Patricia Sharyn Moffett, a talented child actress, was born on September 12, 1936, in Alameda, California, to a family deeply rooted in the show business industry. Her mother, Gladyce Roberts, was a dancer, while her father, Bob Moffett, was a singer and film bit player who had previously performed in burlesque shows and barbershop quartets.
Sharyn's parents, who met while working in theater in Hollywood, made the decision to leave the entertainment industry to raise their two children, Sharyn and her younger brother, Gregory Moffett, who would also go on to become a child actor. The family relocated to Anaheim, California, where Sharyn's parents practically pushed her into a career from infancy, with little success until she won her first role at the age of 8, the lead in the animal movie "My Pal Wolf" (1944).
From then on, Sharyn added tyke charm and caring to a number of warm, sentimental tales that also featured animals, including "A Boy, a Girl and a Dog" (1946) and "Rusty Leads the Way" (1948). Her best role was a strong, dramatic part in her fourth film, "Child of Divorce" (1946),in which she was the focal point.
Sharyn continued to have central roles in "Banjo" (1947),"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948),and "The Judge Steps Out" (1948),which marked the film debut of her brother Gregory in an uncredited role. However, by her awkward teens, Sharyn's career had run out of steam, and she departed from acting after her second lead role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the slight summer camp tale "Her First Romance" (1951).
Sharyn eventually married and moved to Pennsylvania, where she and her husband became Episcopalian ministers. Devoted to her spiritual work, she once served as the national president of the "Big Sisters" organization.
