Early life and career

Michele Ann Marie Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California. She is the niece of actress 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 number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962, and peaked at number 41 in the UK. It sold over one million copies and was certified gold. 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), the most by any one actress. In two other 1960s movies, she played the love interest of Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits in Hold On! and of a young Hank Williams, Jr. in A Time to Sing.

During the 1970s, Fabares appeared on several television series, including Love, American Style, The Rockford Files, The Interns, Mannix, The Practice, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and Fantasy Island. In 1971, she starred along with 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. Caan played Piccolo, and she played his wife, Joy. In 1981, Fabares 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.

Personal life

Fabares was a lifelong friend of Annette Funicello, whom she met in catechism class in the seventh grade. She was at Annette's bedside with her family when she died of multiple sclerosis on April 8, 2013.

Marriages

Fabares married record and movie producer Lou Adler in June 1964, separated in 1966, and was divorced in 1980. In 1984, she married actor Mike Farrell, and is stepmother to his two children, Erin and Michael.

Health issues

In October 2000, Fabares received a life-saving liver transplant after being diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	The Girl Rush	Kim - 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
1971	Brian's Song	Joy
1987	Hot Pursuit	Buffy Cronenberg
1990	Love or Money	LuAnn Reed	Alternative title: For Love or Money
2006	Superman: Brainiac Attacks	Martha Kent (Voice)	Direct-to-video release

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954-1958	Letter to Loretta	Marie Schumann Kathy	2 episodes
1955	Producers' Showcase	Rebecca Gibbs	1 episode
1955	Matinee Theater	Young Cathy	1 episode
1955	Captain Midnight	Mary Kingsley	1 episode
1956	Annie Oakley	Prudy Warren	1 episode
1957	Fury	Midge Mallon	1 episode
1958	Walt Disney Presents: Annette	Moselle Corey	15 episodes
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	1 episode
1964	Arrest and Trial	Donna Blaney	1 episode
1964	The Twilight Zone	Ellen Tillman	1 episode
1968	The Ghost & Mrs. Muir	Vanessa	1 episode
1969	Daniel Boone	Charity Brown	1 episode
1969	Lancer	Melissa Harper	1 episode
1969	Bracken's World	Hilary Saxon	1 episode
1969	Medical Center	"Mike" Carter	1 episode
1971	Longstreet	Marianne Franklin	1 episode
1971	Brian's Song	Joy Piccolo	Television movie
1971	Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law	Lorraine Latham	1 episode
1972	McCloud	Natalie Rudell	1 episode
1972	Cade's County	Stephanie	1 episode
1972	The Brian Keith Show	Dr. Anne Jamison	Unknown episodes
1974	Police Story	Annette Weiner	1 episode
1974	Ironside	Charlotte Black	1 episode
1974	The Rockford Files	Jolene Hyland	1 episode
1975	The Rookies	Ann McNeal	1 episode
1975	Matt Helm	Chris/Tina	1 episode
1975	Barnaby Jones	Susan Burke	1 episode
1976	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Norma Fritchie	1 episode
1976	Spencer's Pilots	Annette	1 episode
1976-1977	The Practice	Jenny Bedford	27 episodes
1977-1978	Forever Fernwood	Eleanor Major	Unknown episodes
1978	Vega$	Linda Stockwood	1 episode
1978	The Incredible Hulk	Holly Cooper	1 episode
1978-1984	One Day at a Time	Francine Webster	23 episodes
1979	Hello, Larry	Marion Alder	3 episodes
1979	Highcliffe Manor	Helen	6 episodes
1980-1981	Mork & Mindy	Cathy	3 episodes
1980-1985	The Love Boat	Various roles	3 episodes
1983	Matt Houston	Barbara Newton	1 episode
1983	ABC Afterschool Special	Fran Brogliatti	1 episode
1983	Memorial Day	Ellie Walker	Television movie
1985	The Canterville Ghost	Lucy	Television movie
1985	Suburban Beat	Mimi	Television movie
1987	Newhart	Diane Beckwith	1 episode
1988	Run Till You Fall	Kathy Reuben	Television movie
1989	Murder, She Wrote	Liza Caspar	2 episodes
1989-1997	Coach	Christine Armstrong	199 episodes
1993	Deadly Relations	Shirley Fagot	Television movie
1995	The Great Mom Swap	Millie Ridgeway	Television movie
1996	Superman: The Last Son of Krypton	Martha Kent (Voice)	Television movie
1996-1998	Superman: The Animated Series	Martha Kent (Voice)	8 episodes
1997	A Nightmare Come True	Lily Zarn	Television movie
1998	Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie	Nancy Erickson	Television movie
2003	Justice League	Ma Kent (Voice)	1 episode

Discography

Studio albums

• Shelley! -- Colpix CP-426 (Mono)/SCP-426 (Stereo) -- #106, 7/62
• The Things We Did Last Summer—Colpix CP-431/SCP-431 -- #121, 10/62
• Teenage Triangle—Colpix CP-444/SCP-444 -- #48, 5/63

Featuring four tracks each by Shelley, James Darren and Paul Petersen

• Bye Bye Birdie—Colpix CP-454/SCP-454—1963

Songs from the movie sung by Shelley, The Marcels, James Darren and Paul Petersen

• More Teenage Triangle—Colpix CP-468/SCP-468—1964

Second compilation featuring Shelley, James Darren and Paul Petersen

Soundtrack songs

• "Spring Fever" (1965) w/Elvis Presley from the movie Girl Happy (The soundtrack album only features Elvis' vocals)
• "Make Me Happy" (March 1966) from the movie soundtrack of Hold On! MGM Records
• "Next Time I Say Goodbye I'm Leaving" (1968) from the movie soundtrack of A Time to Sing (Music From The Original Soundtrack) MCA Records- MCA-1458

Compilations

• Rare Items And Big Hits Colpix (1989)
• The Best of Shelley Fabares Rhino R2 71651—1994
• Shelley Fabares Johnny Angel Collectables #9931 July 2005
• Shelley Fabares Meets Paul Petersen Collectables Records July 2009
• Growing Up-The 1962 Recordings Jasmine 2014

Singles

Year	Title	B-Side	U.S.	Label and number
February 1962	"Johnny Angel"	"Where's It Gonna Get Me"	1	Colpix 621
April 1962	"What Did They Do Before Rock 'n' Roll"	"Very Unlikely"	-	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 VJ632
May 1965	"My Prayer"	"Pretty Please"	-	Dunhill D-4001
August 1966	"See Ya 'Round On the Rebound"	"Pretty Please"	-	Dunhill D-4041

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1993	Primetime Emmy Award	Nominated	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Coach
1994				Coach
1965	Laurel Awards	Nominated	New Faces, Female	-
2004	TV Land Award	Nominated	Favorite Teen Dream - Female	The Donna Reed Show
1994	Young Artist Award	Won	Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award	The Donna Reed Show

Biography portal

Charities

Shelley Fabares supports the following charitable cause: Alzheimer's.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]