BIOGRAPHY
Patrick Duffy's tremendous world wide
audience appeal has been gained through
three highly successful series. Starting
with "Man From Atlantis," then his thirteen
years starring as Bobby Ewing on "Dallas"
(including the unprecedented ‘dream season’
which he is brought back from the dead in
the famous shower scene), and finally in
seven seasons of the popular half-hour
situation comedy "Step by Step", Patrick has
consistently been an audience favorite.
All three series were not only hugely
successful in the U.S., but have become
benchmark programs all over the world as
well. "Man From Atlantis” captured its
place in history when it became the first
American television series program to be
aired in China.
Born in 1949, Patrick was raised in a small
town of 600 people in Montana and moved to
Seattle in 1961. He began the Professional
Actors Training Program at the University of
Washington under RAD and Old Vic Alumnus
William Duncan Ross and Canadian theatre and
movement teacher Arnie Zaslov. This was the
first undergraduate professional school for
actors in a major U.S. university. Over
1,200 people auditioned for this 'second
year' of the program and Patrick was one of
12 selected. The four year program trained
the actors in works from medieval morality
play to the modern works, with the obvious
emphasis on Shakespeare through Mr. Ross and
theatre and movement with Mr. Zaslov.
Upon graduation Patrick was hired as
Artist-in-Residence for the state of
Washington where he performed with
symphonies, opera and ballet companies. It
was at this time he met and fell in love
with his wife, Carlyn, a ballet dancer with
the First Chamber Dance Company of New
York. Patrick was narrating their
performances on their U.S. tour.
At his wife's urging, Patrick left the
northwest to try his hand on the New York
stages. After performing in an Off-Broadway
production of William Inge's play "Natural
Affection" Patrick’s agent suggested he move
to Los Angeles. Before he appeared in
television or films he performed for a
season with the Old Globe Shakespeare Co. in
San Diego. Patrick then returned to Los
Angeles and guest-starred with Julie Harris
in “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" for PBS. In
1976 he was cast as Mark Harris in “Man From
Atlantis". One week after that show was
cancelled he was cast in "Dallas".
Between the beginning of 'Man From Atlantis"
and the ending of “Step by Step" Patrick was
only out of work for a total of three
weeks. Since beginning his T V career he
has starred in well over a dozen Movies For
Television and countless Specials. While on
“Dallas” he began his directing career by
directing 30 episodes of that series and 49
of “Step by Step”. He and his good friend
Larry Hagman co-produced the final
television movie of “Dallas”. In March of
2000 he made his London West-End debut in
Yasmina Reza's ART and has since returned
for a season of the U.K.'s traditional PANTO.
Recently Patrick launched the new “Bingo in
America”, and also starred for two years as
Stephan Logan on CBS's “The Bold and the
Beautiful”. Now everyone should be watching
for him on the unusual 'Patrick Duffy and
The Crab' on YouTube and Facebook.
In his spare time Patrick has completed
writing the first of a trilogy of science
fiction books of the "Man From Atlantis"
which is yet to be published.
Patrick and Carlyn have been married for 36
years and have two sons, Padraic (34) a
playwright, and Conor (29) an
actor-writer-producer both of whom live in
Los Angeles. Patrick and his wife are
permanent residents on their ranch in Oregon
but often are in LA for work or visits with
their children and grandchildren. |