Rhoda Penmark

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Rhoda Penmark
The Bad Seed character
Color portrait of McCormack for the 1956 film.
First appearance	The Bad Seed
Last appearance	The Bad Seed Returns
Created by	William March
Portrayed by	Film Patty McCormack Carrie Wells[a] Mckenna Grace[b] Stage Patty McCormack
In-universe information
Gender	Female
Family	Christine Penmark (mother) Kenneth Penmark (father) Richard Bravo (adopted maternal grandfather) Bessie Denker (biological maternal grandmother)
Nationality	American
Classification	Serial killer

Rhoda Penmark is a fictional character in William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed and the stage play of the same name adapted from it by Maxwell Anderson. She is both the protagonist and antagonist of the story. Penmark is a child serial killer and psychopath who manipulates those around her. She was portrayed by Patty McCormack in the original rendition of the play and later in the 1956 film adaptation. She was also portrayed by Carrie Wells in the 1985 made-for-television adaptation. In the 2018 adaptation and its sequel, she is known as Emma Grossman and portrayed by Mckenna Grace.
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