Early Life and Career
Born Michele Ann Marie Fabares in Santa Monica, California, she is the niece of Nanette Fabray. Fabares began acting at age three, and at age 10 made her television debut in an episode of Letter to Loretta. After guest-starring on various television series, Fabares landed the role of "Mary Stone" in the long-running family sitcom The Donna Reed Show.
Her national popularity led to a recording contract and two "Top 40" hits, including "Johnny Angel," which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962 and peaked at #41 in the UK. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Fabares left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 (she would return periodically until its end in 1966) to pursue a film career. She appeared in a number of motion pictures, including three Elvis Presley movies: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967).
During the 1970s Fabares appeared on several television series, including Love, American Style, The Rockford Files, The Interns, Mannix and Fantasy Island. In 1971 she starred as "Joy Piccolo", opposite Billy Dee Williams and James Caan in the successful TV movie Brian's Song, the true story of terminally ill Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo (played by Caan). In 1981 she played "Francine Webster" on One Day at a Time, a role she reprised throughout the series' run.
In 1989 she won the role of "Christine Armstrong Fox" on the ABC sitcom Coach. 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. After Coach ended in 1997, Fabares voiced the role of Martha "Ma" Kent in Superman: The Animated Series. She reprised the role twice; once for a 2003 episode of Justice League and again for the 2006 direct-to-video film Superman: Brainiac Attacks.
Read more about this topic: Shelley Fabares
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