William Schallert, Patty Duke’s TV Father, Dies

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Yeah, we’re well aware that William Schallert doesn’t have much in common with classic rock. But if you’re of a certain age, you invited him into your home each week in his role as Patty Duke’s father on the ’60s sitcom The Patty Duke Show. The 93-year-old actor died on Sunday, May 8, 2016, in Pacific Palisades, CA. No cause of death was announced.

Duke herself died less than two months’ ago on March 29 at just 69 years of age. Her cause of death was sepsis from a ruptured intestine.

Schallert was 41 years old when The Patty Duke Show premiered on September 18, 1963. He played Martin Lane, the managing editor of The New York Daily Chronicle. His wife, Natalie, was played by Jean Byron. Their son, Ross, by Paul O’Keefe. The series ran for 104 episodes.

Though never a leading man, Schallert didn’t lack for work on the small screen. Besides his role as Patty’s father (and cousin Cathy’s uncle) on The Patty Duke Show, Schallert appeared for several seasons on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and on episodes of Get Smart, Leave it to Beaver and The Twilight Zone. One memorable role was as Nilz Baris, in the original Star Trek TV series episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.”