You may not have ever seen Pat Duke’s face before, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard his voice. His career is proof that you don’t have to constantly be in the spotlight to find success as an entertainer. He has been the narrator of the show Swamp People since 2010 and his unique voice has gotten him a lot of attention. Despite the fact that viewers never get to see him, he has still earned a special place in the hearts of Swamp People fans everywhere. What those same fans are about to find out, though, is there is much more to Pat than simply being the voice behind Swamp Things. He is a very talented person with a resume that could compete against just about anyone. Keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Pat Duke.
1. He’s From Tennessee
The southern twang you hear in Swamp People isn’t a part of Pat’s act. He really is a southerner. Pat was born and raised in Tennessee and started his career there. He eventually moved to Chicago to gain access to more opportunities. From there, he moves to Los Angeles.
2. He Studied Music Theory
Become a voice actor wasn’t always something Pat envisioned for himself. Instead, his goal was always to have a career in the music industry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music theory from Middle Tennessee State University. Although voice work is his main focus now, Pat also had a pretty successful career as a musician.
3. He Narrates Several Other Shows
Swamp People probably isn’t the only show where you’ve heard Pat’s voice. He has loaned his vocals to several other popular TV shows including Buying The Bayou, Texas Car Wars, Hell on the Highway, and Yukon Men. No matter what kind of voice he’s tasked with doing, he knows how to make it sound authentic.
4. He’s Billingual
In addition to being able to talk in just about any voice, Pat apparently has a knack for picking up languages, too. According to his LinkedIn profile, Pat also speaks French although it’s unclear whether he’s fluent. As far as we can tell, all of his voice work has been in English.
5. He’s Worked With Some Major Brands
Over the course of his career, Pat has been gotten some very cool opportunities. In addition to working on TV shows, he has also done commercials for some internationally known brands such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and Budweiser.
6. He Has a YouTube Channel
If you’re a fan of Pat’s work and want to hear (and see) more of what he can do, you might be happy to find out that he has a YouTube channel. While he may not be a ‘YouTuber’ in the contemporary sense of the word, Pat has used his channel to share cool clips from his career. Pat hasn’t posted anything new in about two years, but his channel is still bringing in views on a consistent basis.
7. He Had To Do A Lot Of Re-Takes During Season One Of Swamp Things
Earning the job on Swamp People was a huge accomplishment for Pat, but his first season on the show didn’t exactly get off to a smooth start. He told Nola, “the New Yorkers were pretty rough on me for the whole first season, making me re-do stuff because to their ears I was too Southern. Their negative attitudes changed dramatically the second year because they had a “runaway hit” on their hands. Suddenly, I could speak any way I wanted to.”
8. His Original Plan Was To Voice Cartoons
When Pat first moved to Los Angeles, his goal was to start working on animated projects. He even landed a job working with Cartoon Network. Once he was hired for Swamp People, however, he decided to make that his main focus. Some of his animated credits include Thor and Happy Feet Two.
9. He’s A Widower
As someone who has made a career for himself behind the scenes, it’s not much of a surprise that Pat likes to live a pretty quiet life. That being said, he hasn’t shared much about his personal life. One thing we have learned, though, is that he was married for several years. Sadly, his wife, Sally, passed away in 2019 after a battle with cancer.
10. He’s Been In Video Games
Remember when I said that Pat’s resume is very impressive? I wasn’t exaggerating. On top of all of the other cool things he’s gotten to do over the years, Pat has also voiced several video game characters. Some of his video game credits include Red Dead Redemption II, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft.
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