Voting Station

Pete Duel

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Actor

The Resume

    (February 20, 1940-December 31, 1971)
    Born in Rochester, New York
    Birth name was Peter Ellstrom Deuel
    Portrayed John Cooper on the TV series 'Gidget' (1965-66), David Willis on 'Love on a Rooftop' (1966-67) and Hannibal Heyes (aka Joshua Smith) on 'Alias Smith and Jones' (1971-72)
    Acted in 'W.I.A. Wounded in Action (1966),' 'The Hell with Heroes (1968),' 'Generation (1969)' and 'Cannon for Cordoba (1970)'
    Died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head at age 31

Why he might be annoying:

    On changing his name: 'People were always saying 'Peter who?' or 'Peter O'Toole?' There were too many questions. I first took the 'e' out of Deuel, and then said to myself, 'Why not take the 'r' out of Peter and make that a four-letter word, too, to balance the other?'
    He battled alcoholism and depression.
    When 'Alias Smith and Jones' became a hit he got a kick out of being on teen magazine covers at age 31.
    He got a telegram that he hadn't been elected to the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild, so he tacked it on a wall and shot it (November 1971).
    He got a DUI in 1971 and had his license revoked.
    He told his girlfriend he'd see her later, drank heavily while watching a Lakers game, and with a blood alcohol content of .31 put a bullet in his brain.

Why he might not be annoying:

    A 1958 car crash left him suffering from epilepsy.
    He dreamed of becoming an actor so he could be something other than a doctor his father, grandfather and great grandfather had become (and mom was a nurse).
    Once his parents saw him perform in 'The Rose Tattoo' they gave him their blessing with his mom driving him to Hollywood in 1963.
    He campaigned vigorously for Eugene McCarthy for President in 1968 because he was so opposed to the Vietnam War.
    He owned three dogs and his hobbies were poetry, sketching, violin concertos, fast cars, motorcycles and reading Dylan Thomas, Shakespeare and Thoreau.
    He was into environmental issues, narrated a green film documentary for free and signed his autographs 'Peace and ecology now.'
    He wanted to marry actress Kim Darby (whom he met on a movie set) and have kids but she secretly married another man in 1970.

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 26 Votes: 96.15% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 93 Votes: 52.69% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 80 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 88 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 158 Votes: 48.10% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 41 Votes: 53.66% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 26 Votes: 34.62% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 88 Votes: 47.73% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 32 Votes: 43.75% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 47 Votes: 36.17% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 164 Votes: 44.51% Annoying