Patterson was born in London into a professional middle-class household, raised in Camden Town by her father, David Llewelyn Hood Patterson,[1] a consultant physician, cardiologist and professor of medicine[2] with the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, of Welsh descent and his spouse.
[3] Planning to provide moral support to a friend who was auditioning,[4] she was noticed by director Neil Jordan and cast in the lead role as Rosaleen,[5] a Little Red Riding Hood character spin-off, in 1984's gothic-horror film The Company of Wolves.
Her parents were enlightened enough to let her play in this quite disturbing film.”[7]Her performance was praised by critics, notwithstanding her chemistry with her co-stars, Dame Angela Lansbury, a fellow South Hampstead High School alumni and Micha Bergese as well as in the treatment of adult themes.
[10] Retirement from the Film Industry After an unremarkable theatre opening, with the Cannon "Brand" increasingly synonym with mediocrity in North America,[11] its primary and most lucrative market, the musical fantasy was released direct-to-video in 1987 and considered a flop.
Whether as a consequence or as a contributing factor, Patterson decided to unofficially retire from the film industry at the age of 17, stepping out of the limelight entirely.
Paradoxically, Patterson continued to be represented by a local London talent agency, Kate Feast Management, in Camden, at least until 1994.