Connie Stevens

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Connie Stevens (2005)

Connie Stevens (* 8. August 1938 as Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia in Brooklyn , New York ) is an American actress and singer .

Life

Her father is the musician Peter Ingolia, her mother the singer Eleanor McGinley. Her father's stage name was Teddy Stevens , whose artist surname was later adopted by her daughter. A younger half-brother of hers was the actor John Megna . When her parents divorced, Connie moved in with her grandparents. At the age of eight she attended a Catholic elementary school. As the daughter of a musical family, she became interested in singing at an early age and founded a quartet called "The Foremost". The other three members later became famous under the name " The Lettermen ".

In 1953, Stevens moved to Los Angeles with her father . The following year she formed another vocal group, "The three Debs". She attended a professional singing school and performed in the local theater. Stevens also began appearing in films. After starring in four B-movies , she was discovered by Jerry Lewis for the film The Babysitter . A short time later, she was signed by Warner Brothers . However, she did not let her music career rest and in 1958 released her first album , "Conchetta". Three of the songs on it became small hits.

In the television series Hawaiian Eye , Stevens played one of the leading roles as cricket Blake between 1959 and 1963 . As she became more well-known from television, her success as a singer also increased. She had her first in 1959 in a duet with Edd Byrnes , the "Kookie" in the television series 77 Sunset Strip , with which she recorded the title Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) , which rose to number 4 on the charts. In 1960 she had her first solo success with Sixteen Reasons, which reached number 3 on the charts. Several singles such as Too Young To Go Steady and Now That You've Gone were released by 1965 , but she could not build on the success with her first two records.

In 1966 she was the partner of Jerry Lewis for the comedy The Moon Calf in front of the camera. To date, Stevens has stood in front of the camera for a total of over 70 film and television productions. Her notable appearances after the 1960s include the attractive teacher Miss Mason in the musical Grease 2 (1982) and a leading role in the television series Starting from Scratch alongside Bill Daily .

In 1963 she married the actor James Stacy . They divorced in 1967. In the same year she married the singer Eddie Fisher , but this marriage did not last long either; she was divorced in 1969. Connie Stevens is the mother of actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher . In 1994 she recorded the record Radition: A Family at Christmas with them .

Filmography (selection)

Awards

Web links

Commons : Connie Stevens  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls / Wisconsin: Record Research Inc., 1994, p. 571
personal data
SURNAME Stevens, Connie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ingolia, Concetta Rosalie Ann (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actress and singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 8, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City , New York , United States