Patricia Quinn

Patricia Quinn is best known for her role as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). In the film’s opening title sequence, the movements of her disembodied lips are synchronised with the lyrics of the title song, “Science Fiction/Double Feature” (the singing voice is that of scriptwriter and actor Richard O’Brien).

She played Elizabeth Siddal in the 1975 mini series The Love School. In I, Claudius (1976), she took the role of the Emperor Claudius’ sister Livilla. She also played Isla in The Professionals episode “Look After Annie” in 1978.

Her other film and TV roles include the semi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment. She played “Woman” in Hawk the Slayer (1980). She appeared in the Hammer House of Horrorepisode “Witching Time” as Lucinda Jessop (1981), Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983), and the 1987 Doctor Who serial Dragonfire. Her latest film credit is Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem (2012).

In 2000, Quinn recorded the song “Guts To Dream” with London-based band The Grand. The song was due to form part of an EP titled Open Displays of Affection, but the group had disbanded before it was released. Quinn gave a copy of the unreleased CD to the winner of a Magenta costume contest at the Rocky Horror Picture Show 25th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas.

In 2002, she returned to Doctor Who, playing an alien queen in the audio play Bang-Bang-a-Boom!. In September 2006, she relaunched her career as a DJ and club kitten, hosting the monthly “Club Myra” night at various venues in Central London. In April 2007, she joined Patrick Wolf at a concert in London, singing “Accident and Emergency”.

In October 2008, Quinn made a guest appearance in a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in New York City, participating in a question-and-answer session as well as unexpectedly performing “Science Fiction/Double Feature”. She attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey in July 2011, answering questions as well as introducing a performance of the show, staged at the House of Blues.

In May 2013, she served as the honorary Master of Ceremonies for a Rocky Horror Picture Show performance at the Dallas based Texas Frightmare Weekend horror convention. That same month, she was the guest of honor at a “40th Anniversary Tribute Concert” to the original Rocky Horror Showstage production, hosted at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, California by local drag celebrity Peaches Christ. During the tribute conference, Quinn performed “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, answered questions on stage with Christ, and signed autographs for the audience.