]]'' portraying [[Jesse Walsh]], a teen whose body becomes possessed by [[Freddy Krueger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34384/never-sleep-again-twitterfeed-wednesday-edition-and-more |title=Never Sleep Again – Twitterfeed Wednesday Edition and MORE! |publisher=DreadCentral |date=November 5, 2009 |last=Barton |first=Steve |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107111010/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34384/never-sleep-again-twitterfeed-wednesday-edition-and-more |archive-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref> Critics and audiences noted the gay subtext of the film, something screenwriter David Chaskin initially attributed to Patton's portrayal of Jesse.<ref name = hiv /> However, in the 2010 documentary ''[[Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy]]'' Chaskin acknowledged that he, himself, was responsible for the film's deliberate gay subtext.
In 1985, Patton landed the lead role in the horror film ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge]]'', portraying [[Jesse Walsh]], a teen whose body becomes possessed by [[Freddy Krueger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34384/never-sleep-again-twitterfeed-wednesday-edition-and-more |title=Never Sleep Again – Twitterfeed Wednesday Edition and MORE! |publisher=DreadCentral |date=November 5, 2009 |last=Barton |first=Steve |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107111010/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34384/never-sleep-again-twitterfeed-wednesday-edition-and-more |archive-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref> Critics and audiences noted the gay subtext of the film, something screenwriter David Chaskin initially attributed to Patton's portrayal of Jesse.<ref name = hiv /> However, in the 2010 documentary ''[[Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy]]'', Chaskin acknowledged that he, himself, was responsible for the film's deliberate gay subtext. The emotional stress of the film led Patton to leave acting shortly afterwards for a career in [[interior decorating]].<ref name="Buzzfeed article">{{cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/the-nightmare-behind-the-gayest-horror-film-ever-made|title=The Nightmare Behind The Gayest Horror Film Ever Made|last=Peitzman|first=Louis|date=February 21, 2016|newspaper=[[BuzzFeed]]|access-date=February 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222003005/http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/the-nightmare-behind-the-gayest-horror-film-ever-made|archive-date=February 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>


Patton had a guest appearance on the television series ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]'' and had scenes alongside George Clooney and Maud Adams. He also starred in a [[television pilot]] with [[Chuck Connors]] entitled ''Kelsey's Son'', which was never picked up.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19830821&id=prYfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3017,4608996| last=Bobbin| first=Jay| title=Kelsey's Son| work=[[Southeast Missourian]]| date=August 21, 1983| accessdate=January 24, 2016}}</ref> Other roles include ''[[General Hospital]]'' as Greg Collier, ''Misplaced'' with [[John Cameron Mitchell]], ''[[Anna to the Infinite Power]]'' with [[Dina Merrill]] and [[Martha Byrne]], and ''Have You Tried Talking to Patty'' with [[Heather Langenkamp]].
Patton had a guest appearance on the television series ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]'' and had scenes alongside George Clooney and Maud Adams. He also starred in a [[television pilot]] with [[Chuck Connors]] entitled ''Kelsey's Son'', which was never picked up.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19830821&id=prYfAAAAIBAJ&pg=3017,4608996| last=Bobbin| first=Jay| title=Kelsey's Son| work=[[Southeast Missourian]]| date=August 21, 1983| accessdate=January 24, 2016}}</ref> Other roles include ''[[General Hospital]]'' as Greg Collier, ''Misplaced'' with [[John Cameron Mitchell]], ''[[Anna to the Infinite Power]]'' with [[Dina Merrill]] and [[Martha Byrne]], and ''Have You Tried Talking to Patty'' with [[Heather Langenkamp]].


Patton says he gave up on his acting career following being cast in a planned CBS series in which he would have played a gay character. "They began to ask me if I would be comfortable playing a gay character and telling people I was straight if they began to question my sexuality?...All I could think about was how everyone I knew was dying from AIDS and we were having this bullshit conversation. My heart just broke and that was the line for me. I knew I would never be able to do what they were asking, so I walked away from Hollywood and decided to move on to a place where it was totally acceptable to be gay."<ref name=hiv />
Patton says he gave up on his acting career following being cast in a planned CBS series in which he would have played a gay character. "They began to ask me if I would be comfortable playing a gay character and telling people I was straight if they began to question my sexuality? [...] All I could think about was how everyone I knew was dying from [[AIDS]] and we were having this bullshit conversation. My heart just broke and that was the line for me. I knew I would never be able to do what they were asking, so I walked away from Hollywood and decided to move on to a place where it was totally acceptable to be gay."<ref name=hiv />


Patton returned to acting for the first time since ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge|Freddy's Revenge]]'' with his appearance in the 2016 horror film ''Family Possessions''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
Patton returned to acting for the first time since ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge|Freddy's Revenge]]'' with his appearance in the 2016 horror film ''Family Possessions''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}


== Personal life==
== Personal life==
Patton was diagnosed with [[HIV]] in 1999, on his fortieth birthday, after falling ill and initially being tested for [[bronchitis]]; he was subsequently hospitalized for [[pneumonia]], [[candidiasis|thrush]], and [[tuberculosis]]. In a 2013 interview, Patton said, "I almost died [in the hospital], but thankfully my friends took me to an AIDS health clinic, which saved my life."<ref name = hiv/> Upon recovering, he moved to Mexico, where he met and later married Hector Morales Mondragon. The couple own and operate an art store in [[Puerto Vallarta]].<ref name = hiv />
Patton was diagnosed with [[HIV]] in 1999, on his 40th birthday, after falling ill and initially being tested for [[bronchitis]]; he was subsequently hospitalized for [[pneumonia]], [[candidiasis|thrush]], and [[tuberculosis]]. In a 2013 interview, Patton said, "I almost died [in the hospital], but thankfully my friends took me to an AIDS health clinic, which saved my life."<ref name = hiv/> Upon recovering, he moved to Mexico, where he met and later married Hector Morales Mondragon. The couple own and operate an art store in [[Puerto Vallarta]].<ref name = hiv />


Patton appears in the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' documentary ''[[Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy]]'', directed by Dan Farrands.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34479/never-sleep-again-after-decades-mark-patton-talks-elm-street-2| title=Never Sleep Again: After Decades ... Mark Patton Talks Elm Street 2| publisher=DreadCentral| date=November 10, 2009| author=thehorrorchick}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34501/never-sleep-again-a-talk-with-directors-daniel-farrands-and-andrew-kasch| title=Never Sleep Again: A Talk with Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch| publisher=DreadCentral| date=November 11, 2009| author=thehorrorchick}}</ref> Following his appearance in the documentary Patton began touring horror conventions where he is lauded as mainstream cinema's first male "[[scream queen]]". He donates most of his appearance fees to HIV treatment groups and charities benefiting LGBT youth such as [[The Trevor Project]].<ref name=hiv />
Patton appears in the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' documentary ''[[Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy]]'', directed by Dan Farrands.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34479/never-sleep-again-after-decades-mark-patton-talks-elm-street-2| title=Never Sleep Again: After Decades ... Mark Patton Talks Elm Street 2| publisher=DreadCentral| date=November 10, 2009| author=thehorrorchick}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/34501/never-sleep-again-a-talk-with-directors-daniel-farrands-and-andrew-kasch| title=Never Sleep Again: A Talk with Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch| publisher=DreadCentral| date=November 11, 2009| author=thehorrorchick}}</ref> Following his appearance in the documentary, Patton began touring horror conventions, where he is lauded as mainstream cinema's first male "[[scream queen]]". He donates most of his appearance fees to HIV treatment groups and charities benefiting LGBT youth such as [[The Trevor Project]].<ref name=hiv />

In January 2023, Patton was forced to cancel several scheduled appearances in Chicago after he was hospitalized in Mexico. Through his manager, he released a statement confirming that his diagnosis had progressed to AIDS and asking for assistance through a GoFundMe page.<ref name=gofundme>{{cite web| url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nightmare-on-elm-street-2-star-mark-patton-gofundme-medical-bills-184021365.html| title='Nightmare on Elm Street 2' star Mark Patton asks for help with medical bills: 'I will not be embarrassed'| date=January 15, 2023| last=Johnson| first=Megan| website=[[Yahoo! News]]| accessdate=January 16, 2023}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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|-
|-
! Year
! Year
! width="197" |Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! Notes
! Notes
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|''[[Anna to the Infinite Power]]''
|''[[Anna to the Infinite Power]]''
|Rowan Hart
|Rowan Hart
|Feature film
|TV film
|-
|-
|1985
|1985
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|[[Jesse Walsh]]
|[[Jesse Walsh]]
|Feature film
|Feature film
|-
|1989
|''[[Misplaced (film)|Misplaced]]''
|Roughneck
|
|-
|-
|2003
|2003
|''[[Freddy vs. Jason]]''
|''[[Freddy vs. Jason]]''
|[[Jesse Walsh]]
|[[Jesse Walsh]]
|Archive footage, special thanks
|Archive footage; special thanks
|-
|-
|2010
|2010
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|Himself
|Himself
|Documentary
|Documentary
|-
|2022
|''[[Swallowed (film)|Swallowed]]''
|Rich
|Feature film
|-
|2022
|''[[The Once and Future Smash]]''
|Himself
|Mockumentary
|}
|}


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|-
! Year
! Year
! width="197" |Title
! Title
! Role
! Role
! Notes
! Notes
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|-
|-
|1986
|1986
|''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]''
|''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]''
|Todd Radcliff
|Todd Radcliff
|Episode: "Recriminations"
|Episode: "Recriminations"
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0666593}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* https://www.facebook.com/pg/officialmarkpatton/about/?ref=page_internal
* https://www.facebook.com/pg/officialmarkpatton/about/?ref=page_internal
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Mexico]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Mexico]]
[[Category:American interior designers]]
[[Category:American interior designers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:Gay actors]]
[[Category:American gay actors]]
[[Category:LGBT entertainers from the United States]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from Missouri]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Missouri]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Missouri]]
[[Category:Male actors from Missouri]]

Latest revision as of 03:35, 11 November 2024

This article is about the American actor. For the British archaeologist, see Mark Patton (archaeologist).

Mark Patton
Patton in 2023
Born (1959-09-22) September 22, 1959 (age 65)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, interior designer
Years active1982–1986; 2015–present (as actor)
SpouseHector Morales Mondragon

Mark Patton (born September 22, 1959) is an American interior designer and actor. Beginning his professional acting career in 1982, Patton is perhaps best known for his feature film roles as Joe Qualley in the dramatic film Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and as Jesse Walsh in the 1985 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, a role for which he is touted as the first "scream king" (male equivalent of scream queen) in modern cinema.

Career

[edit]

Patton grew up in Riverside, Missouri, and, after graduating high school, moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.[1] Within a few years, he landed the role of Joe Qualley in the 1982 Broadway production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Patton reprised the role in the 1982 film of the same name. His character in the play and film was a pre-transition teen transgender woman. However, Patton was not allowed "by those guiding his career" to do an interview with the LGBT-interest magazine The Advocate. Patton identified this as indicative of homophobia in Hollywood at that time.[1]

In 1985, Patton landed the lead role in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, portraying Jesse Walsh, a teen whose body becomes possessed by Freddy Krueger.[2] Critics and audiences noted the gay subtext of the film, something screenwriter David Chaskin initially attributed to Patton's portrayal of Jesse.[1] However, in the 2010 documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Chaskin acknowledged that he, himself, was responsible for the film's deliberate gay subtext. The emotional stress of the film led Patton to leave acting shortly afterwards for a career in interior decorating.[3]

Patton had a guest appearance on the television series Hotel and had scenes alongside George Clooney and Maud Adams. He also starred in a television pilot with Chuck Connors entitled Kelsey's Son, which was never picked up.[4] Other roles include General Hospital as Greg Collier, Misplaced with John Cameron Mitchell, Anna to the Infinite Power with Dina Merrill and Martha Byrne, and Have You Tried Talking to Patty with Heather Langenkamp.

Patton says he gave up on his acting career following being cast in a planned CBS series in which he would have played a gay character. "They began to ask me if I would be comfortable playing a gay character and telling people I was straight if they began to question my sexuality? [...] All I could think about was how everyone I knew was dying from AIDS and we were having this bullshit conversation. My heart just broke and that was the line for me. I knew I would never be able to do what they were asking, so I walked away from Hollywood and decided to move on to a place where it was totally acceptable to be gay."[1]

Patton returned to acting for the first time since Freddy's Revenge with his appearance in the 2016 horror film Family Possessions.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Patton was diagnosed with HIV in 1999, on his 40th birthday, after falling ill and initially being tested for bronchitis; he was subsequently hospitalized for pneumonia, thrush, and tuberculosis. In a 2013 interview, Patton said, "I almost died [in the hospital], but thankfully my friends took me to an AIDS health clinic, which saved my life."[1] Upon recovering, he moved to Mexico, where he met and later married Hector Morales Mondragon. The couple own and operate an art store in Puerto Vallarta.[1]

Patton appears in the A Nightmare on Elm Street documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, directed by Dan Farrands.[5][6] Following his appearance in the documentary, Patton began touring horror conventions, where he is lauded as mainstream cinema's first male "scream queen". He donates most of his appearance fees to HIV treatment groups and charities benefiting LGBT youth such as The Trevor Project.[1]

In January 2023, Patton was forced to cancel several scheduled appearances in Chicago after he was hospitalized in Mexico. Through his manager, he released a statement confirming that his diagnosis had progressed to AIDS and asking for assistance through a GoFundMe page.[7]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1982 Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Joe Qualley Feature film
1982 Anna to the Infinite Power Rowan Hart TV film
1985 A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge Jesse Walsh Feature film
1989 Misplaced Roughneck
2003 Freddy vs. Jason Jesse Walsh Archive footage; special thanks
2010 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Himself Documentary
2016 Family Possessions Tyson Feature film
2017 Amityville: Evil Never Dies James Feature film
2019 Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street Himself Documentary
2022 Swallowed Rich Feature film
2022 The Once and Future Smash Himself Mockumentary

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1983 Kelsey's Son Tim Kelsey Television pilot
1986 CBS Schoolbreak Special Chris Jenson Episode: "Have You Tried Talking to Patty?"
1986 Hotel Todd Radcliff Episode: "Recriminations"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Peeples, Jase (August 8, 2013). "A Nightmare in Hollywood Couldn't Kill Mark Patton". HIV Plus. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Barton, Steve (November 5, 2009). "Never Sleep Again – Twitterfeed Wednesday Edition and MORE!". DreadCentral. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  3. ^ Peitzman, Louis (February 21, 2016). "The Nightmare Behind The Gayest Horror Film Ever Made". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Bobbin, Jay (August 21, 1983). "Kelsey's Son". Southeast Missourian. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  5. ^ thehorrorchick (November 10, 2009). "Never Sleep Again: After Decades ... Mark Patton Talks Elm Street 2". DreadCentral.
  6. ^ thehorrorchick (November 11, 2009). "Never Sleep Again: A Talk with Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch". DreadCentral.
  7. ^ Johnson, Megan (January 15, 2023). "'Nightmare on Elm Street 2' star Mark Patton asks for help with medical bills: 'I will not be embarrassed'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
[edit]
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