Pat Ast
Known For
Acting
Born
1941-10-21 in Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died
2001-10-03
Biography
Pat Ast was an American actress and model. She was best known for starring in Andy Warhol films and being a Halston model and muse in the 1970s. Ast enjoyed partying in her twenties on Fire Island, and her boisterous personality allowed her to meet and befriend influential people. She had aspirations to become an actress, singer and model despite her day job as a receptionist at a box factory. She made her screen debut after meeting director John Schlesinger on Fire Island, who cast her as a party guest in his film Midnight Cowboy (1969). Around that time, she caught the attention of fashion designer Halston, who gave her a job at his boutique and made her one of his models, despite her weighing 210 pounds, in a time when most models were extremely thin. In the early 1970s, with Pat Cleveland, Connie Cook, Alva Chinn, Anjelica Huston, Karen Bjornson, among others, Ast became one of Halston's favored troupe of models, nicknamed the Halstonettes. She also appeared in runway shows for Halston and Yves St. Laurent, closing the 1972 Coty Awards runway show for Halston by popping out of a giant cake. She later became associated with Andy Warhol, who gave her the role of landlady Lydia in his film Heat (1972) alongside Joe Dallesandro. In 1975, Ast moved to Hollywood to pursue her acting career. She has appeared in films such as The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976), Foul Play (1978), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), and Reform School Girls (1986). She became resentful of Los Angeles as her film career stalled. She went to New York to do Nine, a Broadway musical based on Federico Fellini’s movie 8 1/2, but was dismissed after three months.
Most Known For
Quantum Leap
as Dolores
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Princess #1
Faerie Tale Theatre
as 2nd Slipper Contestant
Midnight Cowboy
as Party Guest (uncredited)
Foul Play
as Mrs. Venus
Club Life
as Butch
Heat
as Lydia / landlady
The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper
as Horse Lady
Homer and Eddie
as Maggie Sinclair
Reform School Girls
as Edna Dawson
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox
as Music Hall Singer
Ted & Venus
as Women's Group #2
The Users
as The Dressmaker
The World's Greatest Lover
as Italian Wardrobe Lady / Bakery Lady
Pandemonium
as Bus Driver
The Possession of Joel Delaney
as Mental Hospital Patient (uncredited)
The Princess and the Pea
as Princess #1
Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill
as Vera Elvira
Warhol
as Self
