Patty Duke
Actor · Advocate
Patty Duke was an American actor who became internationally known as a teenager for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, a performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred in The Patty Duke Show, built a long television and film career, and served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. [7][4]
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Career and work
Duke began acting as a child and made her Broadway breakthrough as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. She reprised the role in the 1962 film adaptation and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16. [7]
She went on to star in The Patty Duke Show, playing the dual roles of cousins Patty and Cathy Lane. Her later work included Valley of the Dolls, My Sweet Charlie, Captains and the Kings, and a 1979 television adaptation of The Miracle Worker, in which she played Anne Sullivan. Over her career, she won three Emmy Awards. [7]
From 1985 to 1988, Duke served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. [4]
What has been publicly discussed
“Diagnosis and treatment have shown me that manic depression is a treatable medical illness.”
— Patty Duke [10]
