What is Patrick Duffy net worth and salary?
Patrick Duffy is an American actor who has a net worth of $30 million. He is perhaps best known for his role as Bobby Ewing on the original, long-running CBS soap opera “Dallas,” which debuted in the late 1970s (and again in the TNT remake of the show in 2012). In the 1990s he also starred in the series “Step By Step”.
Youth
Patrick Duffy was born on May 17, 1949 in Townsend, Montana, the son of tavern owners Terence and Marie “Babe” Duffy. The family moved to Everett, Washington, where Duffy attended Cascade High School. During her teenage years, Duffy participated in Drama and Pep Clubs. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1971 with a degree in theater and credits in theater arts, which allowed him to teach. During her senior year of college, Duffy tore her vocal cords and worked as a performer for ballet, opera, and orchestra companies in Washington, D.C., and also taught mime and movement classes.
Early career
Duffy moved to Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s, where he spent several years trying to make it as an actor. After appearing in minor roles in a few TV movies and an episode of ‘Switch’ in 1976, his big break came in 1976 when he landed the lead role in the sci-fi series ‘Man From Atlantis’. In the show, Duffy played Mark Harris, a being from the lost continent of Atlantis who was discovered unconscious on a beach by a scientist. While appearing human, Harris has webbed hands and feet and can only spend a certain amount of time out of water. The show only lasted one season, airing from the fall of 1977 until the following spring.
Dallas
His next role would define his career, although “Dallas” was not an immediate success. Despite the show’s eventual, almost cult-like success, Duffy grew tired of playing the nice guy and left the show in 1985 in search of more adventurous roles. He was “killed off” on the show. After Duffy’s departure, “Dallas” sank in the ratings and in 1986 Duffy was persuaded to return to the show and his character as nice guy Bobby Ewing. The show’s writers explained Ewing’s disappearance with a now-famous shower scene in which he reappeared, revealing that his demise was “just a dream”. While this tactic wasn’t popular with everyone, it became a noted part of television history (just as the “Who Shot JR?” cliffhanger will live forever in the legacy that is Dallas).
Shortly after returning to “Dallas”, Duffy suffered a huge personal tragedy when his parents, Terence and Babe, were killed during an attempted robbery at their tavern in Boulder, Montana. Out of respect for Duffy and his immense loss, production on the series was briefly halted.
Duffy remained with “Dallas” until its cancellation in 1991. Duffy also appeared in several episodes of the “Dallas” spinoff, “Knots Landing” from 1979-1982. During Dallas’ 13 years on the air, Duffy directed several episodes of the series.
Also in the ’90s, Duffy appeared in two Dallas reunion films: “JR Returns” in 1996 and “War of Wings” in 1998. He also co-produced both films. In 2004, the cast of “Dallas” reunited for non-fiction. “Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork” TV Special.
In 2012, Duffy, along with original Dallas cast mates Linda Gray and Larry Hagman, joined the reboot of the series. Sadly, in November 2012, Larry Hagman passed away due to complications from cancer. In 2016, Duffy participated in the experimental documentary “Hotel Dallas” by the artist duo Ungur & Huang. He played a surreal double of Bobby Ewing in the film, which premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
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Singing career
Meanwhile, Duffy was also attempting a singing career and had a hit in Europe in 1983 with “Together We’re Strong”, a duet with French singer Mireille Mathieu. Their song reached number 5 in the Netherlands in April 1983.
Step by step
From 1991 to 1998, Patrick starred as Frank Lambert in the family sitcom Step By Step opposite Suzanne Somers. The series ran for 160 episodes over 7 seasons on ABC as part of its Friday night TGIF program and eventually became a staple of syndicated television. Patrick directed 49 episodes of the series.
Other work
Duffy continued to make the occasional guest spot or voice appearance, including for “Family Guy,” “Justice League,” and “Touched by an Angel.” He also starred in many TV movies, including “Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door” and “Desolation Canyon.” Duffy began appearing in the recurring role of Stephen Logan on the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” in 2006. In the spring of 2008, Duffy hosted the interactive game series “Bingo America” on GSN.
Personal life
Duffy married professional ballerina Carlyn Rosser in February 1974. They lived in Eagle Point, Oregon with their sons Padraic Terence Duffy (b. 1974) and Conor Frederick Duffy (b. 1979). They remained married until Carlyn’s death in January 2017. In an April 2020 interview, he revealed that he still feels very “married” to his late wife. She had encouraged and helped him convert to Buddhism after the painful death of his parents in 1986.
The two teenagers, Kenneth Miller and Sean Wentz, who killed Duffy’s parents during an armed robbery, were convicted of murder and sentenced to 75 years in prison. Miller was released in December 2007 and Sean Wentz was released in 2015.
immobility
For over two decades, Patrick and Carlyn owned a home in Tarzana, California. They put the 1.5-acre property on the market in 1999 for $2 million. They sold the house in 2000 for $1.5 million to Jonathan Davis, lead singer of the rock band Korn. Davis sold the home in 2004 for just under $2.1 million.
After selling their Tarzana property, the Duffys bought a house in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood to get a foothold in SoCal.
Outside of California, Patrick spends most of the year on his 600-acre farm near Medford, Oregon. He bought the property in 1989, shortly after accompanying fellow Dallas native Larry Hagman on a fishing trip to the area.
The art collection
One of the main reasons Patrick and Carlyn moved to the Oregon property was to have more space for their impressive art collection. Their collection grew to include pieces by John Singer Sargent, Charles Burchfield, Milton Avery, Andrew Wyeth and others. Some of the pieces are worth millions of dollars alone. He auctioned some of the pieces in May 2018. At that auction, Patrick sold a Milton Avery piece titled “The Seamstress” for $2.75 million.
