Patrick Duffy | |
|---|---|
 Duffy in 2022 | |
| Born | (1949-03-17)March 17, 1949 (age 76)[1] Townsend, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | University of Washington (BA) |
| Occupations | Actor, director, television personality |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Known for | Bobby Ewing –Dallas |
| Spouse | |
| Partner(s) | Linda Purl (2020–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Barry Zito (nephew) |
| Website | www |
Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949) is an American television actor and director widely known for his role asBobby Ewing on theCBS primetime soap operaDallas (1978–1991). Duffy returned to reprise his role as Bobby in acontinuation ofDallas, which aired onTNT from 2012 to 2014. He is also well known for his role on theABCsitcomStep by Step as Frank Lambert from 1991 to 1998, and for his role asStephen Logan on the CBS daytime soap operaThe Bold and the Beautiful (2006–2011, 2022, 2023). Duffy played the lead character's father in the 2014NBC sitcomWelcome to Sweden.
Duffy was born inTownsend, Montana, in 1949, the son of tavern owners, Patrick Mor Terence and Marie Duffy (née Dawson).[1][2] Duffy is of Irish ancestry.[3] During high school, Duffy was living inEverett, Washington, and attendedCascade High School. At Cascade, he participated in the Drama Club and the Pep Club, for which he was a Yell King.[2][4] Academically, Duffy graduated from theUniversity of Washington in 1971 with a degree indrama.[5] He ruptured both hisvocal cords during his senior year of college, butwas hired as actor-in-residence[clarification needed], where he worked as an interpreter forballet,opera, and orchestra companies in Washington. He also taughtmime and movement classes during this period.[6] In a 2021 interview withDavid A. Weiner, Duffy credits his sister, an international champion diver, with teaching him the necessary swimming techniques for his first career break.[7] She became a police officer in Seattle.[8]
Duffy appeared in aTaco Bell commercial in the early 1970s, playing an employee describing anEnchirito.[9] In 1977, he landed the role of Mark Harris in the short-lived television seriesMan from Atlantis. Following the series' cancellation in early 1978, he got his big break in the role ofBobby Ewing, oppositeBarbara Bel Geddes andLarry Hagman, on the prime-time soap operaDallas.[5] The show became a worldwide success. Despite its success, Duffy opted to leave the series in 1985 with his character being killed off onscreen. However, with both the show and his career on the decline, he returned in 1986 in the famousshower scene that rendered the entire 1985–1986 season "just a dream." Duffy then remained with the series until its cancellation in 1991. He also appeared in several episodes of the spin-off seriesKnots Landing between 1979 and 1982. Throughout the 13-year run ofDallas, Duffy directed several episodes of the series. Along withDallas fame, Duffy has also tried his hand at singing, and in 1983, he had a hit in Europe withTogether We're Strong, a duet with French female singerMireille Mathieu.[5] The single reached No. 5 in theNetherlands in April 1983.[10]
At the end ofDallas' run in 1991, Duffy began another television role, as Frank Lambert on the family sitcom,Step by Step in which he co-starred withSuzanne Somers. The series ran until 1998, and Duffy also directed numerous episodes. Also in the 1990s, he appeared in twoDallas reunion television films;J.R. Returns (1996) andWar of the Ewings (1998), both of which he also co-produced. He has reunited on several occasions with many of hisDallas co-stars both onscreen and off, most notably for the non-fiction television specialDallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork in 2004. Duffy later continued to act in occasional guest or voice acting appearances, including the seriesFamily Guy (in which he appeared in alive action scene withVictoria Principal as they spoofed theDallas shower scene), as well asJustice League andTouched by an Angel. Duffy starred in the television filmsFalling in Love with the Girl Next Door andDesolation Canyon. In 2006, he began a recurring role on the daytime soap operaThe Bold and the Beautiful asStephen Logan. From April to July 2008, he hostedBingo America, a partially interactive game show onGSN.
Duffy reprised his role asBobby Ewing in TNT's continuation series ofDallas. The series aired from 2012 to 2014.
Duffy played a surreal double of Bobby Ewing in the experimental documentaryHotel Dallas, directed by artist duo Ungur & Huang. The film premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.[11]
Duffy married Carlyn Rosser, a professionalballerina 10 years his senior, in 1974. She danced with the First Chamber Dance Company ofNew York.[12] Her nephew is formerMajor League Baseball pitcherBarry Zito.[13] The Duffys lived nearEagle Point, Oregon, with their sons.[12][14]
Introduced toBuddhism by his wife, Duffy converted toNichiren Buddhism and began chantingNam Myōhō Renge Kyō. He and his family are longtime members of theBuddhist organizationSoka Gakkai International.[15][16]
On November 18, 1986, Duffy's parents were murdered at their tavern inBoulder, Montana by two young men, Kenneth Miller and Sean Wentz, during an armed robbery. Wentz and Miller, who were teenagers at the time, were convicted of the murders and sentenced to 75 years in prison. In 2001, Miller appeared before theMontana Parole board after Wentz recanted his original story and admitted that he, Wentz, was the sole gunman. Miller was denied clemency in 2001 but was released on parole in December 2007.[17] Wentz was granted parole in 2015.[18]
Duffy's wife Carlyn Rosser died in 2017.[6][19] In 2020, he entered into a relationship with actressLinda Purl.[20][21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Stranger Who Looks Like Me | Adoptee #3 | Television film |
| 1974 | Hurricane | Jim | Television film |
| 1976 | Switch | Sgt. Musial | Episode: "The Walking Bomb" |
| 1976 | The Last of Mrs. Lincoln | Lewis Baker | Television film |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis | Mark Harris | Television film |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis: The Death Scouts | Mark Harris | Television film |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis: Killer Spores | Mark Harris | Television film |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis: The Disappearances | Mark Harris | Television film |
| 1977–78 | Man from Atlantis | Mark Harris | Series regular (13 episodes) |
| 1978–85; 1986–91 | Dallas | Bobby Ewing | Series regular (326 episodes) Director (29 episodes) Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actor in a Prime Time Serial (1985) Special Bambi Award(Shared with Dallas co-stars) (1987) TV Land Pop Culture Award(Shared with Dallas co-stars) (2006) Nominated -Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actor in a Prime Time (1988, 1990, 1992) Nominated -Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Super Couple: Prime Time(Shared withVictoria Principal) (1988) |
| 1979–82 | Knots Landing | 3 episodes | |
| 1980 | Charlie's Angels | William Cord | Episode: "One Love...Two Angels" |
| 1980 | Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb | Colonel Paul Tibbets | Television film |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Ralph Sutton | Episode: "The Expedition" |
| 1982 | Cry for the Strangers | Dr. Brad Russell | Television film |
| 1984 | Vamping | Harry Baranski | |
| 1985 | From Here to Maternity | Henderson | Television film |
| 1985 | Hotel | Richard Martin | Episode: "Missing Pieces" |
| 1985 | George Burns Comedy Week | Episode: "Dream, Dream, Dream" | |
| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Goat | Television film |
| 1986 | Strong Medicine | Dr. Andrew Jordan | Television film |
| 1987 | Our House | Johnny Witherspoon | Episode: "Candles and Shadows" |
| 1988 | 14 Going on 30 | Actor in Black and White Movie | Television film |
| 1988 | Unholy Matrimony | John Dillman | Television film |
| 1988 | Too Good to Be True | Richard Harland | Television film |
| 1990 | Murder C.O.D. | Steve Murtaugh | Television film |
| 1990 | Children of the Bride | John Hix | Television film |
| 1990 | Newhart | Patrick Duffy | Episode: "Lights! Camera! Contractions!"; uncredited |
| 1991 | Daddy | Oliver Watson | Television film |
| 1991–98 | Step by Step | Frank Lambert | Series regular (160 episodes) Director (49 episodes) |
| 1992 | Goof Troop | Harold Hatchback | Voice, episode: "Buddy Building" |
| 1994 | Texas | Stephen Austin | Television film |
| 1996 | Dallas: J.R. Returns | Bobby Ewing | Television film |
| 1997 | Heart of Fire | Max Tucker | Television film |
| 1998 | Dallas: War of the Ewings | Bobby Ewing | Television film |
| 1998 | Rusty: A Dog's Tale | Cap the Dog | Voice |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Wayde Garrett | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" |
| 1999 | Dead Man's Gun | Lyman Gage | Episode: "The Womanizer" |
| 1999 | Don't Look Behind You | Jeff Corrigan | Television film |
| 1999 | Twice in a Lifetime | Peter Hogan | Episode: "A Match Made in Heaven" |
| 1999–2001 | Family Guy | Bobby Ewing, Jack, Salesman, Teacher | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2000 | The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne | Duke Angelo Rimini | Episode: "Rockets of the Dead" |
| 2000 | Perfect Game | Coach Bobby Geiser | Television film |
| 2002 | Justice League | Steve Trevor | Voice, episode: "The Savage Time" |
| 2003 | Touched by an Angel | Mike | Episode: "I Will Walk with You" |
| 2004 | Reba | Dr. Joe Baker | Episode: "Couples' Therapy" |
| 2004 | Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork | Himself /Bobby Ewing | TV special |
| 2006 | Desolation Canyon | Sheriff Tomas 'Swede' Lundstrom | Television film |
| 2006 | Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door | James Connolly | Television film |
| 2006–11; 2022–23 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Stephen Logan | Series regular (155 episodes) |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Himself | Uncredited cameo (unrated version) |
| 2008 | He's Such a Girl | Whitney's Father | |
| 2008 | Bingo America | Host | Game Show |
| 2009 | Love Takes Wing | Mayor Evans | Television film |
| 2010 | Healing Hands | Uncle Norman | Television film |
| 2010 | You Again | Ritchie Phillips | |
| 2010 | Pony Exce$$ | Narrator | Television documentary |
| 2010 | Party Down | Himself | Episode: "Constance Carmell Wedding" |
| 2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Himself | |
| 2012–14 | Dallas | Bobby Ewing | Series regular (40 episodes) Director (1 episode) |
| 2012 | Lovin' Lakin | Himself | Episode: "Lakin Visits Her Dad" |
| 2014–15 | Welcome to Sweden | Wayne Evans | Recurring (4 episodes) |
| 2015 | The Fosters | Robert Quinn Sr. | Episode: "The End of the Beginning" |
| 2017 | The Christmas Cure | Bruce Turner | Television film |
| 2017 | Trafficked | Christian | |
| 2018 | Christmas with a View | Frank Haven | Television film |
| 2018 | American Housewife | Marty | Episode: "Saving Christmas" |
| 2019 | The Cool Kids | Gene | Episode: "Margaret Ups Her Game" |
| 2019 | Station 19 | Terry | Episode: "Into the Wildfire" |
| 2019 | The Mistletoe Secret | Mack Eubanks | Television film |
| 2019 | Random Acts of Christmas | Howard | Television film |
| 2019 | April, May and June | April's Father | |
| 2020 | All Rise | Ed Parker | Episode: "What the Constitution Greens to Me" |
| 2020 | NCIS | Ret. Lieutenant Commander Jack Briggs | Episode: "Flight Plan" |
| 2020 | Once Upon a Main Street | Elder Dubois | Television film |
| 2020 | Alley of Brandt | Master of Time | Short film |
| 2021 | Lady of the Manor | Grayson Wadsworth | |
| 2021 | Doomsday Mom | Larry Woodcock | Television film |
| 2021 | On the Verge | Gene | Episodes: "Viva Italia!", "Lip Wax" |
| 2021 | The Christmas Promise | Pops | Television film |
| 2024 | The Family Business | Sheriff KD Shrugs | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Hollywood Grit | Clarence |
Ten years his senior, Carlyn was a ballet dancer with the First Chamber Dance Company. She was also a Buddhist, and introduced Duffy to the faith, which he still strictly follows to this day. The couple were married in a Buddhist temple in 1974 and in the same year their first of two children, Padraic, was born.
The couple have a ranch in Oregon, two sons, Padraic, 37, and Conor, 31...
Media related toPatrick Duffy at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
