
Patty Duke
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1946-12-14
Day of Death
2016-03-29 (69 years old)
Place of Birth
Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States
Patty Duke
Biography
Patty Duke was born Anna Marie Duke in Elmhurst, New York, to Frances Margaret (McMahon), a cashier, and John Patrick Duke, a cab driver and handyman. She is of Irish, and one eighth German, descent. Her acting career began when she was introduced to her brother Ray Duke's managers, John and Ethel Ross. Soon after, Anna Marie became Patty, the actress. Patty started off in commercials, a few movies and some bit parts. Her first big, memorable role came when she was chosen to portray the blind and deaf Helen Keller in the Broadway version of "The Miracle Worker". The play lasted almost two years, from October 19, 1959-July 1, 1961 (Patty left in May, 1961). In 1962, The Miracle Worker (1962) became a movie and Patty won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. She was 16 years old, making her the youngest person ever to win an Oscar. She then starred in her own sitcom titled The Patty Duke Show (1963). It lasted for three seasons, and Patty was nominated for an Emmy. In 1965, she starred in the movie Billie (1965). It was a success and was the first movie ever sold to a television network. That same year, she married director Harry Falk. Their marriage lasted four years. She then starred in Valley of the Dolls (1967), which was a financial but not a critical success. In 1969, she secured a part in an independent film called Me, Natalie (1969). The film was a box-office flop, but she won her second Golden Globe Award for her performance in it. In the early 1970s, she became a mother to actors Sean Astin (with writer Michael Tell) and Mackenzie Astin (with actor John Astin). In 1976, she won her second Emmy award for the highly successful mini-series, Captains and the Kings (1976). Other successful TV films followed. She received two Emmy nominations in 1978 for A Family Upside Down (1978) and Having Babies III (1978). She then won her third Emmy in the 1979 TV movie version of The Miracle Worker (1979), this time portraying "Annie Sullivan". In 1982, she was diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. In 1984, she became President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). In 1986, she married Michael Pierce, a drill sergeant whom she met while preparing for a role in the TV movie, A Time to Triumph (1986). In 1987, she wrote her autobiography, "Call Me Anna". In 1989, she and Mike adopted a baby, whom they named "Kevin". Her autobiography became a TV movie in 1990, with Patty playing herself, from her 30s onward. In 1992, she wrote her second book, "A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depression Illness".
Anna Marie Duke had a long and successful career, winning three Emmys. She was a mother and a political advocate for issues such as the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), AIDS and nuclear disarmament, all despite having Manic-Depression. She died on March 29, 2016, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, of sepsis from a ruptured intestine. Patty had proved her strength as an actress and as a person.
Known For
Acting
(2018)
Power of the Air
as Charlene Summers
(2012)
Amazing Love
as Helen
(2012)
Unanswered Prayers
as Irene
(2009)
Love Finds A Home
as Mary
(2006)
Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door
as Bridget Connolly
(2006)
Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: 'Valley of the Dolls'
as Neely O'Hara/Self
(2005)
Bigger Than the Sky
as Mrs. Keene / Earlene
(2004)
Murder Without Conviction
as Mother Joseph
(2003)
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
as Self
(2002)
Little John
as Sylvia
(2001)
Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
as Anne Kincaid
(2000)
Love Lessons
as Sunny Andrews
(1999)
A Season for Miracles
as Angel
(1999)
Kimberly
as Dr. Feinstenberger
(1999)
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
(1999)
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights
as Patty Lane / Cathy Lane MacAllister
(1998)
When He Didn't Come Home
as Faye Dolan
(1997)
A Christmas Memory
as Sook
(1996)
Harvest of Fire
as Annie Beiler
(1996)
Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah
as Natalie Porter
(1996)
To Face Her Past
as Beth Bradfield
(1995)
When the Vows Break
as Barbara Parker
(1994)
Cries from the Heart
as Terry
(1994)
One Woman's Courage
as Grace McKenna
(1993)
No Child of Mine
as Lucille Jenkins
(1993)
Family of Strangers
as Beth Thompson
(1992)
Prelude to a Kiss
as Mrs. Boyle
(1992)
A Killer Among Friends
as Jean Monroe
(1992)
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive
as Jean Williams
(1992)
Last Wish
as Betty Rollin
(1991)
Absolute Strangers
as Judge Ray
(1990)
Call Me Anna
as Anna Marie Duke/ Patty Duke
(1990)
Always Remember I Love You
as Ruth Monroe
(1989)
Amityville: The Evil Escapes
as Nancy Evans
(1989)
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
as Carolyn Henry
(1989)
(1988)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace
as Althea Sloan
(1988)
Fatal Judgement
as Anne Capute
(1987)
Fight for Life
as Shirley Abrams
(1986)
Willy/Milly
as Doris Niceman
(1986)
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation
as Martha Washington
(1986)
(1984)
Best Kept Secrets
as Laura Dietz
(1983)
September Gun
as Sister Dulcina
(1983)
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
as Barbara Reynolds
(1982)
Something So Right
as Jeanne Bosnick
(1982)
By Design
as Helen
(1982)
I Love Liberty
as Self
(1981)
The Violation of Sarah McDavid
as Sarah McDavid
(1981)
The Girl on the Edge of Town
as Martha
(1980)
The Babysitter
as Liz Benedict
(1980)
The Women's Room
as Lily
(1980)
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
as Deborah Bergman
(1979)
The Miracle Worker
as Anne Sullivan
(1979)
Before and After
as Carole Matthews
(1979)
Hanging by a Thread
as Sue Grainger
(1978)
The Swarm
as Rita
(1978)
Inside 'the Swarm'
as Self
(1978)
A Family Upside Down
as Wendy
(1978)
Having Babies III
as Leslee Wexler
(1977)
Curse of the Black Widow
as Laura Lockwood
(1977)
Fire!
as Dr. Peggy Wilson
(1977)
Killer on Board
as Norma Walsh
(1977)
The Storyteller
as Sue Davidoff
(1977)
Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women
as Sylvia Crawford
(1976)
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
as Rosemary Woodhouse
(1974)
Nightmare
as Jan Richards
(1974)
Hard Day at Blue Nose
as Adelaide
(1972)
You'll Like My Mother
as Francesca Kinsolving
(1972)
She Waits
as Laura Wilson
(1972)
Deadly Harvest
as Jenny
(1971)
If Tomorrow Comes
as Eileen Phillips
(1971)
Two on a Bench
as Macy Kramer
(1971)
Birdbath
as Velma Sparrow
(1970)
My Sweet Charlie
as Marlene Chambers
(1969)
Me, Natalie
as Natalie Miller
(1969)
Journey to the Unknown
as Barbara King
(1967)
Valley of the Dolls
as Neely O'Hara
(1967)
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
as Interviewee
(1966)
The Daydreamer
as Thumbelina (voice)
(1965)
Billie
as Billie
(1963)
The Power and the Glory
as Coral
(1962)
The Miracle Worker
as Helen Keller
(1959)
4D Man
as Marjorie Sutherland
(1959)
Meet Me in St. Louis
as Tootie Smith
(1959)
Happy Anniversary
as Debbie Walters
(1958)
The Goddess
as Emily Ann Faulkner (Child)
(1958)
Swiss Family Robinson
as Lynda
(1958)
Wuthering Heights
as Young Cathy
(1958)
An American Girl
as Augusta Davis
Crew
(1990)
Call Me Anna
Book, Co-Producer