Connie Sellecca (born Concetta Sellecchia; May 25, 1955) is an American actress, producer, and former

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

, best known for her roles on the television series '' Flying High'', ''

The Greatest American Hero ''The Greatest American Hero'' is an American comedy-drama superhero television series that aired on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour pilot movie on March 18, 1981, and ran until February 2, 1983. The seri ...

'', and ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'', for which she was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1987.

Early life

Sellecca was born Concetta Sellecchia in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

to Italian parents, Primo Sellecchia and Marianna Acampora, who were married from 1952 until Primo's death in 1987. At age 12, she moved to Pomona, Rockland County, New York, and attended Pomona Junior High School. While attending Ramapo High School in Spring Valley, she first became interested in the performing arts. Although she attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, she withdrew to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Sellecca first worked as a fashion model before making her acting debut in the 1978 television film '' The Bermuda Depths''. She starred in a short-lived CBS comedy-drama series, '' Flying High'', about the misadventures of three airline flight attendants, from 1978 to 1979. In 1979, she starred in '' Captain America II: Death Too Soon,'' a television movie starring Reb Brown in the title role, and slasher film '' She's Dressed to Kill'' alongside

Jessica Walter Jessica Ann Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in more than 170 film, stage, and television productions. In films, she was best known for her role as a psychotic and obsessed fan of a local disc ...

. In 1980, she starred in another short-lived series, ''

Beyond Westworld ''Beyond Westworld'' is a 1980 American television series based on the 1973 film ''Westworld (film), Westworld,'' which was written and directed by Michael Crichton. Although the DVD box cover mentions that it follows the film's events, it ignored ...

''. From 1981 to 1983, Sellecca starred as lawyer Pam Davidson in the ABC comedy drama series ''

'', which starred

William Katt William Theodore Katt (born February 16, 1951) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Ralph Hinkley/Hanley on the ABC television series '' The Greatest American Hero'' (1981–1983). Katt first became k ...

and

Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy (1965 TV series), I Spy'' ( ...

. After ''Hero'' ended, she was released from her contract in time to audition for the part of promotions manager Christine Francis on another ABC television drama, ''

'', which starred

James Brolin Craig Kenneth Bruderlin (born July 18, 1940), known professionally as James Brolin, is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes and an Emmy Awards, Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August ...

. She appeared in the series from 1983 to 1988. For her performance, she received a

nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1987. In 1989, she starred in the high-rated miniseries '' Brotherhood of the Rose''. Sellecca played leading roles in a number of made-for-television films in 1980s and 1990s. From 1991 to 1992, she starred along with

Greg Evigan Gregory Ralph Evigan (born October 14, 1953) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He began his career in theater, appearing in the Broadway production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', followed by a stage production of the musical '' ...

in the CBS crime drama series '' P.S. I Luv U''. From 1993 to 1994, she starred in a CBS drama series, '' Second Chances''. Sellecca worked in two films in 2000s, ''

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is a Christmas song with music and lyrics by British songwriter Tommie Connor and first recorded by American singer Jimmy Boyd in 1952. The song has since been covered by many artists, with the Ronettes's 1963 a ...

'' (2001) and '' The Wild Stallion'' in 2009.

Personal life

Sellecca met

Howard Platt Howard Thomas Platt (born June 5, 1938) is an American stage and television actor, singer and director, best known for his role as "Officer Hopkins" on the TV series ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–76). Platt wrote and performed “Riverwinds” for ...

in 1978, when they starred together on the television series '' Flying High''; the couple became engaged, and moved in together, when the show's filming schedule caused a conflict, they cancelled their original December 1978 wedding date. The relationship ended before any renewed wedding date could take place. Sellecca was married to actor

Gil Gerard Gil Gerard (born January 23, 1943) is an American actor, whose roles include Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979–81 television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. Early life Gerard was born January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arka ...

from 1979 to 1987, and they share a son, Gib. On April 4, 1992, she married

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

and then-''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' host

John Tesh John Frank Tesh Jr. (born July 9, 1952) is an American musician and radio and television presenter. He wrote the '' NBA on NBC'' basketball theme " Roundball Rock", and hosts the ''Intelligence for Your Life'' radio show. In addition, since 20 ...

. They have one daughter, Prima. Like Tesh, Sellecca is a Christian.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sellecca, Connie 1955 births Actresses from New York (state) American Christians American female models American film actresses American people of Italian descent American television actresses American video bloggers American women video bloggers Boston College alumni Living people People from Pomona, New York Actresses from the Bronx 21st-century American actresses