Biografia
Patrick, the youngest of two siblings and the only son of Terrence and Marie Duffy, was born in Montana where his parents owned local taverns. He was raised in Everett, Washington, from the age of 12. Aspiring to be a professional athlete, he also became a certified scuba diver during his teenage years. However, his participation in his high school's drama department inspired him to apply to the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was one of only 12 selected from over 1,200 applicants. During his senior year, he suffered ruptures in both vocal cords but adapted by creating the role of actor-in-residence, serving as an interpreter for ballet, opera, and orchestra companies in Washington, while also teaching mime and movement classes. It was during this period that he met his wife, Carlyn, a ballet dancer with New York's First Chamber Dance Company. Carlyn introduced him to Buddhism, a practice he has followed for over 30 years; the couple married in a Buddhist temple in 1974. Afterward, they moved to New York where Patrick acted in Off-Broadway productions and supported their livelihood through carpentry. Later, they relocated to Hollywood, where he drove a florist’s delivery truck and secured minor roles in film and television. Their son, Padraic Duffy, was born around 1974 or 1975. In 1976, while working as a house painter, Patrick was cast as Mark Harris in the TV series Man from Atlantis (1977). Two years later, he earned the role of Bobby Ewing on Dallas (1978). Their second son, Conor Duffy, was born circa 1979 or 1980. In 1986, his parents were tragically killed by two teenagers during a raid on their Montana tavern. Despite this, Patrick continued his career, starring in various TV movies and playing Frank Lambert on his third TV series, Step by Step (1991). After Step by Step ended in 1997, he maintained an active television career, including appearances in two Dallas reunion movies and the 2012 revival of Dallas. Widowed in 2017, he now divides his time between Los Angeles and southern Oregon.
