Patty Duke Biography, Spouse, Son, Death, Cause of Death, Family

Posted by Abbie Anker on Thursday, March 7, 2024

Patty Duke was an American actress known for her expertise in theater, television, and TV movies. She started acting at an early age – 16 and won an Academy Award for her role as Helen Keller in the 1982 blockbuster – The Miracle Worker.

Patty Duke – Biography

Patty Duke was born on December 14, 1946 in Elmhurst, Queens, New York to John Patrick Duke (handyman, taxi driver) and Frances Margaret (cashier). She is of Irish-German descent and the youngest of three children.

With an alcoholic father and a clinically depressed and abused mother, Duke and his two older siblings had the toughest childhood imaginable.

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Career

At the age of eight, little Duke was introduced to acting by his brother’s (Raymond Duke) managers – John and Ethel Ross, who gave him the stage name Patty.

Patty was sexually assaulted and abused at the hands of the Rosses who she revealed gave her alcohol, drugs, sexual abuse and tricked her into taking unreasonably high fees.

She first started out with commercials before landing a few movie roles here and there. One of her first roles was on the soap opera The Brighter Day which aired in the late 1950s. Patty Duke also featured in a television adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis where she portrayed the role of Tootie Smith, the role that was originally in Margaret O’Brien’s film version. Her breakthrough came when she starred as Helen Keller in 1962 Broadway ‘s The Miracle Worker, which aired from October 1959 to July 1961.

Her performance in the film won her an Academy Award at the age of 16, making her the youngest recipient of the award at that time. She also won the Golden Globe.

With the success of The Miracle Worker, by 1962 Duke was already starring in his own sitcom called The Patty Duck Show. The show ran for three seasons and led to its first-ever Emmy nomination.

She also got involved in music which was a huge hit. With her top 10 debut album Don’t Stand There, Patty has become a name to be reckoned with in the entertainment world. In 1967, she starred in the cult classic Valley of the Dolls and the 1969 independent film Me, Natalie, which won her a second Golden Globe Award. Prior to that, Duke won a second Emmy for his role in a miniseries Captains and Kings.

By the 1980s, Duke had paid its dues in the industry. From 1985 to 1988, she was president of the Screen Actors Guild. She remained active in the industry until her unfortunate passing in 2016. Her other work includes The Rescue of Jessica McClure, Flight for Life, Everyone’s Baby: A Family of Strangers When He Didn’t Return . at home.

Patty Duke – Dead, cause of death

The veteran actress died March 29, 2016, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. She was 69 years old. A statement released by her rep revealed that the actress died of sepsis caused by a ruptured intestine.

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Patty Duke’s family, son and wife

Duke had a handful of men in his life. She married four times. Her first marriage was at age 19 to Harry Falk. Their union lasted from 1965 to 1969.

At 23, Duke was romantically involved with Desi Arnaz, actor John Astin, and rock promoter Michael Tell, all at the same time. In the spring of the same year, she broke off her relationship with Arnaz. Shortly after her breakup, Duke discovered she was pregnant and, to name her child, she married Michael Tell, but the marriage only lasted 13 days.

In her autobiography published in 1987, Pattya revealed that her marriage to Tell was never consummated and that Astin was in fact the biological father of her son Sean, born in 1970. In 1972, she married Astin and they had a second son – Mackenzie in 1973. They were married 13 years before leaving. their separate ways in 1985.

After his third marriage failed, Duke married for the fourth time in 1986, this time to train Sergeant Michael Pearce. She remained married to him until his death in 2016. Patty and Pearce adopted a son, Kevin.

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other facts

Duke was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982. She wrote an autobiography which was made into a TV movie in 1990 in which she starred herself and also served as a co-producer.

Her second book Shining Madness: Living with Manic Depression was published in 1992. Inspired by her own struggles, Duke became an advocate for understanding mental health issues and supporting those suffering from it. trouble.

Duke has teamed up with the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to educate the public, fund and fund research on people with mental illness. In 2007, Oprah featured her on her show where she spoke about her struggle with bipolar disorder.

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