Online Encyclopedia
Patrick Duffy
See also: Patrick Duffy (UK politician)
Patrick Duffy (born March 17, 1949 in Townsend, Montana) is an American television actor. Duffy is best known as Bobby Ewing on the television series Dallas and as Frank Lambert on the television sitcom, Step by Step.
In 1976, Duffy got the role of Mark Harris in the television series The Man from Atlantis . Two years later, he got his big break in the role of Bobby Ewing on the TV series, Dallas, a role he played until 1991 (except for his notorious one-year absence from 1985 to 1986 that culminated in the surprise season finale where Duffy mysteriously reappeared in his wife's shower). During this time, he continued to hold a variety of roles in various TV specials.
On November 18, 1986, Duffy's parents, Terrence and Marie, were murdered by Kenneth Miller and Sean Wentz during the robbery of a Montana bar owned by Duffy's parents. Wentz and Miller, who were teenagers at the time, were convicted of the murders and sentenced to 180 years in prison.
By the end of Dallas' run in 1991, Duffy switched to another popular television role, as the head of the Lambert family (alongside TV wife Suzanne Somers) on the family sitcom, Step by Step. A role which ran until the show's cancellation in 1998.
Duffy continues to act in the occasional guest or voice acting appearance, including the shows Family Guy, Justice League and Touched by an Angel. Duffy is married with two children and is an active Buddhist.