He was born September 11, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Hope Gordon, a homemaker, journalist, and actress in the Haddonfield Plays and Players Theatre Troupe, and Francis Ford Patterson IV, an advertising executive. His parents divorced in 1974. Patterson formed The Unknowns, his first band, in the third grade with longtime friend Tommy Poitras. They played just two songs – Back in the U.S.S.R. and (I\'m Not Your) Steppin\' Stone. The Unknowns added to their set list and performed throughout grade school and high school but disbanded after high school graduation. Patterson was raised in Haddonfield, New Jersey and attended Haddonfield Memorial High School. He attended Rutgers University, pursuing a degree in Comparative Literature. He studied acting in New York with renowned coaches Robert Lewis and Sondra Lee. He was exposed to the teachings of such luminaries as Paul Newman, Arthur Penn, and Frank Corsaro at the Actors Studio, where he also participated in the Producer\'s Unit chaired by Penn. He appeared in numerous productions, including Rasputin and Miss Julie.\n', '

Patterson spent seven years, from 1980 to 1986, as a professional pitcher in minor league baseball, topping out at the Triple-A level (the highest before the major leagues). He played in two major league farm systems for seven different minor league teams and was selected to four All-Star Teams (two with Atlanta and two with the New York Yankees). Patterson was initially selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round (12th overall) of the 1980 Major League Baseball secondary draft (an event distinct from the Amateur draft). He played his first pro season with their Class A Anderson Braves in 1980. In 1981 Patterson won 13 consecutive games as a starting pitcher between Class A Durham and Double-A Savannah to set a Braves record for most consecutive wins to start a season. He was named the Braves Minor League Pitcher of the Month twice.\n', '

In 1982, Patterson was traded from the Braves to the New York Yankees for Bob Watson, and was placed on the Yankees Major League roster in 1983. Patterson was named as an All-Star both with the Yankees\' Double-A Albany-Colonie Yankees and Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 1986. In 1985 he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 draft but subsequently returned to the Yankees. While in the Yankees organization Patterson was named their minor league Pitcher of the Month once, and Pitcher of the Week three times. Patterson also pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League with the Lobos de Arecibo in 1984-85, and the Dominican Professional Baseball League with Santo Domingo in 1985-86. Patterson signed a minor league contract with Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate the Albuquerque Dukes in late 1986 but never played at the major league level.\n', '

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