PATTY DUKE'S SON She Was the Bravest Person I've Ever Known

BY TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT HERSELF, THE ACTRESS SAVED MANY OTHER LIVES

- LOUISE A. BARILE

As a kid, Mackenzie Astin grew used to sharing his mom, Patty Duke, with her admirers, but after the publication of her memoir Call Me Anna in 1987, the nature of those fan interactions changed. “After her autobiography, she became more of a mental health advocate than a professional actress,” Mack tells Closer. “People would meet her and jump into a story about how valuable her book had been to someone in their lives.”

An actor since the age of 8, Patty, who was born Anna Marie Duke, won an Oscar playing Helen Keller in 1962’s The Miracle Worker and went on to become the country’s most popular teenager on The Patty Duke Show. “She was very, very talented, but people fell in love with her because she was very lovable," said William Schallert, who played her father on the show.

It wasn't until Patty released her memoir that the public learned of the mistreatment and abuse she suffered at the hands of the couple who managed her career and her long struggle with severe mood swings caused by bipolar disorder. "Mostly what people like me want to find out prior to our diagnosis is, 'Am I the only one?"" said Patty. "The good news-bad news is, 'You're not the only one.""

LIGHT IN DARKNESS