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We knew her as Patty Duke. Anna Pearce of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho died this morning and for me this is one of those celebrity deaths that feel like a personal loss. I would love to hear how you all remember her (if at all). These are some of my memories
The Miracle Worker
Like most of the world in 1962, I first saw her as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, her most famous role. Patty as Helen is a cunning feral animial of a child, holding her own opposite the great Anne Bancroft. She won an Oscar, at 16 the youngest actress at that time to win the award. If you haven't seen this movie, by all means, find it.
The Patty Duke Show
This was one of my favorite shows growing up. Many generations since have found it and been charmed by her playing two identical cousins. I know, the premise was kind of unbelievable, but you have to put that in context. Compared to Bewitched, My Mother the Car, or Gilligan's Island it was Chekov.
Valley of the Dolls
It's the best bad movie ever made. Today it's a camp classic, best seen with a roomful or theater full of fags (to quote one of the awful script's most overused words). It was supposed to get Patty out of her girl-next-door image, but making it was hell and the reviews were worse. However later, Patty credited her gay fans with helping her see the film in a different perspective. “I’ve come to enjoy that movie — not that it’s not still embarrassing," she says. "But thanks to the gay community, I can see it in a different way and have a good time with it.”
Me, Natalie and My Sweet Charlie
Patty did manage to get adult roles in small films and TV movies and re-make her career. Me, Natalie earned her a Golden Globe and My Sweet Charlie her first of three Emmys.
In the late 60's and early 70's Patty seemed to be the stereotypical child star out of control. She partied, taunted the press, and had a very public on-off affair with Lucille Ball's son Desi Arnaz Jr, who was several years younger than she. She seemed particularly out of it when she won her Emmy - leading to rumors that she was drunk or high.
She seemed to settle down when she married John Astin (Gomez from The Addams Family) and had her sons, Sean (Goonies, Rudy and Lord of the Rings) and Mackinzie (Facts of Life). She continued to work primarily in television movies and series.
Anna with son Sean Astin.
She was elected the head of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and she produced a TV version of The Miracle Worker, this time with her playing the Anne Bancroft role, and Melissa Gilbert as Helen. (Fun Fact: Melissa Gilbert would later follow Patty's footsteps again to become president of SAG.)
With Melissa Gilbert in The Miracle Worker, 1979
In private, though her behavior was still out of control. It killed her marriage, and almost ended her life and her relationship with her sons. It was then that she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and started taking medication - which transformed her life. She remarried (Michael Pearce, a firefighter) and moved with him to Idaho.
In the 1990's she published her autobiography My Name is Anna, which detailed her career as well as her struggles with bi-polar. She went on to become a advocate for mental health.
One of her last roles was on the TV series Glee. She and Meredith Baxter played a lesbian couple that mentor Kurt and Blaine through a difficult time. This harkens back to a time when she was an early advocate for AIDS causes and gay rights.
My prayers go out to her husband Michael, sons Sean, Mackinzie, and Kevin, and the rest of her family and grandchildren. We see so many people achieve fame, and then burn out. Anna struggled, but never stopped fighting her way back and ended up getting back what had been taken from her in her youth - a family that loved her.
As a final tribute, here is a segment from the 20/20 news program in 2004 with Anna, Sean, and Mackenzie alll talking about coping with the effects of living in a bi-polar household.
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