Constance Towers

This elegant, lovely blonde singer/actress initially had designs on becoming an opera singer. Born in Montana on May 20, 1933, and christened Constance Mary Towers, she appeared on radio as a child singer. Her family moved to New York where she subsequently studied at the Julliard School of Music and the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts (AADA). A chance casting in a summer production of "Carousel" led her away from her operatic aspirations and into the musical theater arena.Before she settled into this, however, Constance gained early exposure on the chic nightclub circuit and fostered an attempt at stardom via films. She co-starred with 'Frankie Laine' (qv) playing a school teacher in the modest movie musical _Bring Your Smile Along (1955)_ (qv), and appeared in exceptionally strong ingénue roles in the movie dramas _The Horse Soldiers (1959)_ (qv) starring 'John Wayne' (qv) and _Sergeant Rutledge (1960)_ (qv) opposite 'Jeffrey Hunter' (qv). Director 'Samuel Fuller' (qv) cast her against type in some of his highly offbeat dramas in the early 1960s. She played a stripper girlfriend in _Shock Corridor (1963)_ (qv) and in _The Naked Kiss (1964)_ (qv) gave a no-holds-barred performance as a former prostitute trying to clean up her act. While TV guest appearances were frequent on such shows as "The Bob Cummings Show," "The Outer Limits," "Zane Grey Theatre," and multiple appearances on "Perry Mason," films were few and far between.By this time she was starting to settle in as a pristine musical leading lady. After a 1960 performance as missionary Sarah in "Guys and Dolls," Constance made her Broadway debut in the title role of "Anya" (1965), in which she played the title role of the Russian princess Anastasia. Heralded performances in "Carousel" (1966) and "The Sound of Music" (1967), in which she won the Outer Critic's Circle Award as Maria, not to mention a Broadway revival of "The King and I" opposite 'Yul Brynner' (qv) truly put her on the musical map. Her run with Brynner lasted nearly 800 performances. She had earlier played the school teacher Anna off-Broadway opposite 'Michael Kermoyan' (qv) in 1972. Other sterling stage appearances included "Kiss Me Kate," "42nd Street," "Oklahoma!," "Camelot" and "Mame." She also starred in the musical "Ari," an adaptation of the 'Leon Uris' (qv) novel "Exodus."TV proved a sturdy medium as well. In her early days, she made singing appearances on 'Ed Sullivan' (qv)'s The 'Ed Sullivan' (qv) Show (1948) and, in dramatic roles, was a frequent glamorous suspect on _Perry Mason (1957)_ (qv). As she matured, her sharp, glacial, strikingly handsome features also worked very well for her in unsympathetic aristocratic roles on daytime. Winning regular spots on _Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1967)_ (qv), _The Young and the Restless (1973)_ (qv) and _Sunset Beach (1997)_ (qv), she did her most consistent work on _Capitol (1982)_ (qv), in which she played Clarissa McCandless for five seasons. For nearly three decades she courted favor with audiences stealing scenes on a regular basis on _General Hospital (1963)_ (qv), in which she plays the inherently wicked Helena Cassadine, a role originated by the legendary 'Elizabeth Taylor' (qv). Recent films have included _The Next Karate Kid (1994)_ (qv), _The Relic (1997)_ (qv) and _A Perfect Murder (1998)_ (qv) starring 'Michael Douglas' (qv) and 'Gwyneth Paltrow' (qv), in which she played Paltrow's mother.Constance also enjoyed a resurgence on prime-time TV with a sprinkling of guest parts on _L.A. Law (1986)_ (qv), _Designing Women (1986)_ (qv), _The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)_ (qv), _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)_ (qv), "Caroline in the City," _Frasier (1993)_ (qv), _Baywatch (1989)_ (qv), and _Providence (1999)_ (qv). She received an Emmy nomination for her role in the single episode drama special on _CBS Daytime 90 (1974)_ (qv) entitled "Once in Her Life." Millennium on-camera appearances have included the films _The Awakening of Spring (2008)_ (qv) and _The Storyteller (2018)_ (qv) and TV work on such shows as "Providence," "Criminal Minds," "The 4400" and "Cold Case."Constance was married since 1974 to one-time actor and former Mexican ambassador 'John Gavin' (qv). It was the second marriage for both, and lasted for 44 years until his death in 2018. The handsome couple have two children: Cristina and 'Maria Gavin' (qv). Constance also has two children, Michael and Maureen McGrath, from her prior marriage to Panamanian businessman Eugene McGrath. As a result of husband Gavin's civic work, she became actively involved in a multitude of charities. "Project Connie" not only offered aid to those in need of medical and rehabilitation assistance after the Mexican earthquake of 1985, it has served as an adoption placement agency to hundreds of children from Mexico to El Salvador. She has also involved herself with the Children's Bureau of California, the National Health Foundation, and the Red Cross and the Blue Ribbon of Los Angeles.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net