biography

Connie Stevens Born Concetta Ingolia in Brooklyn, New York, on August 8, 1938, actress Connie Stevens' father was jazz musician Teddy Stevens, and her mother was a singer. Following their divorce, Stevens was raised by her grandparents until 1950, when she witnessed a murder on a Brooklyn street. Her family then sent her to live in Missouri with relatives. As a teenager she joined a singing group but left the group in 1954 when she went to live with her father in Los Angeles. While in high school, she helped form another singing group but decided to pursue acting as a career instead. After appearing in a couple of films as an extra, Stevens earned a credited role in the 20th Century Fox release Young and Dangerous (1957; with Mark Damon and Dabbs Greer), and she followed up with roles in the low-budget teen dramas Eighteen and Anxious (1957; with William Campbell), Dragstrip Riot (1958; with Gary Clarke and Fay Wray), and The Party Crashers (1958; with Mark Damon and Frances Farmer). Her big break came when she was cast in the Paramount comedy Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958; with Jerry Lewis), and soon afterward Stevens signed a contract with Warner Bros. The studio immediately cast her in several guest-star roles in television series produced by Warner Bros., including Maverick, Sugarfoot, and Cheyenne, before casting her as a regular in the ABC series Hawaiian Eye, alongside other newcomers Robert Conrad and Anthony Eisley. During this time she released a few albums and singles, with her 1960 hit Sixteen Reasons being her best-selling solo record.

Connie StevensJames Stacy and Connie StevensEddie Fisher and Connie StevensTroy Donahue and Connie StevensConnie Stevens and Robert Fuller

LEFT: Early 1960s Warner Bros. photo. CENTER A: With first husband, actor James Stacy, in a photo taken around the time of their wedding in October 1963. CENTER B: With future second husband, singer Eddie Fisher, in a March 1965 photo from their appearance on the ABC variety series The Hollywood Palace. CENTER C: With fellow Warner Bros. contract player Troy Donahue. RIGHT: With actor Robert Fuller

Stevens did quite well with her Warner Bros. contract. In addition to having a starring role on Hawaiian Eye, the studio also cast her in several high-profile films, including Susan Slade (1961; with Troy Donahue and Grant Williams), Palm Springs Weekend (1963; with Troy Donahue, Robert Conrad, and Ty Hardin), and Two on a Guillotine (1965; with Dean Jones and Cesar Romero). In the middle of her contract, Stevens married actor James Stacy in October 1963, but the union was short-lived and the couple divorced in November 1966. Her contract with Warner Bros. ended in late 1965, following the end of her 1964-1965 ABC comedy series Wendy and Me, in which she starred with George Burns. Her next role came in the 20th Century Fox comedy Way... Way Out (1966; with Jerry Lewis and Dick Shawn). Stevens then went to Broadway to star in the musical The Star-Spangled Girl, but her career was interrupted by her marriage to singer Eddie Fisher and births of her daughters Joely Fisher in October 1967 and Tricia Leigh Fisher in December 1968. Stevens and Fisher divorced in 1969, and she has never remarried.

the films of connie stevens

Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958)

Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens got her big break in the Jerry Lewis vehicle Rock-a-Bye Baby

Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963 ABC TV Series)

Anthony Eisley, Connie Stevens, Robert Conrad, and Poncie Ponce

From the 1959-1963 ABC/Warner Bros. series Hawaiian Eye with Anthony Eisley, Robert Conrad, and Poncie Ponce

Susan Slade (1961)

Grant Williams and Connie StevensBert Convy and Connie StevensConnie Stevens, Lloyd Nolan, and Dorothy McGuire

LEFT: With Grant Williams in the Warner Bros. tearjerker Susan Slade. CENTER: With Bert Convy. RIGHT: With Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy McGuire

Palm Springs Weekend (1963)

Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens

The Warner Bros. comedy/drama release Palm Springs Weekend was cast with many of Warner's television contract players. Also pictured is Robert Conrad

Two on a Guillotine (1965)

Dean Jones and Connie Stevens

With Dean Jones in the Warner Bros. horror flick Two on a Guillotine. This film was directed by actor William Conrad

Never Too Late (1965)

Lloyd Nolan, Jim Hutton, and Connie Stevens

With Lloyd Nolan and Jim Hutton in the Warner Bros. comedy Never Too Late

Way... Way Out (1966)

Jerry Lewis and Connie StevensJerry Lewis, Dick Shawn, Anita Ekberg, and Connie StevensConnie Stevens

LEFT: From the 20th Century Fox comedy Way... Way Out with Jerry Lewis. CENTER: With Jerry Lewis, Dick Shawn, and Anita Ekberg. RIGHT: Stevens as Eileen Forbes

The Grissom Gang (1971)

Tony Musante and Connie Stevens

With Tony Musante in the period crime drama The Grissom Gang

The Sex Symbol (1974)

Connie StevensShelley Winters and Connie Stevens

From the ABC TV movie The Sex Symbol. LEFT: Stevens stars as doomed actress Kelly Williams. LEFT: Shelley Winters portrays Hollywood gossip columnist Agatha Murphy

Scorchy (1976)

Connie Stevens and Cesare DanovaConnie Stevens

LEFT: With Cesare Danova in the American-International exploitation flick Scorchy. RIGHT: Stevens as Seattle undercover cop Jackie Parker

Grease 2 (1982)

Tab Hunter, Connie Stevens, Dody Goodman, Sid Caesar, and Eve Arden

From the big-budget Paramount musical Grease 2 with Tab Hunter, Dody Goodman, Sid Caesar, and Eve Arden

Starting from Scratch (1988-1989 Syndicated TV Series)

Bill Daily and Connie Stevens

From the short-lived syndicated sit-com Starting from Scratch with Bill Daily. In this series, Stevens portrayed Daily's ex-wife

connie stevens today

Eddie Fisher proved to be an unreliable father; with two daughters to support, Stevens returned to her singing roots and began a nightclub act in the late 1960s, and continuing throughout the 1970s, Stevens concentrated on her appearances in Las Vegas and Reno. As time allowed, she went back to television in the early 1970s in a host of made-for-TV films, such as Call Her Mom (1972; with Jim Hutton), Playmates (1972; with Alan Alda and Doug McClure), and The Sex Symbol (1974; with Shelley Winters). By the mid 1970s, Stevens let her acting career take a backseat to raising her daughters. In 1986, she launched a successful skin care line, "Forever Spring," which has made her a fortune. Stevens' most recent film role was in the thriller By the Rivers of Babylon (as yet unreleased; with Crispin Glover and Joely Fisher).

filmography

FILM
Search Engines (2016) with Joely Fisher, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and Michelle Hurd
Just Before I Go (2014) with Seann William Scott, Olivia Thirlby, Evan Ross, David Arquette, and Rob Riggle
Double Duty (2009) with Mimi Lesseos, Tom Sizemore, and Karen Black
The Wedding Album (2006) with Tara Summers
Returning Mickey Stern (2002) with Joseph Bologna and Tom Bosley
James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) with Casper Van Dien, Carrie Mitchum, Diane Ladd, Mike Connors, Robert Mitchum, Casey Kasem, and Joseph Campanella
Love Is All There Is (1996) with Lainie Kazan, Joseph Bologna, Barbara Carrera, Dick Van Patten, Abe Vigoda, Paul Sorvino, Angelina Jolie, and Joy Behar
King B: A Life in the Movies (1993) with Julie Adams, Steve Allen, Parley Baer, Vince Edwards, Beverly Garland, and Dwayne Hickman
Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988) with Dwayne Hickman, Bob Denver, Tricia Leigh Fisher, Steve Franken, Dody Goodman, and Sheila James Kuehl
Tapeheads (1988) with John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Mary Crosby, Clu Gulager, Jessica Walter, Susan Tyrrell, Doug McClure, and Don Cornelius
Back to the Beach (1987) with Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Lori Loughlin, and Tommy Hinkley
Grease 2 (1982) with Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lorna Luft, Adrian Zmed, Christopher McDonald, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Dody Goodman, and Tab Hunter
Harry's Battles (1981) with Dick Van Dyke
Side Show (1981) with Lance Kerwin, William Windom, Barbara Rhoades, Anthony Franciosa, and Red Buttons
Murder Can Hurt You! (1980) with Victor Buono, Tony Danza, Jamie Farr, John Byner, Gavin MacLeod, Buck Owens, Jimmie Walker, Marty Allen, Richard Deacon, and Gunilla Hutton
Love's Savage Fury (1979) with Jennifer O'Neill, Perry King, Raymond Burr, Robert Reed, Vernee Watson, Debbi Morgan, and Jeffrey Byron
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) with Peter Frampton, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Frankie Howerd, Donald Pleasence, and Steve Martin
Scorchy (1976) with Cesare Danova, William Smith, Joyce Jameson, and Greg Evigan
The Sex Symbol (1974) with Shelley Winters, Jack Carter, William Castle, Don Murray, Madlyn Rhue, and William Smith
Every Man Needs One (1972) with Ken Berry, Gail Fisher, Steve Franken, Henry Gibson, Jerry Paris, Louise Sorel, Nancy Walker, and Carol Wayne
Playmates (1972) with Alan Alda, Barbara Feldon, Doug McClure, and Eileen Brennan
Call Her Mom (1972) with John David Carson, Gloria DeHaven, Mike Evans, Jim Hutton, Van Johnson, and Charles Nelson Reilly
The Grissom Gang (1971) with Kim Darby, Scott Wilson, Tony Musante, Robert Lansing, Wesley Addy, and Ralph Waite
Mister Jerico (1970) with Patrick Macnee, Herbert Lom, and Marty Allen
The Littlest Angel (1969) with Johnny Whitaker, Cab Calloway, E.G. Marshall, Tony Randall, James Coco, and Fred Gwynne
Way... Way Out (1966) with Jerry Lewis, Robert Morley, Dennis Weaver, Howard Morris, Brian Keith, Dick Shawn, Anita Ekberg, and James Brolin
Never Too Late (1965) with Paul Ford, Maureen O'Sullivan, Jim Hutton, Jane Wyatt, Henry Jones, and Lloyd Nolan
Two on a Guillotine (1965) with Dean Jones, Cesar Romero, Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg, and John Hoyt
Palm Springs Weekend (1963) with Troy Donahue, Ty Hardin, Stefanie Powers, Robert Conrad, Andrew Duggan, Jack Weston, Carole Cook, Jerry Van Dyke, and Bill Mumy
Susan Slade (1961) with Troy Donahue, Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan, Brian Aherne, Grant Williams, Natalie Schafer, and Bert Convy
Parrish (1961) with Troy Donahue, Claudette Colbert, Karl Malden, Dean Jagger, and Diane McBain
The Party Crashers (1958) with Mark Damon, Bobby Driscoll, and Frances Farmer
Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) with Jerry Lewis, Marilyn Maxwell, Reginald Gardiner, and Hans Conried
Dragstrip Riot (1958) with Yvonne Lime, Gary Clarke, and Fay Wray
Eighteen and Anxious (1957) with William Campbell, Martha Scott, Jim Backus, Jackie Coogan, and Yvonne Craig
Young and Dangerous (1957) with Mark Damon, Dabbs Greer, and Ann Doran

TELEVISION SERIES
Starting from Scratch, 1988-1989 syndicated TV series. Stevens portrayed Helen DeAngelo
Wendy and Me, 1964–1965 ABC TV series. Stevens portrayed Wendy Conway
Hawaiian Eye, 1959–1963 ABC TV series. Stevens portrayed Cricket Blake

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Fat Actress, episode Crack for Good, originally aired April 5, 2005
Living in TV Land, episode Dick Van Patten, originally aired August 18, 2004
8 Simple Rules, episode Finale Part Un, originally aired May 18, 2004
8 Simple Rules, episode Daddy's Girl, originally aired March 2, 2004
Wild Card, episode Queen Bea, originally aired January 24, 2004
Titus, episode The Visit, originally aired July 29, 2002
Titus, episode The Trial, originally aired January 2, 2002
Beggars and Choosers, episode The Velvet Curtain, originally aired August 7, 1999
Clueless, episode The Party's Over, originally aired January 10, 1997
Baywatch, episode Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, originally aired November 4, 1996
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed the Fashion King?, originally aired January 14, 1994
It's Garry Shandling's Show, episode The Wedding Show, originally aired February 9, 1990
The Love Boat, episode Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?, originally aired February 27, 1987
Tales from the Darkside, episode The Unhappy Medium, originally aired May 18, 1986
Murder, She Wrote, episode Murder Digs Deep, originally aired December 29, 1985
The Love Boat, episode Your Money or Your Wife/Joint Custody/The Temptations, originally aired October 5, 1985
Hotel, episode Choices, originally aired October 5, 1983
Family Feud, episode Gilligan's Island vs. Hawaiian Eye, originally aired April 15, 1983
Fantasy Island, episode The Beautiful Skeptic/The Lost Platoon, originally aired November 27, 1982
The Love Boat, episode The Same Wavelength/Winning Isn't Everything/A Honeymoon for Horace, originally aired October 23, 1982
The Love Boat, episode His Girls Friday/A Wife for Wilfred/The Girl Who Stood Still, originally aired February 13, 1982
Fantasy Island, episode Show Me a Hero/Slam Dunk, originally aired October 10, 1981
Aloha Paradise, episode Alex and Annie/Blue Honeymoon/Another Thing, originally aired February 25, 1981
The Love Boat, episode The Mallory Quest/Julie, the Vamp/The Offer: Parts 1 and 2, originally aired November 15, 1980
The Love Boat, episode The Remake/The Perfect Match/The Captain's Ne'er Do Well Brother, originally aired February 2, 1980
The Love Boat, episode El Kid/The Last Hundred Bucks/Isosceles Triangle, originally aired December 9, 1978
Fantasy Island, episode The Appointment/Mr. Tattoo, originally aired November 18, 1978
America 2-Night, episode Connie Stevens, originally aired July 4, 1978
The Muppet Show, episode Connie Stevens, originally aired January 19, 1976
Don Adams' Screen Test, episode Tarzan/Public Enemy/Hurricane/Casablanca, originally aired May 18, 1975
The Bob Hope Show, episode Bob Hope Looks at Women's Lib, originally aired October 5, 1970
Love, American Style, episode Love and the Legal Agreement/Love and the Militant/Love and Who?, originally aired October 20, 1969
ABC Stage 67, episode The People Trap, originally aired November 9, 1966
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Deadeye's Daughter, originally aired April 20, 1965
The Red Skelton Hour, episode I Want to Go Where the Wild Goof Goes, originally aired April 7, 1964
Temple Houston, episode The Town That Trespassed, originally aired March 26, 1964
Stump the Stars, episode Jayne Mansfield vs. Frank Gorshin, originally aired March 18, 1964
Stump the Stars, episode Connie Stevens vs. Allan Sherman, originally aired June 17, 1963
77 Sunset Strip, episode Perfect Setup, originally aired May 20, 1960
Cheyenne, episode Reprieve, originally aired October 5, 1959
Sugarfoot, episode The Wild Bunch, originally aired September 29, 1959
77 Sunset Strip, episode Honey from the Bee, originally aired April 10, 1959
Maverick, episode Two Tickets to Ten Strike, originally aired March 15, 1959
77 Sunset Strip, episode One False Step, originally aired December 19, 1958
The Ann Sothern Show, episode The Bridal Suite, originally aired October 6, 1958
The Bob Cummings Show, episode Bob Goes Hillbilly, originally aired January 28, 1958
Sugarfoot, episode Misfire, originally aired December 10, 1957

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Watch the trailer for Connie Stevens' 1965 horror film Two on a Guillotine

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Watch Connie Stevens' 1976 crime drama Scorchy
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This page premiered January 25, 2013.
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