Connie Stevens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Connie Stevens
Stevens in the 1960s
Born	Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia (1938-08-08) August 8, 1938 (age 87) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director screenwriter producer cinematographer editor singer
Years active	1957–present
Spouse(s)	James Stacy ​ ​ (m. 1963; div. 1966)​ Eddie Fisher ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1969)​
Children	Joely Fisher Tricia Leigh Fisher
Relatives	John Megna (half-brother)

Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia on August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who were musicians.

Connie lived in Brooklyn until she was 12 years old. Then, she moved to live with family friends in rural Missouri. In 1953, when she was 15, Connie moved with her father to Los Angeles.

She started her career in 1957 with her first movie, Young and Dangerous. The next year, she released her first music album, Concetta. She also had a role in the musical comedy Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958) with Jerry Lewis.

Connie Stevens became very well-known for playing "Cricket" Blake in the TV show Hawaiian Eye. This show started in 1959. At the same time, her song "Sixteen Reasons" became a big hit in 1960. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.

She continued to act in movies and TV shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She also performed as a singer in nightclubs. In 2009, Connie directed her first movie, Saving Grace B. Jones. She also wrote and produced this film, which was partly based on her own childhood.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Connie Stevens was born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Peter Ingoglia, was a musician known as Teddy Stevens. Her mother, Eleanor McGinley, was a singer. Connie is of Italian and Irish background. She later used her father's stage name, Stevens, as her own.

Her parents divorced, and Connie lived with her grandparents for a time. She also attended Catholic boarding schools. Actor John Megna was her half-brother through her mother.

When she was about 12, Connie saw a difficult event in Brooklyn. This experience was upsetting for her. Because of this, she was sent to live with family friends in Boonville, Missouri.

Since her family loved music, Connie joined a singing group called The Fourmost. One member, Tony Butala, later became famous with the group The Lettermen. In 1953, Connie moved to Los Angeles with her father.

Connie Stevens' Acting Career

Starting in Films

Connie's first important movie role was in Young and Dangerous (1957). This was a low-budget movie for teenagers. She also appeared in Eighteen and Anxious (1957) and an episode of The Bob Cummings Show. In late 1957, Connie signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures.

Jerry Lewis saw her in Dragstrip Riot (1958). He then chose her to be his co-star in his 1958 movie Rock-A-Bye Baby. This was a big chance for Connie. She made another movie, The Party Crashers (1958), before leaving Paramount.

Becoming Famous with Warner Bros. and Hawaiian Eye

Robert Conrad and Stevens in 1960

In May 1959, Connie signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. Like many actors under contract with Warner Bros., she was very busy. She appeared as a guest star on many TV shows. These included The Ann Sothern Show, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, and Cheyenne.

She acted with James Garner in an episode of the TV Western series Maverick. The episode was called "Two Tickets to Ten Strike." Her big break came when she was chosen to play Cricket Blake in the popular TV detective series Hawaiian Eye. This show ran from 1959 to 1963. Her main co-star was Robert Conrad. This role made her very famous.

On August 26, 2003, Connie Stevens shared a story on Larry King Live. She said that while working on Hawaiian Eye, she got a call from Elvis Presley. She didn't believe it at first, but it was really him. Elvis invited her to a party and offered to pick her up. They later dated.

Film Roles and Stage Work

Connie's popularity on TV and as a singer led Warner Bros. to cast her in more movies. She starred in three films for the studio, all with Troy Donahue. These included Parrish (1961), where she played a country girl. She also starred in Susan Slade (1962), playing the main character. Her third film was Palm Springs Weekend (1963), a romantic comedy for teens.

In 1962, Warner Bros. briefly stopped her from working because she refused to go on a publicity tour. She also performed in a stage version of The Wizard of Oz in Kansas.

After Hawaiian Eye ended, Connie guest-starred on other TV shows. She played the main role in the horror film Two on a Guillotine (1965).

Connie later starred as Wendy Conway in the TV comedy Wendy and Me (1964–1965). George Burns also produced the show and acted in it. Connie had a share of the show's profits. She said she wanted to move on to more serious roles.

She also had a role in Never Too Late (1965). She signed a new contract with Warner Bros. to make one film a year for six years. Connie reunited with Jerry Lewis in the movie Way... Way Out (1966).

Broadway and Nightclub Performances

In 1966, Connie Stevens starred in the Broadway play The Star-Spangled Girl by Neil Simon. She acted alongside Anthony Perkins. While she continued to appear in TV series like ABC Stage 67 and Love, American Style, Connie really enjoyed performing live.

In 1968, she started performing regularly in nightclubs in Las Vegas. Her shows were very popular with both audiences and critics.

TV Movies and Later Roles

Connie had a small part in the TV movie The Littlest Angel (1969). She also made Mister Jerico (1970) for British TV. She had a supporting role in The Grissom Gang (1971).

Connie starred in TV movies such as Call Her Mom (1972) and Every Man Needs One (1972). She also had the main role in the movie Scorchy (1976).

In the 1970s, Connie sang the "Ace Is the Place" jingle for Ace Hardware TV commercials. She also appeared as a guest on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast several times. In 1977, she was a guest on The Muppet Show.

Later Career and Other Projects

1980s and Beyond

In the 1980s, Connie appeared in movies like Grease 2 (1982), Back to the Beach (1987), and Tapeheads (1988). She also guest-starred on popular TV shows such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Murder, She Wrote.

Connie was also seen many times on Bob Hope's USO specials. These shows entertained American troops around the world. In 1988, she had a regular role on the TV comedy Starting from Scratch.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Connie continued to act. She appeared in shows like Ellen, Baywatch, and 8 Simple Rules. She also acted in movies such as Love Is All There Is (1996) and Returning Mickey Stern (2002).

In 1997, Connie wrote, edited, and directed a documentary called A Healing. This film was about Red Cross nurses who served during the Vietnam War. The next year, it won an award for Best Film at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival. She also co-wrote and directed the movie Saving Grace B. Jones (2009). This film was shot in Boonville and was based on real events Connie saw as a child.

Her more recent films include Just Before I Go (2014) and Search Engines (2016). In Search Engines, she co-starred with her daughter, Joely Fisher.

Charity Work and Business Ventures

In 1969, Connie toured with the Bob Hope USO tour to Guam and Southeast Asia. In 1987, she toured with Bob Hope again, this time to the Persian Gulf.

Connie has done a lot of charity work. She started the Windfeather project, which gives scholarships to Native Americans. She also supports CancerGroup.com. In 1991, she received awards for her humanitarian efforts.

Connie also created her own line of skin care products called Forever Spring. In the 1990s, she opened the Connie Stevens Garden Sanctuary Day Spa in Los Angeles. In 1994, she released a Christmas album called Tradition: A Family at Christmas with her two daughters. She also continued to perform in nightclubs and major Las Vegas showrooms.

Awards and Recognition

Connie Stevens has received several honors for her career. She has a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in California. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. There is also a star for her on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

On September 23, 2005, Connie was chosen as the secretary-treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild. This is the second-highest elected position in the actors' union.

On June 29, 2013, the Daughters of the American Revolution honored Connie. They gave her the Founder's Medal for Patriotism. This was for her more than 40 years of work with the USO, supporting military members.

Personal Life

Connie Stevens dated actor Glenn Ford in the early 1960s.

She was married twice. Her first husband was actor James Stacy, from 1963 to 1966. Her second husband was singer Eddie Fisher, from 1967 to 1969. Connie is the mother of actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher. She is also the former stepmother of Todd Fisher and actress Carrie Fisher. Connie is the 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 (1958–1960)
• Cheyenne (1959)
• Hawaiian Eye (1959–1963)
• Maverick (1959) – Episode: "Two Tickets to Ten Strike" with James Garner
• Wendy and Me (1964–1965) – Series with George Burns
• 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)
• Every Man Needs One (1972)
• The Muppet Show (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 – Episode: "Same Wavelength" (1982)
• Fantasy Island – Season 6 Episode 19: "The Beautiful Skeptic" (1982)
• Murder, She Wrote – 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 – Episode: "The Big Show of 1965" (1990)
• Baywatch – 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 – Episode: "Crack for Good" (2005)

See also

In Spanish: Connie Stevens para niños