Tall, generically handsome performer with slightly sleepy eyes and a sandpapery voice. After small roles in several TV movies (one of which, "Hurricane" 1974, toplined Duffy's future co-star Larry Hagman), Duffy gained attention in the title role of the short-lived fantasy series, "The Man from Atlantis". As a long-dormant survivor from that mythical underwater kingdom, Duffy's character had to stay submerged much of the time to stay alive, thus justifying the healthily built leading man's bikini wardrobe. Duffy participated in enjoyably bland environmental adventures each week, but ratings soon became waterlogged and the show sank without a trace. Quickly drying himself off, Duffy next moved to "Dallas" where, as Bobby Ewing, he spent a dozen years purveying virtue opposite Hagman's villainous J.R. Duffy received less attention than his flashier co-star, but his earnest, underplayed style and JFK-style good looks helped the show keep its balance. Eager to expand his horizons, Duffy left "Dallas" in 1985, his character ostensibly killed off. After only one season, however, he expressed his desire to return to the show, which had been hard pressed to develop an equally effective foil for J.R. in Bobby's absence. While Bobby's abrupt appearance in his widow's shower made for a memorable season finale in mid-1986, the subsequent "explanation"--that the entire past season had been her nightmare--was hardly a triumph of TV scriptwriting. Duffy remained with the series until its honorable finale, directing several dozen episodes along the way, before moving on to "Step by Step", a revamp of "The Brady Bunch" co-starring Suzanne Somers, which aired on ABC from 1991 to 1997 and on CBS during the 1997-98 season.
Profession(s):
Actor, director
Sometimes Credited As:
Anne Marie Bobby
Pat Duffy
Soap Opera Digest Award Outstanding Actor in a Prime Time Serial "Dallas" 1985
2004 Cast as a marriage counselor who falls for Reba (Reba McEntire) in the WB comedy "Reba"
2003 Guest starred on the CBS drama "Touched by an Angel"
2000 Made London stage debut in "Art"
2000 Co-starred with Edward Asner in the comedy "Perfect Game"
1998 Starred as Bobby Ewing in the TV movie "Dallas: War of the Ewings"
1996 Reprised the role of Bobby Ewing for the TV reunion "Dallas: J.R. Returns"
1991 - 1998 Played Frank Lambert opposite Suzanne Somers on the sitcom, "Step by Step" (ABC, 1991-1997; CBS, 1997-1998); directed several episodes
1991 Starred in the TV movie "Daddy" based on the best-selling novel by Danielle Steel
1984 Starred in and co-executive produced the feature film, "Vamping"
1978 - 1991 Played Bobby Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera, "Dallas"; left the series in 1985, only to return the following year
1977 - 1978 Played Mark Harris, the eponymous hero of the fantasy-adventure series, "The Man from Atlantis"
1974 Appeared in small roles in two TV-movies, "Hurricane" (starring Larry Hagman) and "The Stranger Who Looks Like Me"
Raised in Seattle, Washington
First showbiz break, a Taco Bell commercial
