Back in the day Patricia McPherson could have been called one of the best women for the job as she was the mechanic for KITT, the car from Knight Rider that helped to make the show such a big hit. Her role on the show was pretty obvious and didn’t call for a lot since back then women on TV shows were either the star and were right out in front or were just there as backup for the most part. It was a different time and while she was an educated woman it was the role she was given on the show so she stayed for a while and made the best of it. To be honest Knight Rider was a very popular show and anyone associated with it got to enjoy at least some fame when it came to people recognizing them for their efforts. But Patricia wasn’t as well-known as she could have been, kind of sticking around as a supporting talent for a while before she took off and decided to do her own thing for a time.
She was in show business for just a little over a decade.
She doesn’t hold the record for the shortest time ever spent in the industry but she didn’t stick around all that long it seems since she was more of a guest star on other shows when she wasn’t on Knight Rider. Some people aren’t destined to stay in the industry forever as it might be something they get into on a lark to see if they can do it. Patricia has a degree in advertising and could have gone to a lot of different jobs to be honest, but for some reason acting appealed to her and that was the direction she took. Working as a supporting character isn’t the worst thing in the world and in fact it can be one of the best roles ever, but it can also wear on a person when their hard work is preempted by the star and their need to shine in the spotlight all the time. That’s the constant plight of the supporting actor, but somehow she never really sought the spotlight for herself, or if she did then she never reached it.
She retired in 1991, but made an appearance in 2009.
Patricia was in Knight Rider the entire first season but was absent for the second. She was convinced to come back for the third season and then rode out the rest of the show until it went off the air in 1986. After that she did mainly guest roles for the next five years until she decided to call it quits in 1991. She would eventually come back in 2009 for a guest role on an episode of Warehouse 13 and there was one moment when she was seen in Men In Black, but she went uncredited for that one. For the most part Patricia stayed away and was seemingly glad to be gone. As I said above, show business isn’t for everyone as it’s a very high-profile life and there isn’t much else to do but accept it if you’re going to be a celebrity and do the kind of work that will have people looking at your every move and facial tic looking for something they can use to define you or use against you in some strange way. People aren’t entirely kind when they look at actors and will tend to find just about anything they can to discredit them or put them on a pedestal where most people don’t want to be.
She’s really into wildlife conservation at this point in her life.
At this point in her life Patricia has selected to do something very positive and is into conserving the environment as much as she can. This is a worthwhile cause after all and has managed to attract many celebrities over the years as a lifelong pursuit or at the very least as a publicity stunt to make it seem as though they aren’t completely wrapped up in themselves. Patricia, who has been retired, barring 2009, for well over two decades has put her heart and soul into the efforts of conservation, making it her goal to do something positive that can make a change in the lives of many.
So when you think about where Patricia has gone don’t go thinking that she just up and left the business or was somehow kicked out. She chose to leave to make a different life for herself. Too many people seem to think that entertainers are locked in for life when it comes to their careers, but some of them get a taste of it and then want out, which isn’t too hard to believe since despite all the money and glamour it seems like a very stressful life.
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