Meet Patrick Duffy's two children he shares with late wife - who both followed him into acting

Patrick Duffy got his start with small roles in TV movies like The Stranger Who Looks Like Me (1974) and Hurricane (1974). He appeared in two episodes of Charlie's Angels (1980) and starred in '70s fantasy series Man from Atlantis. 

He's best known for his role as youngest son Bobby Ewing in Dallas, appearing on 326 episodes, and sitcom Step by Step. 

Patrick met his late wife, ballet dancer Carlyn Rosser, when he was just 22. The pair tied the knot in 1974 and were happily married for 43 years, until Carlyn passed in 2017. 

The actor has been open about the creative influence his wife had on him, effusively telling Sotheby's about her talents. "My wife had perfect pitch; she could play concert piano; she was a ballerina; she lived a life that was artistic. And I was drawn into that from a sort-of narrow artistic point of view."

Born on 30 December 1974, Padraic Terrence Duffy is the oldest son of Patrick and Carlyn. Like his father, Padraic has a talent for performance but has also worked behind the scenes. The actor and writer is best known and writer is best known for projects like Me, You, a Bag & Bamboo (2009), Err (2002) and Dallas (1978). 

He guested in the latter playing a character named Mark Harris, referencing his father's character in Man of Atlantis. Padraic married Emily Kosloski in 2009 and they share two children.

Born on 16 January 1980, Conor Duffy is the younger son of actor Patrick and his late wife. Like his brother and father he's worked on-screen in projects like Good Girls Don't... (2004), From a Place of Darkness (2008) and Dallas (1978). 

Conor is credited as playing 'Little J.R. Ewing' in a 1991 dream sequence during the show's finale. The actor said 'I do' to wife Emily Cutler in 2006 and they share two children.

Since his wife's passing in 2017, Patrick has found love again with an old friend. Patrick Duffy and now-partner Linda Purl originally met briefly at a play starring mutual friend Richard Thomas in 2000, but it was in 2020 after reconnecting via a group text that the two fell for each other.

Frequent messaging turned into video calls until a slip up had Patrick confessing his feelings. He told Senior Planet, "One night, as we were signing off, I said, ‘Sleep tight, I love you.’ I pushed the off button and went, ‘Oh my god. I said the L-word!’"

Patrick is still acting today and has recently appeared in 9 episodes of The Family Business, Hollywood Grit and worked on 155 episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful. 

When not acting, Patrick and Linda run their own sourdough starter company called Duffy's Dough. The actor told People that they've been "dehydrating the original sourdough starter" passed down through decades of the Duffy family.