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Patty Duke

Patty Duke

Actor · 1946 – 2016 · Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States

Anna Marie Duke (December 14, 1946 - March 29, 2016), known professionally as Patty Duke, was an American actress. Beginning her acting career in commercials and playing bit parts in television and movies, her breakthrough role was as Helen Keller in the Broadway version of "The Miracle Worker" (1959 - 1961). For the 1962 film adaptation, Duke reprised her role, which won the Academy Award for best supporting actress - at age 16, she was the youngest person ever to win an Oscar (a record later broken by Tatum O'Neal in 1973). Other early films included Billie (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Me, Natalie (1969). On television, Duke starred in the popular teen sitcom The Patty Duke Show (1963 - 1966), playing a dual role and garnering the first of ten Emmy nominations. She won Emmys for her roles in television film My Sweet Charlie (1970), miniseries Captains and the Kings (1976), and the 1979 TV movie version of The Miracle Worker (1979), this time portraying Annie Sullivan. She served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 - 1988. Off-screen, Duke's life was often tumultuous. Born in Elmhurst, New York, to Frances Margaret (McMahon), a cashier, and John Patrick Duke, a cab driver and handyman, her acting career began at age eight when she was turned over to her brother Ray Duke's managers, John and Ethel Ross, who changed her name and engaged in exploitative behavior. Duke was married four times: to director Harry Falk from 1965 - 1969; to writer Michael Tell in 1970 (with whom she became mother to actor Sean Astin); to actor John Astin from 1972 - 1985 (with who she became mother to actress Mackenzie Astin); and to drill sergeant Michael Pearce from 1986 until her death (with whom she had two stepdaughters and an adopted son Kevin). In 1982, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which was the subject of her second book, "A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depression Illness" (1992). Duke was also a political advocate for issues such as the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), AIDS awareness, and nuclear disarmament. She died on March 29, 2016, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, of sepsis from a ruptured intestine.

Movies24

  • Movie7.9

    The Miracle Worker

    1962 · 354 votes

  • Movie5.3
  • Movie5.6

    Prelude to a Kiss

    1992 · 127 votes

  • Movie5.0

    The Swarm

    1978 · 209 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Valley of the Dolls

    1967 · 151 votes

  • Movie4.6
  • Movie5.6

    Me, Natalie

    1969 · 23 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Love Finds A Home

    2009 · 31 votes

  • Movie7.0

    A Season for Miracles

    1999 · 38 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Amazing Love

    2012 · 30 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Fatal Judgement

    1988 · 2 votes

  • Movie5.2

    Curse of the Black Widow

    1977 · 18 votes

  • Movie6.0
  • Movie8.0
  • Movie4.9
  • Movie4.7

    By Design

    1982 · 6 votes

  • Movie9.0
  • Movie
  • Movie7.2

    A Killer Among Friends

    1992 · 63 votes

  • Movie3.5
  • Movie6.4

    Little John

    2002 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.0

    Billie

    1965 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Willy/Milly

    1986 · 14 votes

  • Movie6.9

    The Miracle Worker

    1979 · 22 votes

Series24

  • TV7.5
  • TV5.8

    The Mike Douglas Show

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV7.7

    Hawaii Five-0

    2010 · 1.9K votes

  • TV7.2

    Touched by an Angel

    1994 · 188 votes

  • TV7.7

    Frasier

    1993 · 935 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Love Boat

    1977 · 199 votes

  • TV7.0

    Golden Globe Awards

    1944 · 20 votes

  • TV3.8

    Good Day Live

    2001 · 5 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Merv Griffin Show

    1962 · 12 votes

  • TV6.8

    Glee

    2009 · 975 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Dick Cavett Show

    1968 · 22 votes

  • TV7.5

    Judging Amy

    1999 · 84 votes

  • TV
  • TV7.2

    Hawaii Five-O

    1969 · 164 votes

  • TV6.5

    The Virginian

    1962 · 35 votes

  • TV6.8

    Hotel

    1982 · 26 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV4.5

    Intimate Portrait

    1993 · 5 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Oscars

    1953 · 84 votes

  • TV7.7

    Drop Dead Diva

    2009 · 283 votes

  • TV5.9

    Ben Casey

    1961 · 15 votes

  • TV8.1

    Family Law

    1999 · 12 votes

  • TV7.8

    Night Gallery

    1970 · 112 votes

  • TV7.1