Pat Ast

Patricia Ann Ast (October 21, 1941 – October 2, 2001) was an American actress and model. She rose to fame as a Warhol superstar in the early 1970s, appearing in the film Heat. Ast was a muse to fashion designer Halston and a member of his circle of models known as the Halstonettes. Ast challenged prevailing ideals of the fashion industry and became one of the earliest plus-size models to gain prominence on major designer runways. She later appeared in several films including The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976), Foul Play (1978), and Reform School Girls (1986).

Early life Patricia Ann Ast was born on October 21, 1941, in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents Irwin and Rose (Ludwig) Ast. Her father was a onetime Borscht Belt comedian who later ran a paint store in the Bronx.

Ast's weight became a source of contention within her family from adolescence. She made her screen debut after meeting director John Schlesinger on Fire Island, who cast her in a walk-on role as a party guest in Midnight Cowboy (1969). Halston referred to her as his "lady-in-waiting," while Ast called him "the king" of fashion.

Ast modeled designs by Stephen Burrows and Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, and she was photographed by Francesco Scavullo. During the 1972 Coty Awards at Lincoln Center, she closed Halston's presentation by emerging from a giant cake singing "Happy Birthday to Me."

Public image and legacy

Ast's combination of fashion, performance, and boisterous personality subsequently became an important part of her public image. She was affectionately dubbed "The SuperAst." Despite her visibility on the runway, she was often treated as a novelty rather than a serious model by the press. Luther replied, "It's a put-on," explaining that the 210-pound Ast was a friend of all three designers and that the clothes she modeled had been made especially for her.

Ast herself rejected the idea that her size diminished her legitimacy as a model. She said her primary aim was to make people smile. In an interview reported by The Boston Globe, Ast said, "Rolls of fat have nothing to do with confidence. You've got to make everything you've got work despite the standards imposed by society." Her runway appearances and her love scene in Heat, and the attention they generated, challenged conventional ideals of the female body and the prevailing image of the sex symbol.

In retrospect, Ast has increasingly been recognized as a trailblazer in fashion and one of the earliest plus-size models to achieve prominence on major designer runways. In 2002, The New York Times called Ast " the original superdupermodel," while W hailed her in 2021 as a "pioneering" muse.

In pop culture Ast was portrayed by Shawna Hamic in the 2021 Netflix miniseries Halston.

Filmography