Patty Duke
Born
December 14, 1946
Died
March 29, 2016 (69 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States
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.
Power of the Air
Charlene Summers
2018
Liv and Maddie
Grandma Janice · (1 episode)
2013
Liv and Maddie
Great Aunt Hilary · (1 episode)
2013
Amazing Love
Helen
2012
Unanswered Prayers
Irene
2012
Hawaii Five-0
Sylvia Spencer · (1 episode)
2010
Drop Dead Diva
(1 episode)
2009
Glee
Jan · (1 episode)
2009
Love Finds A Home
Mary
2009
Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: 'Valley of the Dolls'
Neely O'Hara/Self
2006
Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door
Bridget Connolly
2006
Bigger Than the Sky
Mrs. Keene / Earlene
2005
Murder Without Conviction
Mother Joseph
2004
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
Self
2003
Little John
Sylvia
2002
Good Day Live
Self · (1 episode)
2001
Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
Anne Kincaid
2001
First Years
(1 episode)
2001
Love Lessons
Sunny Andrews
2000
Backstory
Herself - Interviewee · (1 episode)
2000
A Season for Miracles
Angel
1999
Kimberly
Dr. Feinstenberger
1999
Family Law
Judge Sylvia Formenti · (1 episode)
1999
Judging Amy
Valerie Bing · (1 episode)
1999
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1999
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights
Patty Lane / Cathy Lane MacAllister
1999
When He Didn't Come Home
Faye Dolan
1998
A Christmas Memory
Sook
1997
To Face Her Past
Beth Bradfield
1996
Harvest of Fire
Annie Beiler
1996
Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah
Natalie Porter
1996
When the Vows Break
Barbara Parker
1995
Amazing Grace
Hannah Miller · (5 episodes)
1995
Cries from the Heart
Terry
1994
Touched by an Angel
Nancy Williams · (1 episode)
1994
Touched by an Angel
Jean · (2 episodes)
1994
One Woman's Courage
Grace McKenna
1994
Intimate Portrait
Self - Narrator (voice) · (1 episode)
1993
Intimate Portrait
Self · (1 episode)
1993
A Matter of Justice
(2 episodes)
1993
No Child of Mine
Lucille Jenkins
1993
Frasier
Alice (voice) · (1 episode)
1993
Family of Strangers
Beth Thompson
1993
A Killer Among Friends
Jean Monroe
1992
Prelude to a Kiss
Mrs. Boyle
1992
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive
Jean Williams
1992
Last Wish
Betty Rollin
1992
The Torkelsons
Catharine Jeffers · (1 episode)
1991
Absolute Strangers
Judge Ray
1991
Always Remember I Love You
Ruth Monroe
1990
Call Me Anna
Anna Marie Duke/ Patty Duke
1990
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
Carolyn Henry
1989
Amityville: The Evil Escapes
Nancy Evans
1989
Hitch-Hikers
1989
Fatal Judgement
Anne Capute
1988
Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace
Althea Sloan
1988
J.J. Starbuck
(1 episode)
1987
Karen's Song
Karen Matthews · (13 episodes)
1987
Fight for Life
Shirley Abrams
1987
Willy/Milly
Doris Niceman
1986
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation
Martha Washington
1986
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation
Martha Washington · (2 episodes)
1986
A Time to Triumph
1986
Hail to the Chief
President Julia Mansfield · (7 episodes)
1985
George Washington
Martha Washington · (3 episodes)
1984
Best Kept Secrets
Laura Dietz
1984
September Gun
Sister Dulcina
1983
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
Barbara Reynolds
1983
Something So Right
Jeanne Bosnick
1982
It Takes Two
Molly Quinn · (22 episodes)
1982
Hotel
(1 episode)
1982
By Design
Helen
1982
I Love Liberty
Self
1982
Entertainment Tonight
Self · (2 episodes)
1981
The Violation of Sarah McDavid
Sarah McDavid
1981
The Girl on the Edge of Town
Martha
1981
The Babysitter
Liz Benedict
1980
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
Deborah Bergman
1980
The Women's Room
Lily
1980
The Miracle Worker
Anne Sullivan
1979
Before and After
Carole Matthews
1979
Hanging by a Thread
Sue Grainger
1979
Women in White
Cathy Payson · (3 episodes)
1979
The Swarm
Rita
1978
A Family Upside Down
Wendy
1978
Having Babies III
Leslee Wexler
1978
Inside 'the Swarm'
Self
1978
The Storyteller
Sue Davidoff
1977
Killer on Board
Norma Walsh
1977
The Love Boat
Shirlee Warner · (1 episode)
1977
The Love Boat
Lilly Mackim · (1 episode)
1977
Curse of the Black Widow
Laura Lockwood
1977
Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women
Sylvia Crawford
1977
Fire!
Dr. Peggy Wilson
1977
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary Woodhouse
1976
Captains and the Kings
Bernadette Hennessey Armagh · (8 episodes)
1976
Hard Day at Blue Nose
Adelaide
1974
Nightmare
Jan Richards
1974
Police Story
(1 episode)
1973
You'll Like My Mother
Francesca Kinsolving
1972
Deadly Harvest
Jenny
1972
The Streets of San Francisco
(1 episode)
1972
Ghost Story
Linda Colby · (1 episode)
1972
She Waits
Laura Wilson
1972
The Sixth Sense
(1 episode)
1972
If Tomorrow Comes
Eileen Phillips
1971
Two on a Bench
Macy Kramer
1971
Birdbath
Velma Sparrow
1971
Night Gallery
(1 episode)
1970
My Sweet Charlie
Marlene Chambers
1970
Me, Natalie
Natalie Miller
1969
Journey to the Unknown
Barbara King
1969
Journey to the Unknown
Barbara King · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Toni · (1 episode)
1968
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1968
Valley of the Dolls
Neely O'Hara
1967
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
Interviewee
1967
Jacqueline Susann and the Valley of the Dolls
1967
The Daydreamer
Thumbelina (voice)
1966
Billie
Billie
1965
Shindig!
Self - Singer · (2 episodes)
1964
The Patty Duke Show
Patty Lane / Cathy Lane · (104 episodes)
1963
The Power and the Glory
Coral
1963
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · (1 episode)
1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · (1 episode)
1962
The Virginian
Sue Ann McRae · (1 episode)
1962
The Miracle Worker
Helen Keller
1962
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1961
Ben Casey
(1 episode)
1961
4D Man
Marjorie Sutherland
1959
Meet Me in St. Louis
Tootie Smith
1959
Happy Anniversary
Debbie Walters
1959
Swiss Family Robinson
Lynda
1958
The Goddess
Emily Ann Faulkner (Child)
1958
Wuthering Heights
Young Cathy
1958
An American Girl
Augusta Davis
1958
DuPont Show of the Month
(1 episode)
1957
The Perry Como Show
(1 episode)
1956
Tony Awards
Self - Awards Custodian · (1 episode)
1956
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1956
The Oscars
Self · (4 episodes)
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Angel · (1 episode)
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Sylvia · (1 episode)
1951
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · (1 episode)
1948