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Michele Ann Marie " Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is a retired American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles as Francine Webster on One Day at a Time, Mary 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 (1965), Spinout (1966), and Clambake (1967). In 1962, her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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 (1955), Never Say Goodbye (1956), The Bad Seed (1956), Rock, Pretty Baby! (1956), Jeanne Eagels (1957), Marjorie Morningstar (1958), and Summer Love (1958).
On TV she was in Captain Midnight, Annie Oakley, Fury, and Colgate Theatre.Korman, Seymour (June 4, 1960). "TOPS WITH TEENS: Shelley Fabares Likes Boys, Music, Swimming, Chocolate Cake, and (again!) Boys". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. C25.
She portrayed Moselle Corey on Annette (1958) starring Annette Funicello. (2026). 9780786464777, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 9780786464777
She guest starred on Mr. Novak, The Eleventh Hour, Arrest and Trial, and The Twilight Zone ("Black Leather Jackets")."Shelley Fabares Gets 2nd 'Mr. Novak' Role". Los Angeles Times. July 9, 1963. p. C7.
"Donna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity and compassion," said Fabares later of her television mother.King, Susan (May 16, 1993). "Five Years Of Coach; Shelley Fabares marks 100th show". Montreal: The Gazette p. F6.
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).
In Canada she had three songs the Top 40 with Johnny Angel at No. 1 for three weeks, Johnny Loves Me at No. 24, and Ronnie, Call Me at No. 16 for two weeks.
Fabares left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 (she would return periodically until its end in 1966) to pursue other acting opportunities. She released a third album, Teenage Triangle in 1963.
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 (1966) at MGM and Clambake (1967), at United Artists.
Sam Katzman cast her as the love interest of a young Hank Williams Jr. in A Time to Sing (1968).
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, Rockford Files, 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 supporting roles in television films like Brian's Song (1971) (playing the wife of Brian Piccolo, played by James Caan), and Two for the Money (1972). Her performance in Brian's Song earned her a Golden Globe nomination.Lane, Lydia (March 15, 1972). "BEAUTY: Actress Learned Hard Way". Los Angeles Times. p. I-13.
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 television film Sky Heist (1975) and from 1976 to 1977 had a regular part on The Practice with Danny Thomas.
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 other people didn't."Buck, Jerry (July 9, 1991). Veteran Fabares Likes Challenge of 'Coach' Role". Ft: Sun-Sentinel p. 3E.
She was also in episodes of Lucan, Vega$, The Incredible Hulk, Hello, Larry, and Fantasy Island.
Fabares was in the television film Pleasure Cove (1979), Donovan's Kid (1979), Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979) and The Great American Traffic Jam (1980).
She had the starring role in the TV series Highcliffe Manor (1979) but it only lasted six episodes.
She did a television film Memorial Day (1983) with Mike Farrell (who would later become her husband), as well as the films Suburban Beat (1985), The Canterville Ghost (1985), Hot Pursuit (1987), and Run Till You Fall (1988).
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 (1990), Deadly Relations (1993), The Great Mom Swap (1995), and A Nightmare Come True (1997).
She was in Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie (1998).
From 2004 to 2011 she produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In October 2000, Fabares received a liver transplant after being diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.
| + Film | |||
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | Kim Halliday (Age 9) | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Never Say Goodbye | Suzy Parker | |
| 1956 | The Bad Seed | Margie | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Jeanne Eagels | Teenage Girl | Uncredited |
| 1958 | Summer Love | Twinkie Daley | |
| 1958 | Marjorie Morningstar | Seth's Girl Friend | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Ride the Wild Surf | Brie Matthews | |
| 1965 | Girl Happy | Valerie Frank | |
| 1966 | Hold On! | Louisa Page | Alternative title: There's No Place Like Space |
| 1966 | Spinout | Cynthia Foxhugh | |
| 1967 | Clambake | Dianne Carter | |
| 1968 | A Time to Sing | Amy Carter | |
| 1987 | Hot Pursuit | Buffy Cronenberg | |
| 1990 | Love or Money | LuAnn Reed | Alternative title: For Love or Money |
| 2006 | Martha Kent (voice) | Direct-to-video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. |
| + Television | |||
| 1954–1958 | The Loretta Young Show | Marie Schumann Kathy | 2 episodes |
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | Rebecca Gibbs | Episode: "Our Town" |
| 1955 | Matinee Theater | Young Cathy | Episode: "Wuthering Heights" |
| 1955 | Captain Midnight | Mary Kingsley | Episode: "Flight Into the Unknown" |
| 1956 | Annie Oakley | Prudy Warren | Episode: "Treasure Map" |
| 1957 | Fury | Midge Mallon | Episode: "The Tomboy" |
| 1958 | Moselle Corey | 15 episodes | |
| 1958 | Colgate Theatre | Episode: "Welcome to Washington" | |
| 1958–1965 | The Donna Reed Show | Mary Stone | 191 episodes |
| 1959 | The Rebel | Nora Hendry | 1 episode |
| 1963 | Mr. Novak | Dani Cooper | 2 episodes |
| 1964 | The Eleventh Hour | Carol Hamilton | Episode: "How Do I Say I Love You?" |
| 1964 | Arrest and Trial | Donna Blaney | Episode: "An Echo of Conscience" |
| 1964 | The Twilight Zone | Ellen Tillman | Episode: "Black Leather Jackets" |
| 1968 | The Ghost & Mrs. Muir | Vanessa | Episode: "Vanessa" |
| 1969 | Daniel Boone | Charity Brown | Episode: "A Touch of Charity" |
| 1969 | Lancer | Melissa Harper | Episode: "Juniper's Camp" |
| 1969 | Bracken's World | Hilary Saxon | Episode: "Package Deal" |
| 1969 | Medical Center | "Mike" Carter | Episode: "Operation Heartbeat" |
| 1971 | Longstreet | Marianne Franklin | Episode: "The Girl with the Broom" |
| 1971 | Brian's Song | Joy Piccolo | Television film |
| 1971 | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Lorraine Latham | Episode: "Burden of Proof" |
| 1971 | Mannix | Gwen Townsend | Episode: "A Step in Time" |
| 1972 | McCloud | Natalie Rudell | Episode: "Fifth Man in a String Quartet" |
| 1972 | Two for the Money | Bethany Hagen | Television film |
| 1972 | Cade's County | Stephanie | Episode: "The Fake" |
| 1972–1974 | The Little People/ The Brian Keith Show | Dr. Anne Jamison | 47 episodes |
| 1974 | Police Story | Annette Weiner | Episode: "Wolf" |
| 1974 | Ironside | Charlotte Black | Episode: "The Far Side of the Fence" |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Jolene Hyland | Episode: "Caledonia - It's Worth a Fortune!" |
| 1975 | The Rookies | Ann McNeal | Episode: "Solomon's Dilemma" |
| 1975 | Matt Helm | Chris/Tina | Episode: "Now I Lay Me Down To Die" |
| 1975 | Barnaby Jones | Susan Burke | Episode: "Flight to Danger" |
| 1976 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Norma Fritchie | Episode: "Strike Two!" |
| 1976 | Spencer's Pilots | Annette | Episode: "The Code" |
| 1976–1977 | The Practice | Jenny Bedford | 27 episodes |
| 1977–1978 | Forever Fernwood | Eleanor Major | Unknown episodes |
| 1978 | Vega$ | Linda Stockwood | Episode: "The Games Girls Play" |
| 1978 | The Incredible Hulk | Holly Cooper | Episode: "Escape from Los Santos" |
| 1978–1984 | One Day at a Time | Francine Webster | 23 episodes |
| 1979-1981 | Fantasy Island | Various Roles | |
| 1979 | Hello, Larry | Marion Alder | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Highcliffe Manor | Helen Blacke | 6 episodes |
| 1980–1981 | Mork & Mindy | Cathy | 3 episodes |
| 1980–1985 | The Love Boat | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1983 | Matt Houston | Barbara Newton | Episode: "The Visitors" |
| 1983 | ABC Afterschool Special | Fran Brogliatti | Episode: "The Celebrity and the Arcade Kid" |
| 1983 | Memorial Day | Ellie Walker | Television film |
| 1985 | The Canterville Ghost | Lucy | Television film |
| 1985 | Suburban Beat | Mimi | Television film |
| 1987 | Newhart | Diane Beckwith | Episode: "The First of the Belles" |
| 1988 | Run Till You Fall | Kathy Reuben | Television film |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Liza Caspar | 2 episodes |
| 1989–1997 | Coach | Christine Armstrong | 199 episodes |
| 1993 | Deadly Relations | Shirley Fagot | Television film |
| 1995 | The Great Mom Swap | Millie Ridgeway | Television film |
| 1996–1998 | Martha Kent (voice) | 8 episodes | |
| 1997 | A Nightmare Come True | Lily Zarn | Television film |
| 1998 | Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie | Nancy Erickson | Television film |
| 2003 | Justice League | Martha Kent (voice) | Episode: "Comfort and Joy" |
| February 1962 | "Johnny Angel" | "Where's It Gonna Get Me" | 1 | Colpix 621 |
| April 1962 | "What Did They Do Before Rock 'n' Roll"(with Paul Petersen) | "Very Unlikely" (with Paul Petersen) | Colpix 631 | |
| May 1962 | "Johnny Loves Me" | "I'm Growing Up" | 21 | Colpix 636 |
| August 1962 | "The Things We Did Last Summer" | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | 46 | Colpix 654 |
| December 1962 | "Telephone (Won't You Ring)" | "Big Star" | 109 | Colpix 667 |
| March 1963 | "Ronnie, Call Me When You Get a Chance" | "I Left a Note to Say Goodbye" | 72 | Colpix 682 |
| October 1963 | "Welcome Home" | "Billy Boy" | Colpix 705 | |
| January 1964 | "Football Season's Over" | "He Don't Love Me" | Colpix 721 | |
| September 1964 | "I Know You'll Be There" | "Lost Summer Love" | Vee-Jay Records VJ632 | |
| May 1965 | "My Prayer" | "Pretty Please" | Dunhill D-4001 | |
| August 1966 | "See Ya 'Round On the Rebound" | "Pretty Please" | Dunhill D-4041 |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Award | rowspan="2" | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Coach |
| 1994 | Coach | |||
| 1965 | Laurel Awards | New Faces, Female | ||
| 2004 | TV Land Award | Favorite Teen Dream - Female | The Donna Reed Show | |
| 1994 | Young Artist Award | Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award | The Donna Reed Show |
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