Patty Duke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patty Duke
Duke in 1975
Born	Anna Marie Duke (1946-12-14)December 14, 1946 New York City, U.S.
Died	March 29, 2016(2016-03-29) (aged 69) Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Cemetery, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, US
Other names	Patty Duke Astin Anna Duke-Pearce
Occupation	Actress, health advocate
Years active	1950–2015
Spouse(s)	Harry Falk ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1969)​ Michael Tell ​ ​ (m. 1970; ann. 1971)​ John Astin ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1985)​ Michael Pearce ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	3, including Sean and Mackenzie Astin
22nd President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office 1985–1988
Preceded by	Ed Asner
Succeeded by	Barry Gordon

Anna Marie "Patty" Duke (December 14, 1946 – March 29, 2016) was an American actress. She was also a strong supporter of mental health awareness. During her career, she won an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

When she was 15, Patty Duke played Helen Keller in the movie The Miracle Worker (1962). She had first played this role on Broadway. She won an Academy Award for her amazing acting in the film. The next year, she starred in her own TV show, The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966). In this show, she played two "identical cousins," Cathy and Patty Lane. Later, she took on more grown-up roles, like Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls (1967). She also played Natalie Miller in Me, Natalie (1969), which earned her a Golden Globe Award. From 1985 to 1988, she was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, a group for actors.

In 1982, doctors diagnosed Patty Duke with bipolar disorder. After this, she spent a lot of her time helping people understand mental health. She also sang songs and wrote books.

Early Life and Childhood

Patty Duke was born Anna Marie Duke in Manhattan, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her mother, Frances Margaret, was a cashier, and her father, John Patrick Duke, was a handyman and cab driver. She grew up in the Elmhurst area of Queens.

When Patty was eight, her care was given to talent managers, John and Ethel Ross. They were looking for a young girl to add to their group of child actors. The Rosses changed her name to Patty. They told her, "Anna Marie is dead. You're Patty now." They hoped she would be as successful as another young actress named Patty McCormack.

Acting Career

Early Roles and Big Breaks (1950s–1960s)

One of Patty Duke's first acting jobs was on a TV show called The Brighter Day in the late 1950s. She also appeared in ads for magazines and on TV. In 1959, when she was 12, Patty was on a game show called The $64,000 Question. She won $32,000 because she knew a lot about popular music. Later, it was found that the game show was set up, and she had to tell what she knew to a group of lawmakers.

Patty Duke in a publicity photo from December 1959

Also in 1959, Patty Duke was in a TV version of Meet Me in St. Louis. Her first major role was playing Helen Keller in the Broadway play The Miracle Worker. She played Helen Keller from October 1959 to July 1961. The play was later made into a movie in 1962. For this film, Patty Duke won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Before filming, she even met the real Helen Keller. At 16, Patty Duke was the youngest person at that time to win an Academy Award in a competitive acting category.

Patty Duke with Helen Keller, whom she played in The Miracle Worker (1962)

Patty Duke then got her own TV show, The Patty Duke Show, which started in September 1963. The show's creator, Sidney Sheldon, noticed that Patty had two different sides to her personality. So, he came up with the idea of identical cousins with different personalities. Patty Duke played both main characters: Patty Lane, a fun American teenager, and her proper "identical cousin" from Scotland, Cathy Lane. The show lasted three seasons and earned Patty Duke an Emmy Award nomination.

After The Patty Duke Show ended in 1966, Patty Duke started playing more adult roles. She played Neely O'Hara in the movie Valley of the Dolls (1967). In 1969, she starred in Me, Natalie, where she played a teenager from Brooklyn trying to make a life for herself. Patty Duke won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for this role.

Patty Duke as Patty Lane on The Patty Duke Show, 1965

Later Career and Advocacy (1970s–2015)

Patty Duke returned to TV in 1970 in a movie called My Sweet Charlie. Her role as a pregnant teenager won her her first Emmy Award. She received her second Emmy in 1977 for the TV series Captains and the Kings. Her third Emmy came in 1980 for a TV version of The Miracle Worker, where this time she played Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher.

In the 1980s, Patty Duke was in several TV series. She played the first female President of the United States in Hail to the Chief. In 1990, her autobiography, Call Me Anna, was made into a TV movie, and she played herself. In 1992, she played the mother of Meg Ryan's character in the movie Prelude to a Kiss.

In 1985, Patty Duke became the second woman to be chosen as president of the Screen Actors Guild. She held this job until 1988. She was respected for keeping the members of the guild working together during her time as president.

Patty Duke slowly worked less in the 2000s but still took some TV roles. She appeared on shows like Glee and Hawaii Five-0. She also returned to the stage. In 2011, she directed a stage version of The Miracle Worker.

Patty Duke playing Cathy Lane in a U.S. government Social Security ad, 2011

In 2011, Patty Duke was in public service announcements for the U.S. government. She helped promote the Social Security website. In some ads, she played both Patty and Cathy using special effects. In 2015, she made her last TV appearance on Liv and Maddie, playing identical twins.

Singing Career

Like many young stars of her time, Patty Duke also had a successful singing career. In 1965, she had two songs that made it into the top 40: "Don't Just Stand There" and "Say Something Funny." She also sang on TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.

Mental Health Advocacy

In 1987, Patty Duke shared in her autobiography that she had been diagnosed with manic depression, which is now called bipolar disorder, in 1982. She was one of the first famous people to talk openly about her own experience with mental illness.

Her treatment, which included medication and therapy, helped her moods become stable. After this, she became a strong advocate for mental health causes. She worked with groups like the National Institute of Mental Health to help increase awareness and research for people with mental illness. In 2007, Patty Duke appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about her bipolar disorder.

Books Written by Patty Duke

Patty Duke wrote three books. Her autobiography, Call Me Anna, was published in 1987. She also wrote Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness in 1992. Her third book, In The Presence of Greatness—My Sixty Year Journey as an Actress, was published after she passed away in 2018. It is a collection of stories about her experiences with other artists.

Awards and Recognition

Throughout her career, Patty Duke won many awards. She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, three Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 1963, when she won her Academy Award, she was the youngest person ever to win in a competitive category.

On August 17, 2004, Patty Duke received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This was to honor her contributions to movies. On her 61st birthday in 2007, she received an honorary degree from the University of North Florida. This was for her work in raising awareness about mental health issues.

Personal Life

Patty Duke was married four times and had three children. In her younger years, she thought about becoming a nun. Later in life, she explored different religions.

In 1965, Patty Duke married director Harry Falk. They divorced in 1969.

In 1970, she married Michael Tell. Their marriage lasted only 13 days. Her son, actor Sean Astin, was born in 1971. In 1994, Sean had a test that showed Michael Tell was his biological father.

Patty Duke married John Astin in 1972. John adopted Sean, and they had another son, actor Mackenzie Astin. Patty Duke and John Astin worked together a lot during their marriage. They divorced in 1985.

Patty Duke married her fourth husband, Michael Pearce, in 1986. They stayed married until she passed away 30 years later. They adopted a son named Kevin, who was born in 1988. Patty Duke had three granddaughters through her son Sean: Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Isabella.

Death

Patty Duke passed away on March 29, 2016, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She was 69 years old. Her son Sean Astin asked people to donate to a mental health foundation in his mother's name, called the Patty Duke Mental Health Initiative. She was cremated, and her ashes were buried in Forest Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and Nominations

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Patty Duke para niños