Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens married twice in her life. Her first husband was actor James Stacy and they got married in 1963 and divorced in 1966.

She married singer Eddie Fisher in 1967. In their 18-months of marriage, they were blessed with two daughters, actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher. The couple divorced in 1969.

Before her marriages she had been involved in relationships with actor Glenn Ford and the legendary musician, Elvis Presley.

Connie Stevens was born as Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia on August 8, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Peter was a jazz musician and performed under the stage name of Teddy Stevens and her mother, Eleanor McGinley, was a singer. They divorced when Stevens was quite young.

After her parents’ divorce she lived with her grandmother. She was eight years old when her grandmother passed away. She received her education from Catholic girls' boarding schools.

In 1951, she became witness to a horrible murder at a Brooklyn street that scarred her for life. In order to forget this incident, she moved to Boonville, Missouri.

The Missouri River flooded its banks in the summer of 1951. Stevens was living with her family friends at that time. The wide-spread destruction forced her to move yet again and she moved to Los Angeles to be with her father.

Owing to her parents’ profession, she loved music from a pretty early age. She formed the vocal quartet called 'The Foremost' and was backed up by three male singers, who later became The Lettermen.

Connie Stevens’ professional break came in the form of minor roles in some B-list Hollywood movies including 'Young and Dangerous', and ' Eighteen and Anxious'. The films were not much successful.

Her performance in the movie 'Dragstrip Riot' was noted by the legendary comedian, Jerry Lewis. Impressed by her performance, he cast her in his film 'Rock-a-Bye Baby' (1958). She soon signed a contract with Warner Brothers.

She launched her first album 'Concetta' in 1958. The album found some success with singles like 'Blame It On My Youth', ‘Looking For A Boy' and 'Spring Is Here'. She also appeared on the TV-series ‘Maverick’ and Warner Bros hit TV-series ‘77 Sunset Strip’.

In 1959, came her most famous role as the blond photographer and nightclub singer Cricket Blake on ABC's detective drama ‘Hawaiian Eye’. The role made her so popular that Elvis Presley personally called her and invited her to his party.

During the same time, she released some hit-singles. The song 'Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb' and 'Sixteen Reasons' reached No. 4 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

Her songs 'Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb' and 'Sixteen Reasons' peaked at No. 4 and No. 3 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

The documentary film, ‘A Healing’, released in 1997, which she wrote, edited, and directed was well received. It featured the experiences of the women who served as Red Cross nurses in the Vietnam War.