Born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in nearby Penfield, where Duel's parents, Dr. Ellstrom Deuel and Mrs. Lillian Deuel, were active citizens. Duel often fondly reminisced about his childhood, much of which was spent playing in the woods that were outback of his family home. It would provide the basis for a passion for the environment that would continue throughout his life. Duel came from a long line of doctors and it was expected that he would also enter into the family profession. By the time he graduated high school in 1957, however, his parents were happy just to see their son, a rather indifferent student, go on to college. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he majored in English. Still, he preferred performing in the drama department’s productions to studying for his classes during his two years there. When his father came to see him in The Rose Tattoo, he realized that his son was only wasting time and money at the university, and told him to follow a career in acting. Duel was quick to take his advice and moved to New York City. While there, he landed a role in a touring production of the comedy Take Her, She’s Mine . Although he enjoyed his time on the stage, he decided to try to earn a name for himself in Hollywood. He soon found work in television. His big break came in 1965, when he was cast in the comedy series Gidget, starring a young Sally Field. Duel played Gidget's brother-in-law, John Cooper, on the series and appeared in twenty-two of the thirty-two episodes. 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. Duel was a man with a desire to change the world. He became involved in politics during the primaries for the 1968 presidential election, campaigning for Eugene McCarthy, who was running for the Democratic nomination. Duel admired McCarthy for his opposition to the Vietnam war. Duel’s habit of signing autographs “Peace and ecology now” reflected his desire for the end of the war, as well as his interest in preserving the environment. He dabbled in poetry, often writing of nature’s beauty and the jeopardy it was in because of humanity not taking proper care of it. The role of Hannibal Heyes, however, would be his last. The series was at the height of its popularity when, Duel apparently shot himself, after drinking heavily one evening. In the last thirty five years or so there have been many speculations as to why the seemingly happy Peter Duel, co-star of the successful international weekly series, would have taken his own life in the early morning of December 31, 1971.