Patrick Duffy - - Biography

Synopsis

Born in Montana in 1949, actor Patrick Duffy is best known for playing Bobby Ewing on the hit drama Dallas (1978-85). He landed the role after starring on the 1976 sci-fi television series Man From Atlantis. In 1986, Duffy returned to Dallas for another six years, pausing briefly to take a personal leave after his parents were tragically murdered during a robbery. He later starred on the 1990s sitcom Step by Step and reprised the role of Ewing for a 2012 Dallas reboot.

Early Life

Patrick Duffy was born on March 17, 1949, in Townsend, Montana. Although he has played many other roles, Duffy will always be remembered for his portrayal of Bobby Ewing on the hit primetime drama Dallas.

Duffy grew up in a small town in Montana, where his parents ran a tavern and struggled to make ends meet. After high school, Duffy enrolled at the University of Washington, where he studied drama and graduated in 1971.

Duffy eventually moved to Los Angeles, California, where he subsequently spent several years trying to make it as an actor. His big break came in 1976, when he landed the lead part on the science-fiction series Man From Atlantis. At the time, Duffy was cash-strapped. "I didn't have enough money to buy a swimming suit, so I had to do it in my underwear," he later told People magazine of his audition for the series.

On the show, Duffy played Mark Harris, a being from the lost continent of Atlantis who was discovered unconscious on a beach by a research scientist. While he looked human, Harris had webbed hands and feet. He could only spend a certain amount of time out of the water before returning to breathe. The show only lasted a season, airing from the fall of 1977 to the following spring.