It is 40 years since Pete Duel’s tragic death in the early hours of December 31, 1971. With his death the public were denied his talent. And his family lost a beloved son and brother. It isn’t a time for celebration. His death came too soon and was too sad. This is a time to reflect on his life and what he achieved in the time he was with us. He will always be remembered with affection as Hannibal Heyes from Alias Smith and Jones. The mecurial outlaw reflected the humorous and whimsical side of his personality as did the sitcom Love On A Rooftop. But Pete Duel’s talent wasn’t restricted to light comedy. Two guest spots in The Virginian explored different aspects of a troubled personality and his two recurring roles in The Psychiatrist alongside Roy Thinnes demonstrated his talent as a dramatic actor of great intensity. He is still missed today.
Rest in peace Peter E. Deuel (1940-1971).
Very true. He was a unique individual, and his untimely death was a tragic waste of both life and talent. We’ll never know if he would have achieved the career he deserved, had he lived – possibly he was trapped by the confines of the industry as it was in those days and may not have been able to reach the heights of success that today’s [often less talented] screen actors do – but I’d like to believe that, had he finished work on AS&J, and his contract with Universal, he would have been in a position to pick and choose what work he wanted to do, and would have gone on to establish himself in the roll call of acting legends, or perhaps even as a Director.
RIP Pete. Gone, but not forgotten.
Yes Elizabeth – if you look at many TV actors from the 1960s and early 1970s their careers faded out in the 1980s as fashions changed and they lost their youth.
I don’t think “Alias Smith and Jones” would have resulted in Pete Duel being able to pick and choose projects. It never happened to Ben Murphy. His contract would have expired but he would still have to fight for good roles. We’ll never know what direction his life and career would have taken. And that’s one of the frustrating aspects of his early death. But ultimately concerns over any film or TV role are trivial compared to the loss of Pete Duel the person.
With all due respect, I don’t think Mr. Murphy *wanted* career success enough to pursue success. I think, for him, acting was just a means to an end, not a vocation, and he didn’t really work at it. I think he would probably have preferred a career in tennis! Pete himself may have become disillusioned with the industry and given up acting, but had he chosen to continue in it, he had the potential to go far. Whether he would have is, of course, something we’ll never know. But, as you say, the loss of what might have been in his personal life is far more poignant than where his career may have gone. Any life cut short is a tragedy.
Ben Murphy indicates he wasn’t too concerned about his acting career Elizabeth but he starred in both “Griff” and “Gemini Man” post ASJ. He was actively looking for another hit TV show. If either had succeeded he’d have have been working continually into the 1980s. But they both failed. Many actors only get one chance at a hit TV show in their entire careers.
All due respect — Ben Murphy didn’t possess the natural talent Pete Duel had. Pete Duel had “it”, whatever that is, and he stood out in everything he did. I think he would have gone far after AS&J — like Jack Nicholson far. I think he certainly had the talent to be one of the greats of his generation. Such a tragedy and a waste. RIP Pete. Sadly missed.
We’ll never know Kat. He might have left Hollywood behind him. And in a tragic sense his death was a rejection of Hollywood.