by Paul Donnelley; T.V. Babylon, 1997
To outsiders, it seemed that Pete Duel had everything to live for—a loving girlfriend, a nice home, money, and a hit T.V. series. Yet shortly after 1:25 am on 31 December 1971, this handsome and talented actor killed himself.
Peter Ellstrom Deuel was born in Rochester, NY, on 24 February 1940, the eldest child of Dr. Elsworth Shault Deuel and Lillian Marcella Ellstrom, a Swedish American. Brother Geoffrey, born in 1942, and sister Pamela, born three years later, completed the family. Pete Deuel grew up wanting to be a pilot, but discovered that he had 20/30 ... Read More
Category: News Archive
May 12, 2024Laura
Birthday: February 24, 1943
Birthplace: Rochester, N.Y.
Marital Status: single
Hair Color: brown
Parents' Names: Elsworth & Lillian
Present Home: West Hollywood
Present Role: Hannibal Heyes (Joshua Smith) in Alias Smith and Jones
Secret Ambition: to be an airplane pilot
Favorite Food: health foods
Likes: nature, traveling
Dislikes: being tied down, pollution
Sports: all—especially tennis and fishing
Hobbies: camping, movie-going
Sideline: Pete comes from a family of doctors. In fact, there have been six doctors in his family within the last two generations. But Pete decided medicine wasn't for him and chose acting instead. His brother Geoffrey followed in his footsteps and is an actor now, too. Meanwhile, his sister, Pamela, has begun ... Read More
May 12, 2024Laura
by Melody Cecko; Peter Duel Remembrance Club, late 1980s or early 1990s
When I looked up Dennis Fimple, I half expected Kyle Murtry. Dennis is no Kyle Murtry. Articulate and polite, he is very gracious in accepting compliments on his portrayal of Kyle. When be speaks of his work on AS&J, he is honest. Then I asked him what his favorite job was and it wasn't AS&J; it was his work on J.D. and the Saltflack Kid and Winterhawk. I hid my disappointment (I hope).
Dennis has been very active since his days on AS&J; he has been in several feature ... Read More
May 12, 2024Laura
16 Magazine, January 1972
Unlike most actors’ roles, “Joshua Smith”—the character Pete Duel portrays on TV—is not that different from the real-life guy who plays him. Pete, in real life, also loves the excitement of the old west. He enjoys the wilderness, the comfort of wearing old jeans, and cowboy boots.
And like Joshua Smith, Pete Duel has an eye for the girls! His dimples, his warm, brown eyes, his sexy smile, attract girls like honey lures bees! The only trouble with his “honey” is that he’s not sweet all the time! Pete Duel loves like he lives—independently, and free, and slightly ... Read More
December 25, 2021Laura
They’re Different As Night and Day—But Still Friends!
by Susan Rogers; Screen Life, January 1972
It’s been said that one of the reasons for the great popularity of ABC-TV’s Alias Smith and Jones is the striking contrast between the two leading men, Ben Murphy and Peter Duel. Alias is a Western series about two young outlaws who are seeking amnesty from their criminal past in order to have a fighting chance at a future.
Pete plays Hannibal Heyes, also known as Joshua Smith, and Ben plays Jed “Kid” Curry, alias Thaddeus Jones. The series, which deals with good and evil—with lots of comedy ... Read More
December 6, 2021Laura
by Tex Maddox; Movie Life, June 1967
"Does he dare enough? That's the sure way to test any fellow! Add up all he tackles, how he proceeds, to discover what he is. Mere claims mean little compared to this measure of a man.
"In my case, the jury's debating. But I'm not afraid of the verdict. Why shouldn't I make my own decisions on how I want to live? Who knows better about where I'd rather wind up, or when I'll be ready to marry?"
"Of course," Peter Deuel confesses promptly, "I've often been accused of being too much of a rebel. But ... Read More
June 17, 2021Laura
by Douglas Snauffer; Epi-log Journal, Spring 1994
Over the years, Larson has truly experienced the best and worst of his profession. The best things, he said, are the simple things. “I’m doing something I love. I’m creating. The first time someone answered the phone on the set and said, Battlestar Galactica—it was such a rush. It sent a chill up my back.”
But there is the other end of the spectrum, and the worst times can be devastating. Twice, Larson has had to deal with the deaths of the leading men in his series.
One afternoon in the fall of 1984, actor Jon-Erik ... Read More
December 27, 2020Laura