Pat Ast

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.

Known For

Mental Hospital Patient (uncredited)

The Possession of Joel Delaney

Edna Dawson

Reform School Girls

Italian Wardrobe Lady / Bakery Lady

The World's Greatest Lover

Bad Girl

The Donna Summer Special

Horse Lady

The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper

Self

Warhol

Lydia / landlady

Heat

Madam Pace

Six Characters in Search of An Author

Princess #1

The Princess and the Pea

Butch

Club Life

Party Guest (uncredited)

Midnight Cowboy

Beauville

Maggie Sinclair

Homer and Eddie

Mrs. Venus

Foul Play

Vera Elvira

Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill

Bus Driver

Pandemonium

Music Hall Singer

The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox

The Dressmaker

The Users

Women's Group #2

Ted & Venus

Matron

Women Behind Bars