Constance Towers

Constance Mary Towers (born May 20, 1933)[2] is an American film, stage, and television actress, and singer. She gained prominence for her appearances in several mainstream 1950s films before transitioning to theater, starring in numerous Broadway productions through the 1970s. Her accolades include two Emmy Award nominations.

Constance Towers
Towers in 1960
Born	May 20, 1933 Whitefish, Montana, U.S.
Alma mater	Juilliard School
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1952–present
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Spouse(s)	Eugene McGrath ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1966)​ John Gavin ​ ​ (m. 1974; died 2018)​
Children	2

A native of Montana, Towers began her career doing radio plays as a child in the Pacific Northwest before relocating to New York City where she studied music at the Juilliard School. She made her film debut in the Technicolor comedy picture Bring Your Smile Along (1955) by Blake Edwards before earning recognition for her roles in John Ford's civil war film The Horse Soldiers (1959) and western Sergeant Rutledge (1960). She later appeared in two roles in Samuel Fuller's hard-edged experimental thrillers Shock Corridor (1963) and The Naked Kiss (1964).[3]

Beginning in 1965, Towers embarked on a career in theater, making her Broadway debut in the musical Anya, opposite Lillian Gish, followed by a 1966 production of Show Boat at Lincoln Center. Towers starred in four other Broadway productions throughout the 1970s, most notably as Anna in The King and I in 1977 and 1978. Her later career largely has been based in television, with roles as matriarch Clarissa McCandless on the daytime drama Capitol from 1982 to 1987, and the villainous Helena Cassadine on General Hospital, which she began portraying in 1997.

Early life

Towers was born May 20, 1933[4] in Whitefish, Montana, one of two daughters born to Ardath L. (née Reynolds) and Harry J. Towers, a pharmacist.[5] Her mother, originally from Nebraska, was of Irish descent, while her father was an Ireland native from Dublin who immigrated to the United States through Philadelphia.[5] Towers' family relocated throughout western Montana in her early childhood, living in Whitefish, Missoula, and Kalispell, as well as in Moscow, Idaho.[5][6]

In 1940, when Towers was in first grade, she was discovered by talent scouts visiting Montana in search of child actors for radio programs.[7] Towers's family subsequently relocated to Seattle, Washington,[6] and she began working as a child voice actress in Pacific Northwest-based radio programs over the following three years.[7] According to her official website, Towers was offered a contract with Paramount Pictures at age 11, but the offer was declined by her parents. At age 12, she worked at a small local movie theater in her hometown of Whitefish.

In her adolescence, her family relocated to New York City after her father took a job there as an executive vice president for a pharmaceutical company.[5][7] There she attended the Juilliard School, studying music,[4] and American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[8] She studied singing with well known voice teacher Beverley Peck Johnson.[9]

Career

1955–1964: Early film work

Towers in The Horse Soldiers (1959)

While attending Juilliard, Towers was discovered by a film agent.[5] "I was very lucky," Towers recalled. "An agent saw me and believed in me and we were walking down Fifth Avenue and the manager of the St. Regis Hotel asked if I could sing. My agent told him yes and he asked if I could open in three weeks. I learned a series of songs, put on a dress, sang to the critics and got good reviews. That night a casting man from Columbia Pictures saw me and flew me to L.A. to meet with Harry Cohn, president of Columbia. They had me read with Jack Lemmon, then signed me to a contract."[5]

Towers made her film debut in a supporting part in the film Bring Your Smile Along (1955),[10] followed by a supporting part in the crime thriller Over-Exposed (1956). Standing at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m), Towers initially struggled to obtain leading film roles due to her height.[1] In 1958, she was cast in her first leading role as Hannah Hunter in John Ford's civil war film The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne and William Holden.[7] The following year, she appeared in Ford's follow-up film Sergeant Rutledge (1960), a racially themed crime Western.[11]

Towers in Shock Corridor (1963)

In 1963, Towers was cast in a supporting role in Samuel Fuller's experimental thriller Shock Corridor (1963), which tells the story of a journalist who commits himself to a psychiatric hospital to solve a murder. Her role as a stripper in the film was described by The New York Times as "hard, driving and realistic."[12] In preparation for the role, Towers spent time at exotic dance clubs in Los Angeles.

Fuller cast Towers again in a lead role in his following film The Naked Kiss (1964), another lurid and hard-edged thriller, in which she plays a crazed prostitute who attempts to assimilate in suburbia after having battered her pimp.[13] The film received some critical acclaim: Eugene Archer of The New York Times commented: "Patently absurd as the plot may be, Mr. Fuller has filmed it with flair, and he has drawn a richly amusing performance from Miss Towers. Between his stylish handling of sensational nonsense and Mr. Marton's turgid floundering around a serious theme, Mr. Fuller's wild little movie has a decided edge."[14]

The same year, Towers appeared in the thriller Fate Is the Hunter, which chronicles the investigation of an airline crash. She also worked as a model for the Heart Fund Benefit at a fashion show held in Reno, Nevada. Between 1961 and 1965, she had five guest roles on the series Perry Mason; In her first two appearances she played the murderer: Jonny Baker in "The Case of the Missing Melody" (1961) and Esther Metcalfe in "The Case of the Prankish Professor" (1963).

1965–1990: Theater career

Towers in a Broadway production of The King and I, 1977

After several film, television and stage roles (including a West Coast tour of Guys and Dolls), Towers made her Broadway debut playing the title role in Anya, a short-lived 1965 musical.[15]

Towers appeared as Julie in a 1966 production of Show Boat at Lincoln Center.[16] She also starred in Carousel in 1966 and The Sound of Music in 1967, which she would reprise in 1970, 1971 and 1980 at the Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, New York.[17]

She briefly played Anna Leonowens in 1968, and later she played opposite Yul Brynner in a long-running revival of The King and I on tour and then on Broadway (1976–1978).[18] Clive Barnes praised Towers in the role,[19] and theatre writer John Kenrick calls her performance on the 1977 cast album "great."[20]

In 1995 she played the role of Phyllis in Stephen Sondheim's Follies.[21]

From the mid-1960s until the 1990s, Towers' career was primarily focused on theater, though she did appear in films occasionally. She starred in the 1974 television film Once in Her Life, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Special Program. She also appeared on television, playing Marian Hiller, the wife of Dr. Sanford Hiller in Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1971–72).

She had a starring role as noble widow Clarissa McCandless in Capitol (1982–87, the show's entire run), playing rival to the scheming matriarch Myrna Clegg (Carolyn Jones, Marla Adams, Marj Dusay) in trying to see her son succeed in politics and the long-term love of powerful Senator Mark Denning (Ed Nelson). A memorable storyline had her being shot by Mark's mentally ill wife Paula (Julie Adams) and later finding out that her husband Baxter (Ron Harper) was still alive. For this part, she received a Soap Opera Digest Nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

1991–present: Television; General Hospital

Towers during a visit to the set of the television show General Hospital as part of Los Angeles Navy Week 2011

Towers had a supporting part in the film The Next Karate Kid (1994) and appeared on television as John Abbott's former secretary, Audrey North, on The Young and the Restless (1996). She later played Madame Julianna Deschanel on Sunset Beach (1997). In 1998, Towers had supporting parts in the horror film The Relic (1998), and the thriller A Perfect Murder (1998), playing the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow's character.

Towers' best-known soap part is as villainous Helena Cassadine on General Hospital which she began playing late in 1997, continuing until her character was killed off in 2015, but made guest appearances in 2016, 2017, 2019 and most recently February 2020.[8] In October 2020, though Towers didn't actually appear on-screen, she briefly reprised the role of Helena through a phone call.[22]

Towers guest-starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Forsaken" in 1993. She also appeared in Designing Women, Frasier, Baywatch and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Other television roles include State Trooper, Hawaii Five-O, The Rockford Files, L.A. Law, The 4400, and Cold Case.[23]

In 2008, Towers starred in the Los Angeles revival of Arthur Allan Seidelman's production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks;[24] the play premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in 2001 with Uta Hagen and David Hyde Pierce in the two roles.[25]

Personal life

Towers was first married to Eugene McGrath from 1959 until their divorce in 1966. In 1974, she married actor and former ambassador to Mexico John Gavin.[26] She has two children from her first marriage. She also has two stepchildren from her marriage to Gavin.[27] Gavin died on February 9, 2018, aged 86.

Towers serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Blue Ribbon of the Los Angeles Music Center.[28]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes	Ref.
1955	Bring Your Smile Along	Nancy Willows	Blake Edwards
1956	Over-Exposed	Shirley Thomas	Lewis Seiler
1959	The Horse Soldiers	Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar	John Ford
1960	Sergeant Rutledge	Mary Beecher	John Ford
1963	Shock Corridor	Cathy	Samuel Fuller
1964	Fate Is the Hunter	Peg Burke	Ralph Nelson
1964	The Naked Kiss	Kelly	Samuel Fuller
1974	Once in Her Life	Joan Baldwin	Peter Levin	Television film Nominated – Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Special Program	[29]
1985	Fast Forward	Jessie Granger	Sidney Poitier
1985	Sylvester	Muffy	Tim Hunter
1991	Memories of Midnight	Sister Larissa	Gary Nelson	Television film
1992	The Nutt House	Mrs. Henderson	Adam Rifkin
1992	The Sands of Time	Sister Larissa	Gary Nelson	Television film
1994	The Next Karate Kid	Louisa Pierce	Christopher Cain
1995	Thunder in Paradise 3	Cavanna	Douglas Schwartz
1997	The Relic	Mrs. Blaisedale	Peter Hyams
1998	A Perfect Murder	Sandra Bradford	Andrew Davis
2008	The Awakening of Spring	Mrs. Gable	Arthur Allan Seidelman
2013	A Fuller Life	Herself	Samantha Fuller	Documentary
2015	Aghápe	Mature Leean	Radick Cembrzynski	Short film
2017	The Storyteller	Rosemary	Joe Crump

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Tales of Tomorrow	Martha	Episode: "Seeing-Eye Surgeon"
1957	State Trooper	Doris Woodley	Episode: "Beef ala Murder"
1958	Mike Hammer	Jean Barr	Episode: "Overdose of Lead"
1957–1958	The Bob Cummings Show	Patricia Plumber	Episodes: "Bob Gives Psychology Lessons" and "Bob's Forgotten Fiancée"
1960	Adventures in Paradise	Laura Knight	Episode: "Sink or Swim"
1961	Zane Grey Theater	Beth Woodfield	Episode: "Knight of the Sun"
1964	The Outer Limits	Laura James	Episode: "The Duplicate Man"
1965	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Louise Menke	Episode: "Exit from a Plane in Flight"
1961–1965	Perry Mason	Various roles	5 episodes
1971–1972	Love Is a Many Splendored Thing	Marian Hiller	Series regular
1975	Hawaii Five-O	Mrs. Thorncrest	Episode: "Death's Name Is Sam"
1977	Lanigan's Rabbi	Vinnie Barcas	Episode: "In Hot Weather, the Crime Rate Soars"
1979	The Rockford Files	IRS Agent Sally Sternhagen	Episode: "The Big Cheese"
1979	Fantasy Island	Shirley Forbush	Episode: "Hit Man/The Swimmer"
1981	Fantasy Island	Maggie Dunphy	Episode: "Perfect Husband, The/Volcano"
1982–1987	Capitol	Clarissa McCandless	Series regular
1986	On Wings of Eagles	Margot Perot	Miniseries
1987	Murder, She Wrote	Margaret Witworth	Episode: "Murder, She Spoke"
1988	The Loner	Kate Shane	Pilot
1987–1988	L.A. Law	Charlotte Kelsey	Episodes: "Rohner vs. Gradinger" and "Full Marital Jacket"
1989	MacGyver	Francine Leyland	Episode: "Ma Dalton"
1989	Midnight Caller	Teresa Chandler	Episode: "Blood Red"
1990	Designing Women	Louise Pollard	Episode: "The Mistress"
1991	Matlock	Alice Windemere	Episode: "The Suspect"
1992	Baywatch	Maggie James	Episode: "Sea of Flames"
1992	2000 Malibu Road	Camilla O'Keefe	Series regular, 6 episodes
1992	Civil Wars	Harriet Guilford	Episode: "Das Boat House"
1993	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Taxco	Episode: "The Forsaken"
1994	Frasier	Clarice Warner	Episode: "Slow Tango in South Seattle"
1994	Thunder in Paradise	Cavanna	Episodes: "Deadly Lessons: Part 1" and "Deadly Lessons: Part 2"
1994	Silk Stalkings	Karen Krane	Episode: "Ask the Dust"
1995	Caroline in the City	Barbara	Episode: "Caroline and the Folks"
1995	High Society	Boatie	Episode: "Tomb with a View"
1996	The Young and the Restless	Audrey North	Recurring role
1997	Sunset Beach	Madame Julianna Deschanel	Recurring role, 9 episodes
1997–2007 2009–2013 2014–2017; 2020	General Hospital	Helena Cassadine	Series regular (1997–2002), Recurring guest star (2003—2017) Nominated: Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Villain (2002)
1998	Kelly Kelly	Kate	Episode: "The Kilt Show"
2000	Providence	Candice Whitman	Episode: "Syd in Wonderland"
2006	Criminal Minds	Deb Mason	Episode: "Riding the Lightning"
2007	The 4400	Audrey Parker	Episode: "Audrey Parker's Come and Gone"
2009	Cold Case	Caroline Kemp	Episode: "Libertyville"
2013	1600 Penn	Bunny Thoroughgood	Episode: "So You Don't Want to Dance"
2014	Men at Work	Mary	Episode: "Suburban Gibbs"
2016	11.22.63	Old Sadie Dunhill	Episode: "The Day in Question"

Stage credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1960–1961	Guys and Dolls	Sarah Brown	Civic Light Opera Company, Los Angeles, California	[30]
1962–1964	Camelot	Guenevere	U.S. touring production	[17]
1965	Anya	Anya	Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City	[30]
1966	Show Boat	Julie	New York State Theatre, New York City	[31]
1966	Carousel	Julie Jordan	City Center Theater, New York City	[32]
1967–1968	The Sound of Music	Maria Rainer	City Center Theater, New York City	[33]
1967	Dumas and Son	Marie	Los Angeles Civic Light Opera	[17]
1968	The King and I	Anna Leonowens	City Center Theatre, New York City	[17]
1970	The Engagement Baby	Vivian Whitney	Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City	[30]
1971	Ari	Kitty Fremont	Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York City	[30]
1972	The King and I	Anna Leonowens	Jones Beach Theater, Long Island	[17]
1972	I Do! I Do!	Agnes	Chateau de Ville, Saugus, Massachusetts	[17]
1973	The King and I	Anna Leonowens	State Fair Music Hall, Dallas, Texas	[17]
1973	My Fair Lady	Eliza Doolittle	Indianapolis, Indiana	[17]
1973	Mame	Mame	Springfield, Missouri	[17]
1973	The Desperate Hours	Eleanor Hilliard	Arlington Park, Illinois	[17]
1974	Oh Coward!		Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, Connecticut	[17]
1977–1979	The King and I	Anna Leonowens	Uris Theatre, New York City	[30]
1980	The Sound of Music	Maria Rainer	Jones Beach Theater, Long Island	[34]
1991	The Speed of Darkness	N/A	Associate producer Belasco Theatre, New York City	[30]
1995	Follies	Phyllis Stone	Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington	[17]
1998	Something Wonderful		McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, California	[17]

References

1. Thomas, Bob (October 30, 1958). "Towering Connie Finally Makes It". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, New York. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Constance Towers". Master Works Broadway. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
3. "The Complete Samuel Fuller". Harvard Film Archive. Archived from the original on October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
4. Willis 1969, p. 263.
5. Robbins, Jody (March 19, 2001). "Actress has fond memories of growing up in the Flathead". Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020.
6. Towers, Constance (2011). "An Interview with Constance Towers". Shock Corridor (Blu-ray). Interviewed by Charles Dennis. The Criterion Collection.
7. Thomas, Nick (July 21, 2014). "Tinseltown Talks: Constance Towers recalls two John Ford classics". Victorville Daily Press. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
8. "Constance Towers Playing Helena Cassadine on General Hospital - Soaps.com". Soaps.sheknows.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
9. Anthony Tommasini (January 22, 2001). "Beverley Peck Johnson, 96, Voice Teacher". The New York Times.
10. "Bring Your Smile Along (1955)". Turner Classic Movies. Rovi. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
11. Crowther, Bosley (May 26, 1960). "Movie Review: Sergeant Rutledge". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
12. Crowther, Bosley (September 12, 1963). "Screen: Romantic Middle-Aged Men and Women:'Of Love and Desire' Stars Merle Oberon 3 Other Films Arrive at Local Theaters 'Shock Corridor' Leave It to the Girls". Retrieved November 9, 2016.
13. "The Naked Kiss (1964)". Turner Classic Movies. Rovi. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
14. Archer, Eugene (October 29, 1964). "' Thin Red Line' and 'Naked Kiss' Open". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
15. Affron 2002, p. 329.
16. Rodgers 2002, p. 316.
17. "Towers, Constance 1934–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020.
18. "Biography - Constance Towers". American Theatre Wing. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
19. Barnes, Clive (May 3, 1977). "King and I, reminder of golden age". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. 50. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
20. Kenrick, John. "Comparative CD Reviews: Part III. The King and I" (Copyright 1998–2003), accessed January 30, 2011.
21. The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology: Vocal Duets Book Only. Hal Leonard Corporation. 1987. p. 5. ISBN 9781480318564.
22. Cushman, Dustin (October 29, 2020). "General Hospital's Helena Cassadine Is Back From The Dead". Soaps.com. United States: SheKnows Media. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
23. "Constance Towers Credits". TV Guide. November 28, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
24. Stoudt, Charlotte (November 5, 2008). "'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
25. Oxman, Steven (June 10, 2001). "Review: 'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
26. Bacon, Doris Klein (August 29, 1983). "John Gavin Is Our Man in Mexico and Constance Towers Is His Woman in the (TV) Capitol". People.
27. Bacon, Doris Klien (August 29, 1983). "John Gavin Is Our Man in Mexico and Constance Towers Is His Woman in the (TV) Capitol". People. Time Inc. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
28. "Los Angeles Music Center: Blue Ribbon: Board of Directors". Music Center. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
29. "'Once in Her Life'". Florence Morning News. Florence, South Carolina. February 9, 1974. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
30. "Constance Towers". Playbill. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
31. Hischak 2008, p. 678.
32. Hischak 2008, p. 131.
33. Wilson, Barbara R. (March 16, 1967). "That's show business". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
34. Steritt, David (July 7, 1980). "Turning Jones Beach alive with 'The Sound of Music'; The Sound of Music Starring Constance Towers, Earl Wrightson. Presented at the Jones Beach Theater". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015.

Sources

• Affron, Charles (2002). Lillian Gish: Her Legend, Her Life. Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23434-5.
• Hischak, Thomas (2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical. Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-33533-0.
• Rodgers, Richard (2002). Musical Stages: An Autobiography. New York: DeCapo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81134-0.
• Willis, John (1969). Theatre World. 26. New York: Crown Publishers. OCLC 185387642.

External links

• Constance Towers at IMDb
• Constance Towers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Interview, May 17, 2017; accessed May 18, 2017.
• Interview with Constance Towers, October 21, 2019, Classic Film & TV Cafe.