Pete Duel
| Pete Duel | |
|---|---|
Alias Smith and Jones 1971
|
|
| Born |
Peter Ellstrom Deuel February 24, 1940 Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1971 (aged 31) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Self-inflicted gunshot wound |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Peter E. Deuel Peter Deuel Pete Deuel |
| Education | Penfield High School |
| Alma mater | St. Lawrence University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963–1971 |
| Relatives | Geoffrey Deuel (brother) |
Peter Ellstrom "Pete" Deuel (February 24, 1940 – December 31, 1971) was an American stage, television, and film actor, best known for his role as outlaw Hannibal Heyes (alias Joshua Smith) in the television series Alias Smith and Jones.
Peter Ellstrom Deuel was born in Rochester, New York, the eldest of three children born to Dr. Ellsworth and Lillian Deuel (née Ellstrom). He had a younger brother, Geoffrey, who also became an actor, and a sister, Pamela.
He attended Penfield High School, where he worked on the yearbook staff, campaigned for student government, and was a member of the National Thespians Society. He graduated in 1957 and attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he majored in English. Still, he preferred performing in the drama department’s productions to studying for his classes during his two years there. When his father came to see him in The Rose Tattoo, he realized that his son was only wasting time and money at the university, and told him to follow a career in acting.
Moving to New York, Duel landed a role in a touring production of the comedy Take Her, She's Mine. To find work in the movies, Duel and his mother drove across the country to Hollywood, California in 1963, with only a tent to house them each night.
In Hollywood, he found work in television, making small guest appearances in comedies like Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and dramas, such as ABC's Channing with Jason Evers and Combat! with Rick Jason and Vic Morrow. In 1965, he was cast in the comedy series Gidget. Duel played Gidget's brother-in-law, John Cooper, on the series, and appeared in twenty-two of the thirty-two episodes. Gidget was cancelled after only one season in 1966, but Deuel was immediately offered the starring role of Dave Willis, a newlywed apprentice architect, in a romantic comedy called Love on a Rooftop. Although the show earned good ratings, ABC decided not to bring it back after its first season. Duel wished to move from sitcoms to more serious roles. Around 1970, he also changed his name, dropping the "r" from Peter and the 1st "e" from "Deuel". In the credits on the series Gidget, episode 25, his last name appears as "Devel".
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