Shelley Fabares


Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Donna Reed's daughter Mary Stone on The Donna Reed Show and as Hayden Fox's love interest Christine Armstrong on the sitcom Coach. She was Elvis Presley's co-star in three films. In 1962, her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Biography

Early life

Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California. She is the niece of actress Nanette Fabray.

Early TV appearances

Fabares's acting debut was at the age of 3. At the age of 10, she made her first appearance on television in an episode of Letter to Loretta, "The Clara Schuman Story".
Early TV appearances included the Producers' Showcase adaptation of Our Town starring Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman. She was Young Cathy in a Matinee Theatre adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Fabares had small parts in The Girl Rush, Never Say Goodbye, The Bad Seed, Rock, Pretty Baby!, Jeanne Eagels, Marjorie Morningstar, and Summer Love.
On TV she was in Captain Midnight, Annie Oakley, Fury, and Colgate Theatre.
She had a semi regular role on the short lived series Annette starring Annette Funicello.
She guest starred on Mr. Novak, The Eleventh Hour, Arrest and Trial, and The Twilight Zone.

''The Donna Reed Show''

In 1958, Fabares landed the role of Mary Stone in the long-running family sitcom The Donna Reed Show. This ran until 1966. Fabares quickly established herself as a favorite with teen audiences.
"Donna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity and compassion," said Fabares later of her television mother.

Singer

Fabares' national popularity led to a recording contract and two "Top 40" hits, including "Johnny Angel," which went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962, and peaked at number 41 in the UK. It sold over one million copies and was certified gold. She released an album, Shelley!. "I was stunned about that, to put it mildly," she later said. "After all, I never could sing."
This was followed by a second album, The Things We Did Last Summer , which included two hit songs "Johnny Loves Me" and "The Things We Did Last Summer".
Fabares left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 to pursue other acting opportunities. She released a third album, Teenage Triangle in 1963.

Film career

Fabares was one of the female leads in the surf film Ride the Wild Surf. She was Elvis Presley's leading lady in Girl Happy for MGM and played the love interest of Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits in Hold On! at the same studio.
MGM made a pilot for a TV series based on Meet Me in St. Louis with Fabares in the lead but no network was receptive to it.
She was reunited with Elvis for Spinout at MGM and Clambake, at United Artists.
Sam Katzman cast her as the love interest of a young Hank Williams Jr. in A Time to Sing.

TV guest spots

Film roles dried up in the late 1960s and Fabares went back to guest starring on shows like The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Daniel Boone, Medical Center, Lancer, Bracken's World, and The Interns.
Fabares said she went through a period where she struggled to find work. "I went to bed on Tuesday having worked since I was 3. I got up Wednesday morning and didn't work for four years, went to bed Wednesday night after four years, got up and interviewed for a Mannix episode and started working again. I think this business is very cyclical. You go through busy times and you go through dead times."
After Mannix, she was in Longstreet, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, Love, American Style, McCloud and Cade's County.
"I wasn't a big risk-taker," she said later. "I should have been more aggressive. I was nervous and scared to try something really different."
Fabares had support roles in TV movies like Brian's Song , and Two for the Money. Her performance in Brian's Song earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

''The Brian Keith Show'', ''The Practice''

Fabares had a regular role on The Brian Keith Show which lasted for 47 episodes.
When the show ended she resumed guest shots: Police Story, Ironside, The Rockford Files, The Rookies, Matt Helm, Medical Story, Marcus Welby, M.D., Barnaby Jones, and Spencer's Pilots.
She had a role in the TV movie Sky Heist and from 1976-77 Fabares had a regular part on The Practice with Danny Thomas.

''Forever Fernwood'', ''One Day at a Time'' and ''Highcliffe Manor''

She then had a regular role on Forever Fernwood.
In 1978, Fabares played Francine Webster on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, a role she reprised for the last three years of the show. "I was Francine, a rather villainous character," she said later. "She was wonderful. She saw the world only through her eyes, and it never occurred to her that her people didn't."
She was also in episodes of Lucan, Vega$, The Incredible Hulk, Hello, Larry, and Fantasy Island.
Fabares was in the TV movies Pleasure Cove, Donovan's Kid, Friendships, Secrets and Lies and Gridlock.
She had the starring role in the TV series Highcliffe Manor but it only lasted six episodes.

1980s

In the 1980s Fabares could be seen on Mork & Mindy, Matt Houston, The Love Boat, Newhart, and Murder, She Wrote.
She did a TV movie Memorial Day with Mike Farrell who became her husband, as well as movies Suburban Beat, The Canterville Ghost, Hot Pursuit, and Run Till You Fall.

''Coach''

In 1989, she won the role of Christine Armstrong Fox on the ABC sitcom Coach. "Here was an intelligent, funny, well-written series," Fabares said "And the people putting it on wanted me to play a very successful, ambitious woman in it."
The series originally struggled in the ratings until it shifted to play after Roseanne. It was a hit and played until 1997.
For her work, Fabares was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award, and, in 1994, she was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for her role as Mary Stone on The Donna Reed Show.
During the series' run Fabares appeared on Love or Money, Deadly Relations, The Great Mom Swap, and A Nightmare Come True.

Later career

After Coach ended in 1997, Fabares voiced the role of Martha "Ma" Kent on '. She reprised the role twice, once for a 2003 episode of Justice League and again for the direct-to-video film '.
She was in .
From 2004 to 2011 she produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Personal life

Fabares was a lifelong friend of Annette Funicello, whom she met in the seventh grade.

Marriages

Fabares married record and movie producer Lou Adler in June 1964, separated in 1966, and was divorced in 1980. In 1984, she married actor Mike Farrell. She is stepmother to his two children, Erin and Michael.

Health issues

In October 2000, Fabares received a life-saving liver transplant after being diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1954–1958The Loretta Young ShowMarie Schumann
Kathy		2 episodes
1955Our TownRebecca Gibbs1 episode
1955Matinee TheaterYoung Cathy1 episode
1955Captain MidnightMary Kingsley1 episode
1956Annie OakleyPrudy Warren1 episode
1957FuryMidge Mallon1 episode
1958'Moselle Corey15 episodes
1958–1965The Donna Reed ShowMary Stone191 episodes
1959The RebelNora Hendry1 episode
1963Mr. NovakDani Cooper2 episodes
1964The Eleventh HourCarol Hamilton1 episode
1964Arrest and TrialDonna Blaney1 episode
1964The Twilight ZoneEllen Tillman1 episode
Black Leather Jackets
1968The Ghost & Mrs. MuirVanessa1 episode
1969Daniel BooneCharity Brown1 episode
1969LancerMelissa Harper1 episode
1969Bracken's WorldHilary Saxon1 episode
1969Medical Center"Mike" Carter1 episode
1971LongstreetMarianne Franklin1 episode
1971Brian's SongJoy PiccoloTelevision movie
1971Owen Marshall, Counselor at LawLorraine Latham1 episode
1972McCloudNatalie Rudell1 episode
1972Two for the MoneyBethany HagenTelevision movie
1972Cade's CountyStephanie1 episode
1972–1974The Brian Keith ShowDr. Anne Jamison47 episodes
1974Police StoryAnnette Weiner1 episode
1974IronsideCharlotte Black1 episode
1974The Rockford FilesJolene Hyland1 episode
1975The RookiesAnn McNeal1 episode
1975Matt HelmChris/Tina1 episode
1975Barnaby JonesSusan Burke1 episode
1976Marcus Welby, M.D.Norma Fritchie1 episode
1976Spencer's PilotsAnnette1 episode
1976-1977The PracticeJenny Bedford27 episodes
1977–1978Forever FernwoodEleanor MajorUnknown episodes
1978Vega$Linda Stockwood1 episode
1978The Incredible HulkHolly Cooper1 episode
1978–1984One Day at a TimeFrancine Webster23 episodes
1979Hello, LarryMarion Alder3 episodes
1979Highcliffe ManorHelen Blacke6 episodes
1980–1981Mork & MindyCathy3 episodes
1980–1985The Love BoatVarious roles3 episodes
1983Matt HoustonBarbara Newton1 episode
1983ABC Afterschool SpecialFran Brogliatti1 episode
1983Memorial DayEllie WalkerTelevision movie
1985The Canterville GhostLucyTelevision movie
1985Suburban BeatMimiTelevision movie
1987NewhartDiane Beckwith1 episode
1988Run Till You FallKathy ReubenTelevision movie
1989Murder, She WroteLiza Caspar2 episodes
1989–1997CoachChristine Armstrong199 episodes
1993Deadly RelationsShirley FagotTelevision movie
1995The Great Mom SwapMillie RidgewayTelevision movie
1996'Martha Kent Television movie
1996–1998Martha Kent 8 episodes
1997A Nightmare Come TrueLily ZarnTelevision movie
1998Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth MovieNancy EricksonTelevision movie
2003Justice LeagueMa Kent 1 episode

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations