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Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares

Birthday: 1944-01-19 | Place of Birth: Santa Monica, California, USA

Vibrant, increasingly lovely teen fave Shelley Fabares withstood the test of time by transitioning successfully into adult parts unlike many of her 1960s "teen queen" peers who faded quickly into the memory books. She was born Michele Marie Fabares on January 19, 1944, in sunny Santa Monica, Californnia. 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 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. During the run of the classic sitcom, 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. Shelley especially enjoyed a #1 Billboard hit with the breathy, sultry-edged "Johnny Angel". The character of "Mary Stone" was gently phased out of the show as her character "left for college". By this time, Shelley had turned into quite a curvaceous stunner. Her acting mettle hardly tested, she managed to become part of the bikini-clad blonde set with top femme parts in such fun-and-frolic fare as Ride the Wild Surf (1964), Hold On! (1966), which was a vehicle for British singing sensation Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, and three of Elvis Presley's less-acclaimed vehicles of the later 1960s: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967).

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2006
Superman: Brainiac Attacks

as    Martha Kent (voice)

1996
Superman: The Last Son of Krypton

as    Martha Kent (voice)

1995
Your Studio and You

as    Self

1993
Deadly Relations

as    Shirley Fagot

1990
Love or Money

as    Lu Ann Reed

1989
Coach

as    Christine Armstrong

1987
Hot Pursuit

as    Buffy Cronenberg

1979
Friendships, Secrets and Lies

as    Mary Alice

1972
The Brian Keith Show

as    Dr. Anne Jamison

1971
Brian's Song

as    Joy Piccolo

1967
Clambake

as    Dianne Carter

1966
Spinout

as    Cynthia Foxhugh

1966
Hold On!

as    Louisa Page

1965
Girl Happy

as    Valerie