I have to get a shot of his grave up here as he is buried not too far from where I live. ANyone ever watch Alias Smith and Jones???
Peter Ellstrom Deuel was born in
Rochester, New York, and grew up in nearby
Penfield. Duel's parents, Dr. Ellstrom Deuel and Mrs. Lillian Deuel, were active citizens in Penfield and took part in many community projects. Duel had two younger siblings â?? a brother,
Geoffrey Deuel, and a sister,
Pamela Deuel. In later years, Duel often fondly reminisced about his childhood, much of which was spent playing in the woods that were behind his family home.
[1] It would provide the basis for a passion for the environment that would continue throughout his life.
Duel finally made an international impact in 1970 when he was cast as the outlaw Hannibal Heyes, alias Joshua Smith, opposite
Ben Murphy, in
Alias Smith and Jones, a light-hearted western about the exploits of two outlaws trying to earn an amnesty. Although the show had to compete with the immensely popular
The Flip Wilson Show in the same timeslot, it still managed to gain quite a following. Duelâ??s feelings on the series were mixed. While it was a major boost to his stardom, it also took up most of his time, keeping him from pursuing other projects while the show was filming. During the hiatus between the first and second seasons, he starred in the television production of Percy MacKayeâ??s 1908 play,
The Scarecrow.
The role of Hannibal Heyes, however, would be his last. The series was at the height of its popularity when, in the early hours of December 31, 1971, Duel apparently shot himself, after drinking heavily that evening. At the time, his girlfriend, Dianne Ray, was in the house but not in the same room, and didn't witness what actually happened. In October 1970 he had been the driver in a car wreck in which another person was injured, and was facing legal problems; an astrologer had then told him that 1972 was going to be a difficult year for him. After his death, his role in
Alias Smith and Jones was taken over by
Roger Davis (previously, the series' narrator) but, with another man in the part and the focus shifted to "Jones" (Ben Murphy), many fans lost interest, and the series was cancelled in
1973.
Duel is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in
Penfield, New York.
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