Merritt Patterson is an actress who has garnered fame for her roles in Pretty Little Liars’ spin-off Ravenswood as Olivia and E! Network TV series The Royals as Ophelia. A hardworking and talented star, Merritt has established herself as a television and movie favourite since she stormed the screens. She has featured in a good number of projects in her short but promising career which is growing on a fast lane.
She first featured on the small screen in 2006 – Kyle XY, and also in several other absorbing roles that attracted a huge fan base for her on TV. With fame comes the constant probing to know more about a star and Merritt has joined the league of personalities with a slew of fans hungry for information about them.
Merritt Patterson’s Entertainment Career Began On Stage
Merritt Patterson was born on the 2nd of September 1990 in Canada’s province of British Columbia, Whistler Town. She was brought up alongside her sister, Mackenzie Patterson who is said to be her only sibling. While there is no much information about her parents, it is known that the name of her father is Dave Patterson.
There is absolutely nothing to go with on her racial background and academic qualifications, but it is believed that she is educated to a reasonable level. Talking about her career in the world of entertainment, Merritt Patterson developed a flair for the showbiz from a very tender age. She began to participate in both dancing competitions and theatrical productions from the very early age of 11.
With the passage of time, Patterson flourished in it, and throughout her high school program, she became even better. Her dedication and passion for dance and theatre saw the aspiring actress clinch her first-ever job in the commercials for UNO when she was just 15 years of age. Merritt Patterson has also featured in a television commercial for the Roger Touch Phones.
The Actress Had An Early Brush With The Modeling World
Even though she is mostly associated with acting, the Canadian entertainer has also tried her hands at modelling. Very early in her career, Merritt Patterson was part of the 2006 Canadian Herbal Essence Teen Model Search, where she competed against 10,000 other contestants and emerged the winner.
With modelling as something she has come to love, Patterson had wanted to continue with the path, and if possible, make a career out of it. However, because of the fact that she is at a disadvantage regarding her height which is below the average of what one would need to succeed as a model, this dream spiralled out of her reach.
Merritt Patterson didn’t get discouraged by her shortcomings, instead, it spurred her to change focus to another area she equally has a passion for which is acting. Initially, the actress was living in Vancouver but relocated to the city of Los Angeles, California, where it is easier to pursue her acting career. She is still a resident in LA.
Building Her Acting Career Over The Years
Merritt Patterson made her first-ever TV appearance in 2006 when she was featured in a guest role as Ashleigh Redmond in the popular ABC family TV series Kyle XY. In 2009, she portrayed the character of Jessica in the movie The Hole, which became her first movie role as an actress. Subsequently, minor roles in movies and TV shows came her way, one of which was her portrayal of the character of a cheerleader in Supernatural in 2009.
She wasted no time in securing her next movie role on the set of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief which was released the following year – the film was a huge commercial success. Merritt Patterson started getting leading roles in 2012 starting with the Disney Channel’s teenage drama television film Radio Rebel where she gave expression to the character of Stacy DeBane. Before the year ran out, the Canadian-born actress showed up in another movie Revel, playing the role of Hera. She equally appeared as Tracy in Rufus – a Canadian horror movie.
Though Cancelled, Ravenswood Boosted Her Profile
By 2013, Patterson was cast in the ABC Family series Ravenswood in a recurring role as Tess; however, she was later called in to replace popular model Elizabeth Whitson who was then playing the leading role of Olivia Matheson. Though this was considered a feather in Merritt Patterson’s cap, the series which took-off in October 2013 happened to be a short-lived one and didn’t see the end of 2014, in fact, it was cancelled before the end of February 2014. Nonetheless, Patterson’s work in the series earned her some recognition.
2014 appeared to be a prolific year for the celebrated actress as she appeared in a plethora of productions. First, she joined the cast of the movie Primary as Sara Jasper, appeared in Kid Cannabis playing the role of Nicole Greffard, and later played the lead in Wolves – a Canadian action horror movie where she depicted the character of Angelina Timmins, sharing the screen with the likes of Jason Momoa.
Merritt Patterson earned some accolades for her role on the set of 2015 The Royals – an E! Network’s primetime soap opera which featured her as Ophelia Pryce in the first season.
The next year saw her as part of the cast of The Art of More – a Crackle television drama series where she gave life to the character of Olivia Brukner (the daughter of Dennis Quaid’s character) in the second season.
Her other recorded roles on both the big and small screens include Life Unexpected in 2010, Iron Invader (2011), and The Troop which was released the same year. Others are the 2012 Pregnancy Project and Motive in 2016. In 2017, she was on the set of four productions namely Bad Date Chronicles, A Royal Winter, Next Door Nightmare, and The Christmas Cottage.
Her Most Recent Roles In TV And Films
Merritt Patterson’s continued appearances in both the movies and television made her one of the sought after actresses for casting directors and movie producers. To date, she is still very much relevant in the entertainment business with some recent appearances recorded on the set of the 2018 Christian movie Unbroken: Path to Redemption in the lead role of Cynthia Zamperini.
The same year, she appeared as Abby Russo in the TV film Wedding March 4: Something Old, Something New on the Hallmark Channel. She showed up in yet another television movie Christmas at the Palace in 2018 as Katie. By 2019, Patterson portrayed Sophie in Picture a Perfect Christmas and Jenna in Forever in My Heart. Important to note that all of Merritt Patterson’s recent productions are for Hallmark Channel.
See Also: Madison Lintz – Bio, Facts You Need To Know About The Walking Dead Actress
Merritt Patterson’s Love Life And Current Relationship Status
Talking about the love life of the Canadian actress, Merritt Patterson is not one to gush about her boyfriend in the open. She has pretty much kept all details of her love life under lock and key, well away from prying eyes. However, her taciturn nature has not stopped fans from speculating about the current man in her life.
It looked as if the nosy fans were going to get their wish when news broke that Patterson has been an item with J.R. Ringer since 2017. However, this wish was never fulfilled when the popular actress declined to reveal the name of her boyfriend; rather, she told Galore Magazine that she was involved with a man without mentioning any name. So far, her love life remains a mystery.
