Connie Stevens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Connie Stevens
Stevens in the 1960s
Born	Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia (1938-08-08) August 8, 1938 (age 86) 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 Ingolia on August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who were both musicians. Connie lived in Brooklyn until she was 12 years old. Then, she moved to live with family friends in Missouri. In 1953, when she was 15, Connie moved to Los Angeles with her father.

Connie Stevens started her career in 1957. Her first movie was 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 became very famous 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 huge hit. It reached number 3 on the Billboard music chart in 1960. Connie continued acting in movies and TV shows through the 1970s and 1980s. She also performed as a singer in nightclubs.

Later, Connie Stevens appeared in movies like the comedy Tapeheads (1988) and the drama Love Is All There Is (1996). In 2009, she 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 Ingolia in Brooklyn, New York City. Her father, Peter Ingolia, was a musician known as Teddy Stevens. Her mother, Eleanor McGinley, was a singer. Connie is from Italian, Irish, German-Jewish, and Polish-Jewish backgrounds. She later used her father's stage name, Stevens, as her own. Her parents divorced, and Connie lived with her grandparents. She also attended Catholic boarding schools. The actor John Megna was her half-brother.

When she was 12, Connie moved to Boonville, Missouri, to live with family friends. Because she came from a musical family, Connie joined a singing group called The Fourmost. One member, Tony Butala, later started the famous group The Lettermen. In 1953, Connie moved to Los Angeles with her father.

Connie's Career Journey

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). In December 1957, Connie signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures.

Jerry Lewis saw her in the movie Dragstrip Riot (1958). He then chose her to be his love interest in his 1958 film Rock-A-Bye Baby. This movie was a big step for Connie's career. She made another movie, The Party Crashers (1958), before Paramount ended her contract.

Becoming a TV Star with Hawaiian Eye

Robert Conrad and Stevens, 1960

In May 1959, Connie signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. She often appeared as a guest star on Warner Bros. TV shows. These included The Ann Sothern Show, Maverick, and 77 Sunset Strip.

Connie became a big star when she was cast as Cricket Blake. This was for the popular TV detective series Hawaiian Eye. The show ran from 1959 to 1963. Her main co-star was Robert Conrad. This role made her very famous.

Connie once shared a fun story on Larry King Live in 2003. While on the set of Hawaiian Eye, she got a call from Elvis Presley. She didn't believe it at first! But it was really Elvis, who invited her to a party. They later dated.

Singing Success

Connie's first music album was Concetta (1958). She had some smaller hits with songs like "Blame It on My Youth" and "Looking for a Boy."

After appearing on the TV show 77 Sunset Strip, she recorded a fun song called "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" (1959). This was a duet with Edd Byrnes, one of the show's stars. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard chart.

Her biggest solo hit was "Sixteen Reasons" (1960). It reached number 3 on the Billboard chart and number 9 in the UK. She also had a minor hit with "Too Young to Go Steady" (1960).

More Films and Stage Work

Stevens at the 1989 Academy Awards

Because Connie was popular on TV and as a singer, Warner Bros. gave her more movie roles. She starred in three films with Troy Donahue: Parrish (1961), Susan Slade (1962), and Palm Springs Weekend (1963).

After Hawaiian Eye ended, Connie appeared in the horror film Two on a Guillotine (1965). She also starred as Wendy Conway in the TV comedy Wendy and Me (1964–1965). George Burns produced this show.

Connie also performed on stage. She was in Wizard of Oz and Any Wednesday. In 1966, she reunited with Jerry Lewis in the movie Way... Way Out.

Broadway and Nightclubs

In 1966, Connie starred in the Broadway play The Star-Spangled Girl. She continued to appear in TV series like Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Connie loved performing live. So, in 1968, she started performing regularly in nightclubs in Las Vegas. Her shows were very popular.

TV Movies and Later Roles

Connie appeared in many TV movies, including Call Her Mom (1972) and Playmates (1972). She also had a lead role in the feature film Scorchy (1976). In the 1970s, Connie sang the "Ace Is the Place" jingle for Ace Hardware commercials. She also appeared on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. In 1977, she was a guest on The Muppet Show.

In the 1980s, Connie guest-starred on shows like Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Murder, She Wrote. She also had supporting roles in movies like Grease 2 (1982) and Back to the Beach (1987). Connie also joined Bob Hope on his USO specials for the troops.

From the 1990s onwards, Connie continued to act in TV shows like Baywatch and 8 Simple Rules. In 1997, she wrote, edited, and directed a documentary called A Healing. This film was about Red Cross nurses who served during the Vietnam War. It won an award for Best Film the next year. She also co-wrote and directed the movie Saving Grace B. Jones (2009). Her daughter, Joely Fisher, co-starred with her in the 2016 movie Search Engines.

Other Projects and Giving Back

Stevens at the SAG Foundation Awards, 2007

Connie Stevens has been very involved in charity work. In 1969, she toured with the Bob Hope USO tour to Guam and Southeast Asia. In 1987, she toured with Bob Hope again to the Persian Gulf.

She started the Windfeather project, which gives scholarships to Native Americans. She also supports CancerGroup.com. In 1991, Connie received awards for her humanitarian work.

Connie also created her own line of cosmetic 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 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 Palm Springs, 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.

In 2005, Connie was elected secretary-treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild. This is the second-highest position in the actors' union. In 2013, she received the Founder's Medal for Patriotism. This was for her more than 40 years of work with the USO, supporting the troops.

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 two actresses: Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher. She is also the former stepmother of Todd Fisher and actress Carrie Fisher. John Megna is her half-brother through their mother.

Filmography

Television Roles

• 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"
• Wendy and Me (1964–1965)
• The Littlest Angel (1969)
• Love American Style – Episode: "Love and the Legal Agreement" (1969)
• Mister Jerico (1970)
• Call Her Mom (1972)
• Playmates (1972)
• Every Man Needs One (1972)
• The ... Symbol (1974)
• 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