Patrick Duffy
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| Patrick Duffy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Patrick G. Duffy |
| Born | March 17, 1949 Townsend, Montana, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Carlyn Duffy (February 15, 1974 - present) |
Patrick G. Duffy (born March 17, 1949 in Townsend, Montana) is an American television actor of Irish descent, who has appeared primarily in soap operas and television in character roles.
The naturally black-haired Duffy is best known for his roles as Larry Hagman's younger, nicer brother and partner, Bobby James Ewing, on the popular 1980s CBS soap opera, Dallas (a role he played from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991), and as Suzanne Somers's husband, Frank Lambert, on the long-running 1990s ABC television sitcom, Step by Step. In March 2006 Duffy began playing the role of Stephen Logan on the CBS daytime show The Bold and the Beautiful. Later that year he left the show, but returned on November 5, 2007.
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In 1976, Duffy landed the role of Mark Harris in the short-lived television series Man from Atlantis. Following the series' cancellation, he got his big break in the role of Bobby Ewing on the TV series, Dallas, a role he played until 1991. Duffy parted amicably with the series in 1985, filming a death scene; with both the show and his career foundering, he returned in 1986 in an infamous shower scene that rendered the entire '85–'86 season "just a dream." A 2004 reunion revealed that, as a teenager, series' star Larry Hagman frequently visited Duffy's parents; both were oblivious to this fact until Duffy auditioned for the role. Perhaps not incoincidentally, Duffy bonded strongly with Hagman throughout the show's run, despite being 18 years his junior. During this time, he continued to hold a variety of roles in various TV specials.
At the end of Dallas' run in 1991, Duffy switched to another popular television role, as the head of the Lambert family (alongside TV wife Suzanne Somers) on the family sitcom, Step by Step, a role which ran until the show's cancellation in 1998. He also directed 49 episodes, starting with "Boys Will Be Boys", which premiered on December 4th, 1992. During that time, he was also reunited with longtime best friend Larry Hagman in the Dallas reunion movies "JR Returns" and "War of the Ewings" (which he also co-produced), reprising the role of Bobby Ewing. In an interview on the UK's Mrs. Merton chat show in the late 1990s, Duffy stated that he and Larry Hagman were planning one more Dallas TV movie, but this project has thus far failed to materialise—possibly due to the disappointing ratings of the previous movie.
Duffy continues to act in the occasional guest or voice acting appearance, including the shows Family Guy (in which he appeared in a live action scene with Victoria Principal as they spoofed the infamous Dallas shower scene), as well as Justice League and Touched by an Angel.
Recently Duffy has starred in television movies Falling in Love With the Girl Next Door and Desolation Canyon. In 2006, Duffy began a limited run on the daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful and the Hallmark Channel miniseries Broken Trail. Duffy recently signed on to star in the comedy "He's Such A Girl" which also stars Alexandra Paul from Baywatch. Duffy is currently writing a script for a new Dallas reunion film which may air on SoapNet.
Duffy has been married to Carlyn Duffy since 1974. The couple have two sons, Padraic Terrence (b. 1974) and Conor Frederick (b. 1979) and live near Eagle Point, Oregon. [1] Duffy is an avid collector of antique dolls and children's books. [2] Duffy, a former Catholic, practices Buddism.[citation needed]
Graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Drama in 1971. [3] His nephew is Major League Baseball pitcher Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants. [4]
On November 18, 1986 both of Duffy's parents, Terrence and Marie Duffy, were robbed and murdered in the bar they owned in Boulder, Montana by two teenage gunmen armed with a shotgun. The shooter Sean Wentz is serving a life sentence while his accomplice Kenneth Miller was paroled in 2006.
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1984 | Vamping | Harry Baranski | |
| 1998 | Rusty: A Dog's Tale | Cap the Dog |
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since September 2007 | 1949 births | American Buddhists | American soap opera actors | American television actors | American voice actors | University of Washington alumni | Living people | Irish-Americans | Montana actors