Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia; August 8, 1938)
is an American actress and singer. Born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until the age of 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in rural
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. In 1953, when she was 15 years old, Stevens relocated with her father to Los Angeles.
She began her career in 1957, making her feature film debut in ''
Young and Dangerous'', before releasing her debut album, ''Concetta'', the following year. She had a supporting role in the musical comedy ''
Rock-A-Bye Baby'' (1958) opposite
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
, followed by the drama film ''
The Party Crashers'' (also 1958) opposite
Frances Farmer.
Stevens gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of "Cricket" Blake on the ABC TV Warner Brothers series ''
Hawaiian Eye
''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network.
Premise
Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...
'', beginning in 1959 opposite Robert Conrad and Anthony Eisley. She garnered concurrent musical success when her single "
Sixteen Reasons" became a national radio hit, peaking at number 3 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and the
UK Singles Chart in 1960. Stevens continued to appear in film and television throughout the 1970s and 1980s, as well as performing as a musical nightclub act.
Stevens' later film roles include in the comedies ''
Tapeheads'' (1988) and ''
Love Is All There Is'' (1996). In 2009, Stevens made her directorial debut with the feature film ''
Saving Grace B. Jones'', which she also wrote and produced, based partly on elements of her own childhood.
Early life
Stevens was born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia in Brooklyn, New York, United States,
the daughter of musician Peter Ingoglia (known as Teddy Stevens) and singer Eleanor McGinley. Stevens is of Italian and Irish descent.
[Biography]
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
; accessed April 3, 2017. She adopted her father's
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
of Stevens as her own. Her parents divorced and she lived with her grandparents and attended
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
s.
[ Actor John Megna was her maternal half-brother.
At the age of 12, she witnessed a murder while waiting at a bus stop in Brooklyn in 1950–51. The event traumatized Stevens, and she was sent to live with family friends in ]Boonville, Missouri
Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...
.
Coming from a musical family, Stevens joined the singing group called The Fourmost with Tony Butala, who went on to fame as founder of The Lettermen
The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio whose trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contemporary chart (i ...
. Stevens moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
with her father in 1953.
Career
Early films
Her first notable film role was in '' Young and Dangerous'' (1957) with Mark Damon, a low-budget teen movie. She also was in '' Eighteen and Anxious'' (1957); and an episode of '' The Bob Cummings Show'' ("Bob Goes Hillbilly"). In December 1957 Stevens signed a seven-year contract with Paramount starting at $600 a week going up to $1,500 a week.
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
saw her in '' Dragstrip Riot'' (1958), and cast her as his love interest in his 1958 production of '' Rock-A-Bye Baby'', giving Stevens her first big break.
Stevens made another film with Damon, '' The Party Crashers'' (1958), before Paramount dropped her.
Warner Bros. and ''Hawaiian Eye''
In May 1959, she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. starting at $300 per week. Like many Warners contract players, Stevens was kept busy guest-starring on their regular TV shows such as '' The Ann Sothern Show'', '' Maverick'', '' Tenderfoot'', ''77 Sunset Strip
''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' and ''Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
''.
She appeared opposite James Garner
James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...
in an episode of the TV Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
series '' Maverick'' titled " Two Tickets to Ten Strike," which also featured Adam West
William West Anderson (September 19, 1928 – June 9, 2017), known professionally as Adam West, was an American actor. He portrayed Batman in the 1960s ABC series of the same name and its 1966 theatrical feature film, reprising the role in ...
. Stardom came when she was cast as Cricket Blake in the popular television detective series ''Hawaiian Eye
''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network.
Premise
Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...
'' from 1959 to 1963, a role that made her famous; her principal costar was Robert Conrad.
First televised on December 23, 1960, she appeared (uncredited) in "The Dresden Doll", Episode 15 of Season 3 of ''77 Sunset Strip'' as her character from ''Hawaiian Eye'', Cricket Blake.
In a televised interview on August 26, 2003, on CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's ''Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Ma ...
'', Stevens recounted that while on the set of ''Hawaiian Eye'' she was told she had a telephone call from Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. "She didn't believe it, but in fact it was Elvis, who invited her to a party and said that he would come to her house and pick her up personally"; they subsequently dated.
Music career
Stevens' first album was titled ''Concetta'' (1958). She had minor single hits with the standards Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object t ...
"Blame It on My Youth" (music by Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor (music), conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films ''Rhapsody in Bl ...
and lyrics by Edward Heyman
Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul", " When I Fall in Love", and " For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed to a number of songs for films.
Bi ...
), "Looking for a Boy" (music by George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
and lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the ...
), and "Spring Is Here
"Spring is Here" is a 1938 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical '' I Married an Angel'' (1938), where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal.
Rodgers and Hart had previously written ...
" (music by Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...
and lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; " The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; " Bewitched, Bo ...
).
After making several appearances on the Warner Bros. hit TV series ''77 Sunset Strip
''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'', she recorded the hit novelty song " Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" (1959), a duet with one of the stars of the program, Edd Byrnes
Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series '' 77 Sunset Strip.'' He also was featured in the 1978 film '' Gr ...
,[ that reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. She and Byrnes also appeared together on ABC's '']The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''.
She had hit singles as a solo artist with " Sixteen Reasons" (1960), her biggest hit, reaching #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, (#9 in the UK) and a minor #71 hit "Too Young to Go Steady" (1960) (music by Jimmy McHugh
James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...
and lyrics by Harold Adamson). Other single releases were "Apollo","Why'd You Wanna Make Me Cry?", "Something Beautiful," "Mr. Songwriter," "Now That You've Gone," " La-La (Means I Love You)" (originally performed by The Delfonics), and "Keep Growing Strong" (which was remade by the Stylistics
Stylistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the study and interpretation of texts of all types, but particularly literary texts, and spoken language with regard to their linguistic and tonal style, where style is the particular variety of l ...
under the title " Betcha by Golly, Wow").
Film stardom and theatre
Stevens' popularity on the small screen and as a recording star encouraged Warner Bros. to try her in films. She starred in three films for the studio, all opposite Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue (born Merle Johnson Jr., January 27, 1936 – September 2, 2001) was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Johnny Hunter in the film '' A Summer Place''. He was a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and ...
: '' Parrish'' (1961), as a rural girl; '' Susan Slade'' (1962), playing the title role, an unwed mother; and '' Palm Springs Weekend'' (1963), a teen romantic comedy. In 1962 Warner Bros. suspended her briefly for refusing to go on a publicity tour. She performed in ''Wizard of Oz'' on stage in Kansas.
When ''Hawaiian Eye'' ended, Stevens guest-starred on '' Temple Houston'' and ''The Red Skelton Show
''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his tele ...
''. She played the lead in the horror film '' Two on a Guillotine'' (1965), for Warners.
Stevens later starred as Wendy Conway in the television sitcom '' Wendy and Me'' (1964–1965) with George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...
, who also produced the show with Warner Bros. and played an older man who watched Wendy's exploits upstairs on what appears to be a surreptitious closed-circuit television hook-up in his apartment.[ She had a percentage of the show, and had three and a half years left on her contract with Warners. She said "I've done the teenage epics... and want to move up into something like '']Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device.
Vir ...
'' or '' Any Wednesday''. I want to be a big star but do I have to throw tantrums and behave badly to get there? Can't I just be talented and work hard and be happily married?"
Stevens had the juvenile lead in '' Never Too Late'' (1965), released by Warner Bros. She signed a new contract with Warner Bros. to make one film a year for six years.
She reprised her stage performance of ''Wizard of Oz'' at Carousel Theatre, California, then followed it with ''Any Wednesday'', at Melodyland, Anaheim California. Stevens was reunited with Jerry Lewis in '' Way... Way Out'' (1966).
Broadway and nightclubs
Stevens in 1966 starred in the Broadway production of Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...
's '' The Star-Spangled Girl'' with Anthony Perkins and Richard Benjamin
Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known films, including '' Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), '' Catch-22'' (1970), '' Portnoy's Complaint'' (1972), '' Westworld'', ...
. While she continued to appear in television series such as '' ABC Stage 67'', ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...
'', and ''Love, American Style
''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...
'', Stevens enjoyed performing live, so in 1968 she also began appearing regularly in nightclubs
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...
in Las Vegas, where her shows were well received by both audiences and entertainment critics.
TV movies
Stevens had a small role in a TV movie '' The Littlest Angel'' (1969). She made '' Mister Jerico'' (1970) for British TV and had a supporting role in '' The Grissom Gang'' (1971).
Stevens starred in the TV movies '' Call Her Mom'' (1972), '' Playmates'' (1972), '' Every Man Needs One'' (1972), and '' The Sex Symbol'' (1974).
She turned down the Valerie Perrine
Valerie Ritchie Perrine (born September 3, 1943) is a retired American actress. For her role as Honey Bruce in the 1974 film '' Lenny'', she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, the Cannes Film Festival Awar ...
role in '' Lenny'' because of its nudity.
She had the lead in a feature '' Scorchy'' (1976).
In the 1970s, Stevens started singing the "Ace Is the Place" jingle on Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It is the largest non-grocery retail cooperative in the United States.
Founded on October 25, 1924, as "Ace Stores", the co ...
TV commercials in Southern California, and was a guest on '' The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' a few times.
In the spring of 1977, Stevens appeared in a first-season episode of ''The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...
''.
1980s
She was in '' Love's Savage Fury'' (1979), '' Murder Can Hurt You!'' (1980), '' Scruples'' (1980), '' Aloha Paradise'', ''Side Show'' (1981), '' Harry's Battles'' (1981), and ''Grease 2
''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film, and a standalone sequel to the Grease (film), 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 Grease (musical), musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Orig ...
'' (1982).
Stevens guest starred on '' Fantasy Island'', ''The Love Boat'', ''Hotel'', '' Detective in the House'', ''Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
'' and ''Tales from the Darkside''.
She had supporting roles in '' Rowdies'' (1986), '' Back to the Beach'' (1987), '' Tapeheads'' (1988), and '' Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis'' (1988).
She also was seen numerous times on the Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
specials, including his Christmas Show from the Persian Gulf (1988).
In 1988, Stevens said "I still want to make movies with Marlon Brando. But first I've got to get hot. That's what I'm trying to do - get hot. I'm still waiting for the big role. I haven't peaked yet."
She elaborated:
I'm a big star all over the world except in Hollywood. I play (nightclubs in) Japan and Hong Kong every Christmas and New Year's... I don't have a hit TV show, I don't have a hit record, I don't have a hit movie, but I created something that people still love. I invented Cricket. There was barely a part written for me. Half the time, I said whatever I wanted. I was everybody's daughter. I was every boy's fantasy girlfriend. Girls wanted to be like me. That good feeling still exists. That's why I'm a big business, with 17 people working for me. I may not be the richest woman in the world, but I do okay. But Hollywood is a different story... There's something wrong when an actress can come off a 'Dynasty' or a 'Falcon Crest' and get a production deal (to star in a mini-series or TV movie) and I can't.
Stevens had a regular role on the sitcom '' Starting from Scratch'' (1988). She said at the time, "TV is not my favorite medium; the work is hard, you don't have any life, and I feel like I've already been a champion in it, but the economics of the business is you need momentum to get hot. I'm using this to get me into movies." The show only lasted one season.
1990s onwards
Stevens’ later appearances include ''Ellen'', '' Love Is All There Is'', ''Baywatch'', ''Clueless'', '' James Dean: Race with Destiny'' (1997), '' Returning Mickey Stern'', ''Titus'', ''Wild Card'', '' 8 Simple Rules'', ''Fat Actress
''Fat Actress'' is an American comedy television series starring Kirstie Alley. In the United States, it aired on Showtime from March 7 to April 18, 2005. The series was created and written by Alley and Brenda Hampton.
Premise
Alley gave a g ...
'', '' The Wedding Album''.
In 1997, Stevens wrote, edited, and directed a documentary entitled '' A Healing'', about Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
nurses who served during the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. The following year it won the title of Best Film at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival. She also co-wrote and directed the thriller '' Saving Grace B. Jones'' (2009); it was shot in Boonville and is based on true events that Stevens witnessed there, as a child.
She also was in ''Double Duty
Double Duty (also referred to as the Indy-Charlotte Double or Memorial Day Double) is an American auto racing term used to describe one of the most difficult feats in motorsport: in a single day, competing in both the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Ser ...
'' (2009), '' Just Before I Go'' (2014), and ''Search Engines
Search engines, including web search engines, selection-based search engines, metasearch engines, desktop search tools, and web portals and vertical market websites have a search facility for online databases.
By content/topic
Gene ...
'' (2016), co-starring daughter Joely Fisher.
Other projects
In 1969, Stevens toured with the Bob Hope USO tour to Guam and Southeast Asia.
In 1987, she, Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress and singer, who starred as the title character in the sitcom ''I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965–1970). Her other roles included Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in ...
and Lee Greenwood
Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one. He has ...
toured with Bob Hope on his USO tour to the Persian Gulf. Among her charitable works, she founded the Windfeather project to award scholarships to Native Americans,[ and supports CancerGroup.com. In 1991 Stevens received the Lady of Humanities Award from Shriners Hospital and the Humanitarian of the Year Award by the Sons of Italy in ]Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Stevens developed her own cosmetic skin care product line, Forever Spring,[ and in the 1990s opened the Connie Stevens Garden Sanctuary Day Spa in Los Angeles.
In 1994, accompanied by her two daughters, she issued her first recording in several years, ''Tradition: A Family at Christmas,''][
She made ]nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
appearances and headlined in major Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
showrooms.
Awards and recognition
Stevens has a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars
The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes p ...
in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
at 6249 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
, and a star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
On September 23, 2005, Stevens was elected secretary-treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
, the union's second-highest elected position. She succeeded James Cromwell, who did not seek re-election.
On June 29, 2013, the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution's President General, Merry Ann Wright, presented Stevens with the Founder's Medal for Patriotism for her 40+ years of work with the USO.
Personal life
Stevens dated actor Glenn Ford
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...
in the early 1960s.
She was married twice during her twenties. Her first husband, from 1963 until their 1966 divorce, was actor James Stacy. Her second husband, from 1967 until they divorced in 1969, was singer Eddie Fisher.[ She is the mother of actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher, and the former stepmother of Todd Fisher and actress ]Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
. Stevens is a half-sister of John Megna through their mother.
Discography
Filmography
Films
Television
* '' The Bob Cummings Show'' (1958)
* '' The Ann Sothern Show'' (1958)
* ''77 Sunset Strip
''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' (1958–1960)
* ''Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
'' (1959)
* ''Hawaiian Eye
''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network.
Premise
Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...
'' (1959–1963)
* '' Maverick'' (1959) - Episode: " Two Tickets to Ten Strike" with James Garner
James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...
* '' Wendy and Me'' (1964–1965) - Series with George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...
* ''The Littlest Angel'' (1969)
* '' Love American Style'' – Episode: "Love and the Legal Agreement" (1969)
* '' Mister Jerico'' (1970)
* '' Kraft Music Hall Presents The Des O'Connor Show'' (1970-71)
* ''Call Her Mom'' (1972)
* '' Playmates'' (1972)
* '' Every Man Needs One'' (1972)
* ''The Sex Symbol'' (1974)
* ''The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...
'' (Episode 102) (1976)
* '' Love's Savage Fury'' (1979)
* '' Scruples'' (1980) (miniseries)
* '' Murder Can Hurt You'' (1980)
* ''Side Show'' (1981)
* '' Fantasy Island'' – Season 5 Episode 5: "Show Me A Hero" (1982)
* ''The Love Boat
''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
'' – Episode: "Same Wavelength" (1982)
* '' Fantasy Island'' – Season 6 Episode 19: "The Beautiful Skeptic" (1982)
* ''Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
'' – Episode: "Murder Digs Deep" (1985)
* '' Tales from the Darkside'' – Episode: "Unhappy Medium" (1986)
* ''Starting from Scratch'' (1988–1989)
* ''Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis'' (1988)
* ''Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
'' – Episode: "The Big Show of 1965" (1990)
* ''Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...
'' – Episode: - "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1996)
* ''James Dean: Race with Destiny'' (1997)
* '' Becoming Dick'' (2000)
* '' 8 Simple Rules'' – Episode: "Daddy's Girl" (2004)
* ''Fat Actress
''Fat Actress'' is an American comedy television series starring Kirstie Alley. In the United States, it aired on Showtime from March 7 to April 18, 2005. The series was created and written by Alley and Brenda Hampton.
Premise
Alley gave a g ...
'' – Episode: "Crack for Good" (2005)
References
External links
Fisher·Stevens Beauty (formerly Forever Spring)
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Connie
1938 births
Living people
Actresses from California
Actresses from Brooklyn
American entertainment industry businesspeople
American women pop singers
American film actresses
American women film directors
American writers of Italian descent
American stage actresses
American people of Irish descent
American television actresses
Bell Records artists
California Republicans
Actresses from Beverly Hills, California
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until the age of 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in rural Mi ...
Singers from Brooklyn
American women screenwriters
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Film directors from California
Warner Bros. contract players
Film directors from New York (state)
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Screenwriters from California