Patty Duke Biography

Patty Duke

Actress who won an Oscar at the age of 16 for her performance as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962). Duke briefly starred in her own TV comedy, The Patty Duke Show (1963), playing the dual role of a British teenager and her American cousin. Her first role after her series ended was as Neely O'Hara in the trash classic, The Valley of the Dolls (1967). Her work in TV films and mini-series spans 40 years, including The Power and The Glory (1961), Amityville Horror (1989), and A Christmas Memory (1997). She was married to John Astin (of the Addams Family TV series) from 1972–85 and they are the parents of Sean Astin, who played the hobbit Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.