Patty Duke~~Encountering An Idol

Next Monday, June 15th, I'll be interviewing the Oscar/Emmy winning actress Patty Duke, in conjunction with her July 20, 2009 appearence at the Castro Theatre, where she'll co-host a screening of her film Valley of the Dolls (1967). The interview will apear in Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco) and ON Magazine (San Jose).

For me it's a dream come true~~Patty Duke is my personal hero. In 1962, at age 16, she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. She has since won Emmys for her television work, and has appeared extensively on the stage~~she currently plays Madame Morrible in the San Francisco production of the musical Wicked.

But for me, Patty Duke is so much more than just a "star". She's a courageous groundbreaker. In 1982, after having displayed years of bizzare, out of control behavior, she was hospitalized and diagnosed as a manic depressive~~bipolar. She was the first celebrity to publicly admit to having a mental illness. All these years later, she continues to talk about it~~she's one of our leading advocates for proper mental health care, and for destigmatizing mental illness.

Around 1970, Duke was fired from a Universal Studios production she was working on due to her on set manic episodes.
She admits to having thrown a paperweight
at a studio executive.
In 1985, a stable Duke ran for President of the Screen Actor's Guild. The same executive who had banished her 15 years earlier supported her candidacy~~he was that impressed with her turnaround. The actress shared this anecdote, and many other personal stories from her bipolar life, in Call Me Anna, her heartfelt and moving 1987 autobiography.

Duke's story stands as an inspiration to "people like us." She was, in her own words, "crazy as a bedbug." But she fought back and bounced back, and now lives a serene and happy life. She's in a great marriage, is close to her kids, and her career has continued, as has her mental health advocacy.

She stands as a grand example of what we all could be~~her story has certainly helped me in my own recovery.

And so, next Monday I get to spend an hour or so with my hero Patty Duke.
I'm humbled and honored to be doing so.

David Alex Nahmod
SF CA
June 2009