Patty Duke
Known for Acting · 144 credits
- Born
- 1946-12-14
- Died
- 2016-03-29
- Place of birth
- Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States
- Also known as
- Anna Marie Duke · Patty Duke-Astin · Anna Pearce · Patty Duke Astin
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (50)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Sylvia Spencer
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Frasier
1993
as Alice (voice)
The Love Boat
1977
as Shirlee Warner / Lilly Mackim / Jane Fletcher
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
Glee
2009
as Jan
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Toni
Judging Amy
1999
as Valerie Bing
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Nancy Williams / Jean
The Virginian
1962
as Sue Ann McRae
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Awards Custodian / Self - Presenter
Ben Casey
1961
Hotel
1982
The Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest
Drop Dead Diva
2009
Good Day Live
2001
as Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Intimate Portrait
1993
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Night Gallery
1970
Family Law
1999
as Judge Sylvia Formenti
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Liv and Maddie
2013
as Grandma Janice / Great Aunt Hilary
Police Story
1973
Kraft Television Theatre
1947
Ghost Story
1972
as Linda Colby
Entertainment Tonight
1981
as Self
The Patty Duke Show
1963
as Patty Lane / Cathy Lane
The Torkelsons
1991
as Catharine Jeffers
DuPont Show of the Month
1957
The Sixth Sense
1972
Journey to the Unknown
1968
as Barbara King
Shindig!
1964
as Self - Singer
J.J. Starbuck
1987
Captains and the Kings
1976
as Bernadette Hennessey Armagh
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Angel / Sylvia
It Takes Two
1982
as Molly Quinn
Hail to the Chief
1985
as President Julia Mansfield
George Washington
1984
as Martha Washington
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation
1986
as Martha Washington
First Years
2001
Backstory
2000
as Herself - Interviewee
A Matter of Justice
1993
The Perry Como Show
1956
Amazing Grace
1995
as Hannah Miller
Women in White
1979
as Cathy Payson
Karen's Song
1987
as Karen Matthews
Hanging by a Thread
1979
as Sue Grainger
Movies (94)
The Swarm
1978
as Rita
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
2003
as Self
Me, Natalie
1969
as Natalie Miller
Prelude to a Kiss
1992
as Mrs. Boyle
The Miracle Worker
1962
as Helen Keller
4D Man
1959
as Marjorie Sutherland
Amityville: The Evil Escapes
1989
as Nancy Evans
Willy/Milly
1986
as Doris Niceman
Valley of the Dolls
1967
as Neely O'Hara
Little John
2002
as Sylvia
Fatal Judgement
1988
as Anne Capute
Billie
1965
as Billie
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
1983
as Barbara Reynolds
No Child of Mine
1993
as Lucille Jenkins
Love Finds A Home
2009
as Mary
The Violation of Sarah McDavid
1981
as Sarah McDavid
Bigger Than the Sky
2005
as Mrs. Keene / Earlene
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
1989
as Carolyn Henry
Kimberly
1999
as Dr. Feinstenberger
Fire!
1977
as Dr. Peggy Wilson
The Goddess
1958
as Emily Ann Faulkner (Child)
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive
1992
as Jean Williams
A Killer Among Friends
1992
as Jean Monroe
Wuthering Heights
1958
as Young Cathy
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
1999
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Amazing Love
2012
as Helen
I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
A Season for Miracles
1999
as Angel
Harvest of Fire
1996
as Annie Beiler
The Babysitter
1980
as Liz Benedict
The Miracle Worker
1979
as Anne Sullivan
Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace
1988
as Althea Sloan
Fight for Life
1987
as Shirley Abrams
Love Lessons
2000
as Sunny Andrews
Inside 'the Swarm'
1978
as Self
Something So Right
1982
as Jeanne Bosnick
The Daydreamer
1966
as Thumbelina (voice)
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby
1976
as Rosemary Woodhouse
By Design
1982
as Helen
Before and After
1979
as Carole Matthews
Curse of the Black Widow
1977
as Laura Lockwood
If Tomorrow Comes
1971
as Eileen Phillips
Meet Me in St. Louis
1959
as Tootie Smith
Happy Anniversary
1959
as Debbie Walters
Country Music Holiday
1958
as "Sis" Brand
When the Vows Break
1995
as Barbara Parker
Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story
2001
as Anne Kincaid
Family of Strangers
1993
as Beth Thompson
Nightmare
1974
as Jan Richards
Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: 'Valley of the Dolls'
2006
as Neely O'Hara/Self
A Christmas Memory
1997
as Sook
Always Remember I Love You
1990
as Ruth Monroe
The Women's Room
1980
as Lily
Cries from the Heart
1994
as Terry
You'll Like My Mother
1972
as Francesca Kinsolving
The Storyteller
1977
as Sue Davidoff
Best Kept Secrets
1984
as Laura Dietz
Two on a Bench
1971
as Macy Kramer
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
1967
as Interviewee
Absolute Strangers
1991
as Judge Ray
Last Wish
1992
as Betty Rollin
Hanging by a Thread
1979
as Sue Grainger
When He Didn't Come Home
1998
as Faye Dolan
Murder Without Conviction
2004
as Mother Joseph
Unanswered Prayers
2010
as Irene
Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women
1977
as Sylvia Crawford
Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door
2006
as Bridget Connolly
To Face Her Past
1996
as Beth Bradfield
September Gun
1983
as Sister Dulcina
The Power and the Glory
1963
as Coral
Having Babies III
1978
as Leslee Wexler
Journey to the Unknown
1969
as Barbara King
Race Against Time: The Search for Sarah
1996
as Natalie Porter
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
1980
as Deborah Bergman
A Family Upside Down
1978
as Wendy
One Woman's Courage
1994
as Grace McKenna
The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights
1999
as Patty Lane / Cathy Lane MacAllister
Call Me Anna
1990
as Anna Marie Duke/ Patty Duke
She Waits
1972
as Laura Wilson
Killer on Board
1977
as Norma Walsh
Swiss Family Robinson
1958
as Lydia
My Sweet Charlie
1970
as Marlene Chambers
Deadly Harvest
1972
as Jenny
The Divine Ms. Susann
2006
as Self (archive footage)
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation
1986
as Martha Washington
The Girl on the Edge of Town
1981
as Martha Swenson
Power of the Air
2018
as Charlene Summers
Hard Day at Blue Nose
1974
as Adelaide
An American Girl
1958
as Augusta Davis
Birdbath
1971
as Velma Sparrow
Hitch-Hikers
1989
Jacqueline Susann and the Valley of the Dolls
1967
A Time to Triumph
1986
The Dish on Dolls
2006
as Neely O'Hara (archive footage)
About Patty Duke
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… With 144 credits spanning from 1944 to 2018, Patty Duke has appeared in 94 films and 50 TV shows.
Fans searching for Patty Duke movies, Patty Duke filmography, or the latest projects starring Patty Duke can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Patty Duke Movies
- The Swarm (1978) — as Rita
- Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) — as Self
- Me, Natalie (1969) — as Natalie Miller
- Prelude to a Kiss (1992) — as Mrs. Boyle
- The Miracle Worker (1962) — as Helen Keller
Where to Watch Patty Duke Films
Most Patty Duke movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Patty Duke, check our movies catalogue and browse page.