FANNIE FLAGG
Early life
Born Patricia Neal in Birmingham, Alabama, Flagg is the only child of William Hurbert Neal Jr. and
Marion Leona (née LeGore).
Aside from a brief period on the Gulf Coast near the town of Point Clear, Flagg spent her childhood in
the Birmingham area.
Encouraged by her father, Flagg became interested in writing and performing at an early age, writing her
first play when she was 10. As a teen, she entered the Miss Alabama pageant, where she won a scholarship
to a local acting school for one year. She began co-hosting a locally produced "Morning Show" on
WBRC-TV in Birmingham, but when she was denied a raise, she quit her job and decided to move to New York
City.
As her acting career began, Flagg could not use her birth name professionally, as there was already a
well-known actress named Patricia Neal registered with Actors' Equity. Having only an hour to choose a
stage name, she selected the first name "Fannie" at the suggestion of her grandfather, who recalled it
being used by many comediennes in the vaudeville circuit, and "Flagg" at the suggestion of a
friend.