Who is Edi Patterson?
Edi Christine Patterson was born on 19 September 1974, in Texas City, Texas, USA, and is an actress, best known for her role in the 2016 comedy series “Vice Principals” in which she plays the character of Ms. Abott. She stars in the show “The Righteous Gemstones” too, for which she is also a credited writer.
The Wealth of Edi Patterson
As of early-2020, Edi Patterson’s net worth is estimated to be over $2 million, earned through a successful career in acting. She’s appeared in numerous television shows and films during her career, as she’s been active in the profession since 1995, including doing voice-acting work.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Edi grew up in Texas, and at a young age developed a passion for performing. After matriculating from high school, she enrolled at Southern Texas University where she took up a degree in theater with a major in acting. The university would later change its name to Texas State University-San Marcos before settling on the name Texas State University. It is one of the largest universities in the state, having around 50 departments and schools.
During her studies, she became a part of an improvisational acting and theatre group, which would help develop her comedy skills.
This led her to do improvisational theatre projects for some time, which she continued to do after she completed her degree. She also acted in independent movies, although often paid very little or worked for free. Realizing that she could start getting paid acting work, she moved to Los Angeles where she ‘couch-surfed’at a friend’s house, staying for around a month. The two friends later rented apartments close to each other.
Consistent Work
In the mid-1990s, Patterson started her professional, paid career with mostly voice acting projects, working on films such as “City Hunter”, and “Legend of Crystania” which is a film adaptation of the known Japanese franchise.
She also voiced for the video game “Variable Geo”, and the anime adaptation of “Tekken” called “Tekken: The Motion Picture”. In 2001, she gained her first live-action role as a guest for “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, which led to more projects.
She continued to do independent film work, and then had a stint as a guest writer for “Saturday Night Live” which lasted for around two weeks. The job proved pivotal in her next big project, becoming a writer and star of the comedy sketch series “The Underground” in 2006. The show aired on Showtime and starred Damon Wayans, often tackling topics of a taboo nature in a comedic manner.
Following her role in the show which lasted for 11 episodes, she continued taking minor roles on television, including appearances in “Unhitched” and “Young Person’s Guide to History”. She also appeared in the comedy film “Jesus People: The Movie”, which was spawned from the short film of the same name.
A Regular Guest and Minor Film Roles
In 2011, Edi started to gain guest or minor roles in more popular projects, such as “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Weeds”, “The Exes” and “Pair of Kings”. She took more projects and was eventually cast in the comedy film “Thanks”, playing a character with the same name as herself – the film starred Paul Dooley and was shown during the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Following a voice role in “Mars Needs Moms”, she then made guest appearances in “2 Broke Girls” and “Californication”.
In 2014, she gained one of her most notable roles when she was cast as Veronica in the series “Partners”. The show follows two lawyers played by Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer, who developed an unusual partnership after the meeting. The show only lasted for a season, with it being canceled by FX as no renewal was called after its initial episodes. The following year, she played the role of Peters in the monster film “Hellen Keller vs. Nightwolves”. She also had a four-episode role in “Black-ish”, and voiced the role of Courtney Baynes in “Mike Tyson Mysteries”.
Rise to Fame
In 2015, Patterson found regular work, voicing numerous characters for the show “We Bare Bears”. Created by Daniel Chong, it follows three siblings bears of different origins, a grizzly, a panda and a polar bear. The show originated as a comic, and has since found international fame, running for around four seasons. While working on the show, she also had a regular role in “Vice Principals” which helped her rise even further. The show which stars Danny McBride aired on HBO, and completed its story within two seasons, following the story of vice principals who aim for the principal position.
In 2019, she gained one of her biggest film roles as the character Fran in “Knives Out”. The film received critical acclaim on many fronts, and even gained three nominations during the Golden Globe Awards. The film also became a commercial success, and a possible franchise is being hashed out centering on the character played by Daniel Craig. One of her latest projects is the show “The Righteous Gemstones”, which sees her reunite with Danny McBride in the comedy focusing on a family of televangelists; Patterson has been praised for her work on the show so far, described it as mind-breaking.
Personal Life
Edi met actor Daniel J. O’Connor during a workshop held at the Hideout Theater – O’Connor was one of its teachers. The two began a relationship and were married in 2003. He is known for his work as a producer of several animated shows, such as the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, and the “Madagascar” franchise. The two have maintained a relatively private relationship, not attracting any media attention. The couple doesn’t have, children, and Edi hasn’t indicated any desire to have children, although they’ve been together for nearly two decades.