5 Things You Never Knew About ‘Dallas’ and ‘Step by Step’ Star Patrick Duffy

Lauren Novak March 17, 4:26 pm

DALLAS, Patrick Duffy, 1978-1991 — Everett Collection

Patrick Duffy, who turns 76 years old today, has been a familiar face on television for decades, first as the charming Bobby Ewing on Dallas and later as Step by Step father Frank Lambert. Behind the scenes, he’s experienced incredible highs, heartbreaking lows and even some genuinely bizarre Hollywood moments (like having to learn to swim like a porpoise for a TV show). Duffy has Irish roots and was born on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 1949) — his parents even owned an Irish tavern! So perhaps it was no coincidence that he was named Patrick.

Beyond his television fame, Duffy has lived a life filled with unexpected moments, from a shocking family tragedy to a surprising real-life connection to one of Dallas‘ biggest plot twists. Whether you grew up watching him as the ultimate ’80s TV heartthrob or discovered his work later, here are five things you might not know about the star:

1 His parents were tragically murdered

Everett Collection

On Nov. 18, 1986, Duffy’s world was shattered when his parents, Terrence and Marie Duffy, were murdered during a robbery at their Montana bar. Teenagers Kenneth Miller and Sean Wentz had entered the Boulder Bar intending to rob it, but ended up taking the couple’s lives. Both men were convicted of double murder and sentenced to 180 years in prison. Years later, Wentz confessed that he was the sole shooter, but Miller’s 2000 appeal for clemency was denied.

2 His wife came up with a Dallas twist

Patrick Duffy and his wife Carlyn Rosser attend the closing ceremony of the 55th Monte-Carlo Television Festival on June 18, 2015, in Monaco

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

One of the most shocking twists in television history came when Dallas revealed that an entire season had been a dream, undoing Bobby Ewing’s dramatic death and bringing Duffy back to the show. But the idea didn’t come from the writers; it came from Duffy’s late wife, Carlyn Rosser (She passed away in 2017. He has been dating actress Linda Purl since 2020).

After leaving Dallas, Duffy found that he missed the show and his costars, particularly Larry Hagman. Rosser suggested that the previous season be written off as a dream, allowing Bobby to return without disrupting the storyline. The producers ran with the idea, and Bobby’s reappearance in the shower remains one of the most talked-about moments in TV history.

3 He wears a medical alert bracelet for a serious reason

DALLAS, Patrick Duffy, 'Pilot: Changing of the Guard', (Season 1, ep. 101, airing June 13, 2012), 2012-

Erik Heinila/©TNT/Everett Collection

Duffy has a potentially fatal allergy to penicillin and wears a medical alert bracelet on his right wrist, which serves as an important warning in case of a medical emergency.

4 His son made a cameo in the final episode of Dallas

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 2: (U.S. TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actor Patrick Duffy (R) and son Conor attend the cocktail party for the "CBS at 75" television gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom November 2, 2003 in New York City

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

His son, Conor Duffy, appeared in the show’s 1991 finale, playing a young version of J.R. Ewing in a dream sequence. Born in 1980, Conor was just a child when Dallas was at its peak, but he became part of television history before the show ended. He later pursued acting himself, appearing in shows like Arrested Development and Good Girls.

5 He mastered an unusual swimming style for Man From Atlantis

MAN FROM ATLANTIS, Patrick Duffy, 1977-78

Everett Collection

Before Dallas, Duffy made a splash as Mark Harris, the amphibious hero of Man From Atlantis, in four TV movies and a short-lived television series. But playing a half-human, half-fish character required some excellent underwater skills, and it certainly wasn’t easy to develop them. But Duffy, a classically trained actor-in-residence at the University of Washington, took the challenge seriously. The production team originally wanted him to move side to side like a snake, but stunt coordinator Paul Stader quickly shut that idea down. “The human body doesn’t work that way!” he told them. Instead, they devised the now-iconic porpoise-style motion, which helped define the character.

THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS, Patrick Duffy, TV GUIDE cover, December 3-9, 1977. Illustration by Bob Peak

TV Guide/Everett Collection

Filming the underwater scenes was grueling, and the special effects were surprisingly low-tech. “There was no CGI, no computer effects,” Duffy recalled to AARP. “It was really, ‘Tie a rope to Patrick and tow him through the water.’” Adding to the challenge, he had to wear painful contact lenses designed to give him fish-like eyes. “They were the most painful, uncomfortable things you could imagine,” he said. “Nowadays, you would go to a special ophthalmologist, but back then, it was, ‘Well, let’s just pull those eyes open a little bit and see how that looks.’”