Born: March 17, 1944

Met George Harrison on first day of shooting of A Hard Day's Night, in which she played the schoolgirl on the train whose only line is "Prisoners?!"

Marriage:

Married George Harrison on January 21, 1966 at Epsom Register Office in Surrey . The two had lived together for about a year before they were married.

Attendees at wedding included: Paul McCartney

What the Beatles were doing that night: This was during a long break between touring in December and the recording of Revolver beginning in April.

As their marriage dissolved in the '70s, Harrison later penned "So Sad," a sentiment that was exponentially anted up by Eric Clapton's scorching ballad of unrequited love, "Layla." Rolling Stone Magazine recently ranked that guitar-drenched anthem #27 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time," and a case could be easily made that other tracks on Derek and the Dominos' lone studio album—Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs—also voiced Clapton's then-heartbreak over Pattie, who was still married to Eric's good friend George. Around the time Eric and Pattie eventually wed in 1979, Clapton penned the tender ballad "Wonderful Tonight" for her, resulting in both another hit and another classic love song.

Even more intriguing than this ongoing musical libretto—inspired by rock 'n' roll's ultimate muse—is Boyd's actual biographical narrative. Born Patricia Anne Boyd in Hampstead, England outside of London—not far from where she resides and practices photography today—Boyd spent a good part of her childhood in Kenya, where her father, a Royal Air Force pilot, was stationed for a time.

Back in London by the very early '60s, Pattie, along with her younger sister Jenny—also renowned in song via Donovan's "Jennifer Juniper"—embarked on a modeling career in her late teens. Pattie quickly became an "It" girl in the trend-setting U.K. scene of the day, and wrote the column "Pattie's Letter From London" for 16 Magazine, offering beauty, fashion and dating tips, among other words of advice. In the 2000 book "Swingin' Chicks of the '60s: A Tribute to 101 of the Decade's Defining Women," her write-up opens the section entitled "The Look." Calling her "an adorable buck-toothed British bird," author Chris Stoddard cites Pattie as a prime example of the era's "innovators and instigators, the models and the mentors, who led the fashion revolution."

Success in international modeling lead to a commercial deal in London with director Richard Lester, who positioned her as the high-profile "Smith's Crisps Girl," a guise in which Pattie appeared on television and at numerous live promotional gigs. Lester then cast her in a cameo role in 1964's "A Hard Day's Night," the film he was helming for the then meteorically-on-the-rise group The Beatles. Legend has it that when the "Fab Four" were signing autographs for a group of girls including Pattie and her sisters, George drew one kiss with each signature—except for Pattie's, which garnered seven! She and George were soon a couple, and the small movie part—played in a quite-small mini-dress, with one word of dialogue—was in fact a very big deal.

Following a much-publicized romance during which they were besieged by Beatles fans and the press alike, George and Pattie married in 1966 in Surrey—in matching Mary Quant fur coats—with Paul McCartney and The Beatles manager Brian Epstein in attendance. Shortly thereafter, Pattie, who had always had a keen interest in Eastern philosophies, introduced George to Indian mysticism, and they began exploring transcendental meditation together. They met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during a London appearance, and Pattie encouraged—and, in fact, was the ringleader for—The Beatles' and other notables' famous 1968 pilgrimage to his ashram in Rishikesh.

The interlude extended Pattie's musical impact on her circle of friends beyond love songs. Dubbing the Maharishi "Sadie," John Lennon wrote "Sexy Sadie," fueled by his skepticism over the experience. George and Pattie, however, were powerfully influenced by the journey. In a recent Hello! magazine interview, Pattie—who still practices meditation—commented, "We decided to stay on after the others had left and went to South India. We stayed two-and-a-half months altogether. It changed our lives and had a lifelong effect on George and on his music."
Back in England, changes in the music scene, divergent interests, and Harrison's absorption into meditation led to distance in their relationship. The couple divorced in 1977, and two years later Pattie married Eric Clapton, with whom she was with for a decade. She remained close to George until his death in 2001, and she and Clapton remain great friends to this day. Recently, Pattie co-founded the charitable organization SHARP (Self-Help Addiction Recovery Programme) with Barbara Bach, wife of Ringo Starr—an effort partly inspired by her years with Clapton before his own recovery from substance abuse.

On her own for the first time in 1989, Pattie delved into her photography, which had been a passionate pursuit since the early '60s. It began as a way of documenting the excitement of London's mod heyday, and became an ever-increasing part of her life: a much-needed creative outlet. A '90s collaboration with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood—also a respected painter—lead to Pattie's reputation as a fine portraitist. Wood had been commissioned by Andrew Lloyd Weber to paint a large-scale mural triptych depicting fifty noted celebrities. To help him compose the piece, Wood asked Pattie to record each subject photographically.

These images are among the many compelling works from the past four decades that Pattie Boyd is beginning to show in gallery exhibitions around the world—commencing with her first-ever public exhibit at the San Francisco Art Exchange's downtown San Francisco gallery—as she enters the latest chapter in her extraordinary life.

Interesting Facts

The songs 'Layla' and 'Wonderful Tonight' by Derek & the Dominoes (Clapton's pseudonym) and Eric Clapton respectively were written about her.

She sings backup (along with Yoko Ono) on 'Birthday' (it should be clear which line).

Wild Honey Pie was included on the White Album because Pattie liked it.

Pattie was just as interested in Indian culture as George and it was she who introduced George and, in turn, the Beatles to the Maharishi.