For Patty Duke, her name change happened at the age of eight and led to a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder. She was frank about her manic depression in YouTube interviews and in her autobiography Call Me Anna–sold on Amazon. Her desire to tell her story was to help other people who suffered from mental illness.
On The Patty Duke Show, Patty played two opposite characters, which turned out to be ironic when twenty years later, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
As Patty Duke struggled with bipolar disorder, she found it stemmed from her childhood.
Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker. Duke won a best-supporting actress Oscar for her performance at the age of 15, the youngest actress to receive that award..
Bancroft and Duke starred in the Broadway play in 1959 and reprised their roles later for the 1962 film.
Born in poverty and deserted by her father, Patty’s mother entrusted John and Ethel Ross, Patty’s acting career managers, to raise her at the Rosses’ insistence.
Originally named Anne Marie, the Rosses changed Duke’s name to Patty purely as a career-advancing device. Patty sounded perky and perfect for publicity.
Ethel Ross told the young child that “Anne Marie is dead. You’re Patty now.”
With the name change, Patty Duke found life difficult and demanding. This created her identity confusion which lead to mental problems.
“It was as if she really did die. When people take away your name, they are taking away your identity.”
Call Me Anna, Patty Duke
In 1959, Patty Duke was part of the game show scandal. as a contestant on The $64,000 Question, where she won $32,000.
The producers of the rigged show gave the Rosses the answers ahead of time. and they coached Patty.
When the scandal broke, twelve-year-old Patty was required to give testimony before a congressional committee.
Forced to lie and commit fraud at such a young age by the Rosses could only have added to Duke’s mental and emotional problems.
Childhood confusion about her name change and identity began the decades-long downward spiral of mental illness as Patty Duke struggled with bipolar disorder.
This manifested in drugs, sexual abuse, promiscuity, broken marriages, and paternity questions about her son.
It was only after her diagnosis and treatment later in life did she find any relief.
Patty Duke on the set of Valley of the Dolls 1967.
Her character in the film dealt with substance abuse and sexual promiscuity, traits that mirrored aspects of Duke’s personal life.
On The Patty Duke Show, Patty played two opposite characters, identical cousins, Cathy Lane and Patty Lane.
Writer Sidney Sheldon wanted to display on the TV show the “two sides” of Duke that he saw in her personal life.
This turned ironic twenty years later when Duke was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Later in life, the actress put into print her struggle with bipolar disorder and her name change that started Patty Duke ‘s problems. She wrote her autobiography, Call Me Anna. It was followed by another book focused more on her manic-depressive illness,
Patty Duke stated that she was meant to tell people her story and help others who battle mental illness
I can personally relate to her motivation.
Patty and her husband, John Astin, on Tattle Tales game show in 1974. Astin played Gomez on The Addams Family TV series and was Duke’s third husband.
Patty and her sons Mackenzie and Sean in 2004 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mackenzie resembles his father, John Astin. Both sons are successful actors. Mackenzie won a Young Artists Award in 1986 for his role on the sitcom The Facts of Life.
Leaving Hollywood, Duke moved to Idaho. There the name change that resulted in problems for Patty was reversed. She took back her birth name Anna Marie. She also used the last name of her fourth husband Michael Pearce. Their marriage lasted 30 years until her death.
The obituary in a local newspaper lists her name as Anna Marie Pearce. The locals called her Anna, fulfilling both a lifelong desire and the title of her autobiography, Call me Anna.
https://www.yatesfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Anna-Marie-Pearce?obId=2479402#/obituaryInfo
Anna Marie Duke Pearce died at the age of 69 in 2016. Read The New York Times obituary below.
Patty Duke, Child Star and Oscar Winner, Dies at 69 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Son Sean Continues Anna’s Work
Anna Marie’s son Sean Astin is a well-known actor. He played Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the characters of Rudy and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings, Bob Newby in Netflix’s Stranger Things, and the narrator in the Captain Underpants animated series.
He continues Anna’s mission by advocating for mental health issues and awareness.
Patty Duke’s Awards
1 – Academy Award
3 – Primetime Emmy Awards
2 – Golden Globe Awards
Anna Marie Duke – Amazon Page
Amazon.com: Patty Duke: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke: Duke, Patty: Amazon.com: Books
The name change Patty Duke faced is familiar to me. I experienced a name change, too, as a child. I then developed questions about my name and identity, which led to emotional problems and painful events throughout my life.
My memoir tackles some of this.
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