. >> reporter: "the miracle worker" came full circle in 1979 when duke took on the role of teacher annie helen keller. gilbert said of her friend, she had a mind-boggling depth of talent, a fantastic sense of humor and survived being a child actor in the worst of circumstances. she was an extraordinary human being. this is george pennacchio reporting for abc news. >> what a life. i had no idea that apparently her real name was anna marie and her parents sent her off to manhattan to work with a couple who deal with child actors and they told her your name is patty. anna marie doesn't exist anymore. >> she was relatively young. 69. marlee matlin among those on twitter yesterday reacting saying she was brave, outspoken and most of all, a humanitarian. >> back in the day when these movies ran, there was always some moral, a message. it wasn't just drama. there was a great vibe out of it. we'll miss an incredible actor. we'll be right back. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. >>> the o.j. simpson case is known as the trial of the century, but it's alread