Shelley Fabares

Acting

Shelley Fabares

Overview

Known for
Acting
Gender
Other
Birthday
Jan 19, 1944 (81 years old)

Shelley Fabares

Known For

Superman: Brainiac Attacks
1h 15m
Movie 2006

Superman: Brainiac Attacks

Embittered by Superman's heroic successes and soaring popularity, Lex Luthor...

Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie
2h 0m
Movie 1998

Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie

A young girl is taken with a boy that she...

A Nightmare Come True
1h 32m
Movie 1997

A Nightmare Come True

Eerie dreams that haunt a young nurse heighten the mystery...

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story
2h 0m
Movie 1995

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story

This highly-rated television film covers the life of American movie/TV/pop...

The Great Mom Swap
2h 0m
Movie 1995

The Great Mom Swap

When two girls think the other has it better, they...

Your Studio and You
0h 14m
Movie 1995

Your Studio and You

A parody of 1950s corporate/industrial films, commissioned by Universal Pictures...

Love or Money
1h 29m
Movie 1990

Love or Money

A lucrative real estate deal, or romance with the boss'...

Coach
0h 24m
TV Show 1989

Coach

Hayden Fox, the curmudgeonly coach of Minnesota State University's Screaming...

Run Till You Fall
1h 40m
Movie 1988

Run Till You Fall

A small-time, down-on-his-luck private eye tries to win back his...

Suburban Beat
Movie 1985

Suburban Beat

Four suburban housewives form a neighborhood-watch program, which quickly develops...

Biography

Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (/fæˈbreɪ/; born January 19, 1944) is a retired American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom Coach (1989–1997), the latter of which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. Her film roles include playing the leading lady to Elvis Presley in Girl Happy, Spinout, and Clambake. As the niece of singer/comedienne Nanette Fabray, she was indoctrinated early into the show biz life. Tap dancing from age three, she also modeled during her elementary school years and began appearing on such TV shows as Captain Midnight (1954) and Annie Oakley (1954) (the latter a recurring role). At age 12, she made her professional film debut in the Rock Hudson/Cornell Borchers tearjerker Never Say Goodbye (1956) as Hudson's daughter, and went on to play kid sister roles in the rock 'n' roll-themed Rock, Pretty Baby! (1956) and its sequel Summer Love (1957) both starring John Saxon. Teen-idol status came with her coming-of-age role as the ever-wholesome daughter "Mary Stone" on The Donna Reed Show (1958), a part she played for five seasons before embarking on a more grown-up film career. The character of "Mary Stone" was gently phased out of the show as her character "left for college". During its' run, she and TV "brother" Paul Petersen grew so popular that they sprinted to adjoining pop singing celebrity, although both admitted that their vocal talents were limited. In 1962, her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 (she would return periodically until its end in 1966) to pursue other acting opportunities. This was followed by a second album, The Things We Did Last Summer, which included two hit songs "Johnny Loves Me" (no. 21) and "The Things We Did Last Summer" (no. 46). She released a third album, Teenage Triangle in 1963. She landed top femme parts in such fun-and-frolic fare as Ride the Wild Surf (1964), Hold On! (1966) in which she played the love interest of Peter Noone (of Herman's Hermits) and sings Make Me Happy, as well as three of Elvis Presley's less-acclaimed films of the later 1960s: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967). She then played the love interest of a young Hank Williams Jr. in A Time to Sing (1968). She had support roles in television films like Brian's Song (1971) (playing Brian Piccolo's wife with James Caan as Brian), and Two for the Money (1972). Her performance in Brian's Song earned her a Golden Globe nomination. For her work, she 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. From 2004 to 2011 she produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards.