Patty Duke

Patty Duke was born Anna Marie Duke on December 14, 1946 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.

Cast

The Miracle Worker

(Helen Keller)

Valley of the Dolls

(Neely O'Hara)

The Goddess

(Emily Ann Faulkner (Child))

Prelude to a Kiss

(Mrs. Boyle)

Hitch-Hikers

Love Finds A Home

(Mary)

I Love Liberty

(Self)

Willy/Milly

(Doris Niceman)

The Swarm

(Rita)

Swiss Family Robinson

(Lynda)

Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive

(Jean Williams)

Billie

(Billie)

Happy Anniversary

(Debbie Walters)

Fire!

(Dr. Peggy Wilson)

A Christmas Memory

(Sook)

Amazing Love

(Helen)

Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1

(Self (archive footage) (uncredited))

Call Me Anna

(Anna Marie Duke/ Patty Duke)

Little John

(Sylvia)

Inside 'the Swarm'

(Self)

You'll Like My Mother

(Francesca Kinsolving)

The Power and the Glory

(Coral)

When He Didn't Come Home

(Faye Dolan)

Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah

(Natalie Porter)

Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby

(Rosemary Woodhouse)

Journey to the Unknown

(Barbara King)

Me, Natalie

(Natalie Miller)

Family of Strangers

(Beth Thompson)

Best Kept Secrets

(Laura Dietz)

Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story

(Anne Kincaid)

Two on a Bench

(Macy Kramer)

If Tomorrow Comes

(Eileen Phillips)

Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace

(Althea Sloan)

My Sweet Charlie

(Marlene Chambers)

The Miracle Worker

(Anne Sullivan)

Love Lessons

(Sunny Andrews)

The Daydreamer

(Thumbelina (voice))

The Women's Room

(Lily)

A Family Upside Down

(Wendy)

Amityville: The Evil Escapes

(Nancy Evans)

Hanging by a Thread

(Sue Grainger)

A Killer Among Friends

(Jean Monroe)

Fight for Life

(Shirley Abrams)

Killer on Board

(Norma Walsh)

The Babysitter

(Liz Benedict)

Birdbath

(Velma Sparrow)

Fatal Judgement

(Anne Capute)

Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women

(Sylvia Crawford)

The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights

(Patty Lane / Cathy Lane MacAllister)

Harvest of Fire

(Annie Beiler)

The Violation of Sarah McDavid

(Sarah McDavid)

Last Wish

(Betty Rollin)

By Design

(Helen)

Absolute Strangers

(Judge Ray)

When the Vows Break

(Barbara Parker)

She Waits

(Laura Wilson)

Kimberly

(Dr. Feinstenberger)

Please Don't Hit Me, Mom

(Barbara Reynolds)

George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation

(Martha Washington)

The Girl on the Edge of Town

(Martha)

The Storyteller

(Sue Davidoff)

Cries from the Heart

(Terry)

A Season for Miracles

(Angel)

Always Remember I Love You

(Ruth Monroe)

4D Man

(Marjorie Sutherland)

Curse of the Black Widow

(Laura Lockwood)

Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door

(Bridget Connolly)

To Face Her Past

(Beth Bradfield)

One Woman's Courage

(Grace McKenna)

September Gun

(Sister Dulcina)

No Child of Mine

(Lucille Jenkins)

Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage

(Interviewee)

Hard Day at Blue Nose

(Adelaide)

Meet Me in St. Louis

(Tootie Smith)

Before and After

(Carole Matthews)

Bigger Than the Sky

(Mrs. Keene / Earlene)

A Time to Triumph

Sex at 24 Frames Per Second

(Self)

Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure

(Carolyn Henry)

Unanswered Prayers

(Irene)

Having Babies III

(Leslee Wexler)

Wuthering Heights

(Young Cathy)

An American Girl

(Augusta Davis)

Power of the Air

(Charlene Summers)

Nightmare

(Jan Richards)

Murder Without Conviction

(Mother Joseph)

Deadly Harvest

(Jenny)

Mom, the Wolfman and Me

(Deborah Bergman)

Something So Right

(Jeanne Bosnick)

The Love Boat

(Shirlee Warner)

Judging Amy

(Valerie Bing)

Touched by an Angel

(Nancy Williams)

Hawaii Five-O

(Toni)

The Torkelsons

(Catharine Jeffers)

The Streets of San Francisco

Hotel

Frasier

(Alice (voice))

The Merv Griffin Show

(Self)

Night Gallery

Hallmark Hall of Fame

(Angel)

Intimate Portrait

(Self - Narrator (voice))

Police Story

Family Law

(Judge Sylvia Formenti)

The Virginian

(Sue Ann McRae)

Hail to the Chief

(President Julia Mansfield)

Shindig!

(Self - Singer)

The Patty Duke Show

(Patty Lane / Cathy Lane)

The Sixth Sense

Ben Casey

Drop Dead Diva

George Washington

(Martha Washington)

Captains and the Kings

(Bernadette Hennessey Armagh)

Amazing Grace

(Hannah Miller)

Karen's Song

(Karen Matthews)

The Oscars

(Self)

Ghost Story

(Linda Colby)

The Perry Como Show

First Years

It Takes Two

(Molly Quinn)

J.J. Starbuck

Hawaii Five-0

(Sylvia Spencer)

Intimate Portrait

(Self)

Touched by an Angel

(Jean)

The Ed Sullivan Show

(Self)

The Mike Douglas Show

(Self)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

(Self)

Hallmark Hall of Fame

(Sylvia)

Journey to the Unknown

(Barbara King)

Good Day Live

(Self)

DuPont Show of the Month

Backstory

(Herself - Interviewee)

A Matter of Justice

Tony Awards

(Self - Awards Custodian)

Tony Awards

(Self - Presenter)

Entertainment Tonight

(Self)

Glee

(Jan)

The Love Boat

(Lilly Mackim)

Women in White

(Cathy Payson)

George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation

(Martha Washington)

The Dick Cavett Show

(Self - Guest)

Liv and Maddie

(Great Aunt Hilary)

Liv and Maddie

(Grandma Janice)