In Memory of Former Child Star and Oscar-winning Actress Patty Duke: 8 Years After Her Tragic Death

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It's been eight years since beloved former child star and Oscar-winning actress Patty Duke died from sepsis (a ruptured intestine) at only 69 in 2016. She was also the recipient of two Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the 1960s, she was the star of her own TV sitcom. In the mid-1980s, she served as President of the Screen Actors Guild. Through it all, she was married four times (including once to actor John Austin), had three sons, and never stopped acting. This is her tragic yet triumphant story.

A Closer Look

Born Anna Marie Duke in Dec. 14, 1946, Patty Duke was one of three children of a troubled mother and alcholic father. She began her career at only 8 years old, when her mother introduced her to talent scouts John and Ethel Ross.

“Anna Marie is dead” Ethel Ross told her. “You’re Patty now.”

Duke made her Broadway debut at 12, playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, a performance she brought to the big-screen adaption for which she earned her Oscar.

The Patty Duke Show, in which she played twin cousins, arrived on ABC soonafter for three years.

In 1979, Duke returned to The Miracle Worker, this time on TV, and winning an Emmy for playing Helen Keller's teacher — the role originally performed on Broadway and the big screen by Anne Bancroft.

Behind the Trauma

Beyond the spotlight, Patty Duke lived a traumatic existence. In 1982, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her memoir Call Me Anna, Duke claimed managers John and Ethel Ross controlled both her personal life and career; she accused them of sexual abuse, and leaving her financially destitute. As a teen, she started drinking and abusing prescription drugs, and tried to kill herself.

Following The Patty Duke Show, Duke starred in Valley of the Dolls, won Emmys for the groundbreaking TV-movie, My Sweet Charlie (1970) and the TV mini-series Captains and the Kings (1979). She also made countless TV guest-appearances, and other small screen films, including those with Christmas themes.

A Lasting Impression

In her latter years, Patty Duke was a champion for mental health programs and her children, two of whom — Sean and Mackenzie Astin — became actors.