Patty Duke Anna Marie "Patty" Duke (born December 14, 1946) is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She was able to make the rare successful transition from child star (winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16) to award-winning adult actress. She was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild (1985 to 1988). Duke was diagnosed with bipolar disorder or manic depression in 1982, and since then has devoted most of her time to advocating and educating the public on mental health issues.

Patty Duke and Bipolar Disorder

Duke was born Anna Marie Duke in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, the daughter of Frances (née McMahon), a cashier, and John Patrick Duke, a handyman and cab driver. Her father was Irish American and her maternal grandmother was German./p>

Duke experienced a childhood of hard times. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother suffered from clinical depression and was prone to violence. When Duke was 6, her mother threw her father out; when she was 8, her mother turned Duke's care over to John and Ethel Ross, who became her managers, recognized her talent and promoted her as a child actress.

The Rosses' methods were unscrupulous. For instance, they consistently billed Duke as two years younger than she was, and padded her resume with some false credits. It was Ethel Ross who gave the sweeping name-change order, "Anna Marie is dead, you are Patty now." This would have painful repercussions for Duke in the decades to come. (Her professional name was chosen because the Rosses wanted her to achieve the success of Patty McCormack).

Duke was married to first husband, director Harry Falk, from 1965 to 1969. During their four year marriage, Duke suffered from her undiagnosed, untreated manic depression. She became anorexic, drank heavily and overdosed a number of times. Their marriage ended in divorce.

In 1970, at the age of 23, Duke had an affair with 17-year old Desi Arnaz, Jr. The relationship became tabloid fodder, due in part to Lucille Ball's vocal opposition to Duke seeing her son. Duke then began dating actor John Astin. In June-July 1970, she had a brief (13 day) marriage to rock promoter Michael Tell, which ended with an annulment. Duke became pregnant and there was media speculation that the child was Arnaz'. Her son Sean was born in February 1971. Duke claimed in her 1987 autobiography that John Astin was Sean's father (and he did adopt him); she later stated she always thought his biological father was Desi Arnaz, Jr. In 1994, Duke's son, Sean Astin had parental testing done, which revealed that his biological father was actually Duke's second husband, Michael Tell.

In 1972, Duke and actor John Astin were married. He adopted her son, Sean, and fathered her second son, Mackenzie, who was born in 1973. Duke and Astin worked together extensively during their marriage. For a time, Duke added 'Astin' to her professional name. The marriage and her children greatly improved her self confidence and her career. In 1975 Duke (with Astin’s help), adopted Astin’s three sons, David, Allen, and Thomas Astin. This adoption was strongly contested by the boys' biological mother, Suzanne Hahn, but Duke and Astin prevailed and the Astin boys legally became Duke’s sons. Duke, Astin, Sean, Mackenzie, and the three Astin boys all lived together in Los Angeles until roughly 1982 (the time Duke and Astin’s marriage began to dissolve).

In 1985, Duke and Astin divorced, and in 1986 she married drill sergeant Michael Pearce, whom she met on the set of a TV movie, A Time To Triumph. The couple moved to Idaho and adopted a son together.

Duke has suffered from mental health issues throughout her life. In 1982, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Its treatment, which included lithium as a medication, stabilized Duke's life and put her on the road to recovery. She is the first celebrity to go public with her bipolar disorder diagnosis, and has contributed to the destigmatization of that mental illness. Duke has since become an activist for numerous mental health causes.

Patty Duke. (2009, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:10, October 24, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patty_Duke&oldid=321278379

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