Patty Duke left a significant legacy when she passed away in March 2016. According to IMDb, she earned three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, an Academy Award, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
When she received her Oscar for the movie version of that show, she broke the record for the youngest Academy Award winner ever. She was also the youngest to have their name shown above the marquee on Broadway (for The Miracle Worker).
Duke’s battles with mental illness are known almost as much as her amazing acting abilities and achievements. She received a bipolar disorder diagnosis in 1982, according to the Los Angeles Times, and was one of the first famous people to discuss mental health difficulties openly.
She talked about these issues and others in her memoir Call Me Anna, published in 1987. Duke said in 1990 (through the Los Angeles Times), “I was terrified when I wrote the book.” “You worry that if you admit to having a mental illness, people will think you’re weird and unfit for work.”
Sean Astin, well-known for his work in The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings, and Stranger Things, is Duke’s son and has made it his mission to continue his mother’s work raising awareness of the mental illness.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he started a crowdfunding campaign to create the Patty Duke Mental Health Initiative, but he’s not the only member of the family continuing Duke’s legacy in the entertainment industry.
Patty Duke, a trailblazer in Hollywood who spent many years promoting mental health concerns, is renowned. It’s hardly surprising that some of her children followed her into the industry when she achieved enormous success on the stage, small screen, and in the movies.
Sean Astin (shown on the right) and Mackenzie Astin, two of Duke’s children, became actors. Sean achieved enormous popularity as a kid actor after securing the title role in the 1985 action movie The Goonies. He later went on to star in several films and TV episodes, such as the critically acclaimed Stranger Things and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
A significant part of The Facts of Life and appearances on numerous other shows, including Lost, House, Psych, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and NCIS, helped Mackenzie achieve early popularity.
Alexandria Astin (shown left), a working actress in Hollywood who co-starred with her father in The Lord of the Rings, was likewise bitten by the acting bug.
Alexandria (whom others call “Ali” professionally) is renowned for how much her famous grandma looks like her. These two are exact replicas from their eyes to their grins!
