Patrick Duffy

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For other uses, see Patrick Duffy (disambiguation).

Patrick G. Duffy (born March 17, 1949 in Townsend, Montana) is an American television actor. Duffy is best known as Larry Hagman's younger TV brother, Bobby Ewing on the television series Dallas and as Suzanne Somers's husband, Frank Lambert on the television sitcom, Step by Step.

In 1976, Duffy got the role of Mark Harris in the television series 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 Pam Ewing's shower; she had dreamed up his writing-off and the season after his "death"). During this time, he continued to hold a variety of roles in various TV specials. He also did some independent film work like 1984's Vamping with co-star David Booze.

Patrick Duffy on Dallas, taken from a later season

On November 18, 1986, Duffy's parents, Terrance and Marie Duffy, 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. At the time, Duffy was criticized in the press for his seeming lack of sadness and grief over the deaths, but Duffy countered that his Buddhist beliefs (he converted from Roman Catholicism) meant that he believed they had moved on to a better place.

Duffy as he appeared in one of the Dallas TV movies

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. During that time, he also starred in the Dallas reunion movies "JR Returns" and "War of the Ewings."

Duffy continues to act in the occasional guest or voice acting appearance, including the shows Family Guy (in which he appeared once, in person, as Bobby Ewing with Victoria Principal's Pam), Justice League and Touched by an Angel. Recently Patrick has starred in television movies Falling in Love With the Girl Next Door and Desolation Canyon. In 2006, Duffy began a limited run on the daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful and the Hallmark Channel miniseries Broken Trail.

[edit] Internet Popularity

More recently, Patrick has been the subject of an internet meme (which originated on the Something Awful forums) consisting of images and videos of people getting hurt and objects being destroyed. A floating Patrick Duffy head shoots lasers (and sometimes bolts of lightning, flame balls, etc) from his eyes, causing destruction. This image is but one of many examples.

[edit] Trivia

He is an active Buddhist.
He is the uncle of Oakland Athletics pitcher Barry Zito.
He attended the University of Washington in Seattle.
In the American South Park episode Volcano, the monster on the mountain Scuzzlebutt has Patrick Duffy for a leg.