Didi Conn
Edith Conn (née Bernstein; July 13, 1951), professionally known as Didi Conn, is an American actress, best known for her work as Frenchy in Grease, Denise Stevens Downey in Benson and Stacy Jones in Shining Time Station.[1]
Didi Conn | |
|---|---|
 Conn at Greenville Graffiti Car Show at Greenville, IL in June 2018 | |
| Born | Edith Bernstein July 13, 1951 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse(s) | Frankie Conn
(m. 1975; div. 1978) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Edith Bernstein was born in Brooklyn, New York City. She had a Conservative "holiday Jewish" upbringing,[2] and is the daughter of a clinical psychologist; "Didi" was her childhood nickname. She attended Midwood High School. Her brother is opera singer Richard Bernstein.
Career
Conn made her debut as an actress in the 1960s. Her notable characters since the 1970s, when she first became prominent, include:
- Laurie Robinson in You Light Up My Life, 1977 (for which Kasey Cisyk provided the character's singing voice)[1]
- Frenchy in the feature films Grease (1978) and Grease 2 (1982)
- Helen on The Practice (1976–77)
- Denise Stevens Downey on Benson (1981–85)
- Stacy Jones on Shining Time Station (1989–95)[1]
Conn provided the voice for Raggedy Ann in the animated feature Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) directed by Richard Williams. Her voice is one of her trademarks. She appeared as a celebrity guest on game shows like Match Game, The $20,000, $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000 Pyramids, Chain Reaction, and Go.[3]
In 2013, she starred as Pearl in the play A Heap of Livin' by Elliot Shoenman at The Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.
In January 2016, she had a cameo as Vi in the Grease: Live television special on Fox, thus being the only actress to appear in all three screen adaptations of the franchise. In addition, she has appeared in numerous other roles on television. [4]
In 2018, it was announced that Conn would be a contestant on the eleventh series on Dancing on Ice. At 67, she was the oldest person ever to have competed in the show.[5] She, alongside her professional partner Łukasz Różycki, were eliminated in Week 4, after the judges saved Saara Aalto and Hamish Gaman in the skate-off.
Activism
Conn's adopted son Daniel was diagnosed with autism.[6][2] On November 13, 2008, she was named national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks.[7] Before that, she was a spokesperson for the National Alliance for Autism Research, now part of Autism Speaks. She has performed at benefits for Foundation for Educating Children with Autism (FECA).[8]
On September 27, 2008, Conn performed with David Shire and Lynne Wintersteller at a benefit performance for Barack Obama in Nyack, New York.[9]
Personal life
She married her first husband, Frank "Frankie" Conn, in 1975, but they divorced in 1978. She has been married to composer David Shire since 1982. Conn is the stepmother of Matthew Shire, a Los Angeles screenwriter and the son of Talia Shire,[3] who was David's first wife.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure | Raggedy Ann (voice) | Animated film |
| 1977 | You Light Up My Life | Laurie Robinson | Singing voice provided by Kvitka "Kasey" Cisyk |
| 1978 | Grease | Frenchie | |
| 1978 | Almost Summer | Donna DeVito | |
| 1981 | Violet | Violet | Short film |
| 1982 | Grease 2 | Frenchie | |
| 1983 | The Magic Show | Cal | |
| 2000 | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Stacy Jones | |
| 2002 | Frida | Waitress | |
| 2005 | Shooting Vegetarians | Patrice | |
| 2006 | Helen at Risk | Helen | Short film |
| 2008 | Oh Baby! | David's Mom | |
| 2018 | Most Likely to Murder | Fran Green | |
| 2020 | The Mimic | Gossip Lady | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Genesis II | TV Actress | TV movie |
| 1975 | Happy Days | Joyce | Episode: "Kiss Me Sickly" |
| 1975 | The Rookies | Young Woman | Episode: "Measure of Mercy" |
| 1976–77 | The Practice | Helen | 27 episodes |
| 1977 | Handle with Care | Jackie Morse | TV pilot |
| 1978 | Three on a Date | Eve Harris | TV movie |
| 1978 | Match Game | Herself (panelist) | 6 episodes, 1 for PM |
| 1978 | Murder at the Mardi Gras | Julie Evans | TV movie |
| 1980 | Semi-Tough | Kiki | Episode: "One Bad Apple" |
| 1980–81 | The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang | Cupcake (voice) | 24 episodes |
| 1981–85 | Benson | Denise Stevens Downey | 72 episodes |
| 1982 | American Playhouse | Receptionist | Episode: "Working" |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Jenny | Episode: "Love on Strike" |
| 1984 | ABC Weekend Specials | Dimples (voice) | Episode: "Bad Cat" |
| 1985 | Hotel | Patty Maloney | Episode: "Sleeping Dogs" |
| 1985 | Star Fairies | Spice (voice) | TV movie |
| 1985 | The Jetsons | Cousin Melissa | Episode: "Judy Takes Off" |
| 1987 | Cagney & Lacey | Dinah Roswell | Episode: "Waste Deep" |
| 1987 | Highway to Heaven | Wanda / Birdy Belker | Episodes: "All That Glitters", "Ghost Rider" |
| 1989–93 | Shining Time Station | Stacy Jones | 65 episodes |
| 1990 | The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda | Additional voices | Episode: "Pity the Poor Pirate" |
| 1990 | Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift | Stacy Jones | TV special |
| 1992 | Civil Wars | Hilary Schoenfeld | Episode: "Till Debt Do Us Part" |
| 1993 | A Flintstone Family Christmas | Stella (voice) | TV special |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | Penny Tressman | Episode: "He Ain't Guilty, He's My Brother" |
| 1995 | Shining Time Station: Once Upon a Time | Stacy Jones | TV special |
| 1995 | Shining Time Station: Second Chances | Stacy Jones | TV special |
| 1995 | Shining Time Station: One of the Family | Stacy Jones | TV special |
| 1995 | Shining Time Station: Queen for a Day | Stacy Jones | TV special |
| 1995 | Cybill | Sitcom Mom | Episode: "The Cheese Stands Alone" |
| 2003 | Stanley | Mrs. Goldberg (voice) | Episode: "Going-Away Goose/Time to Climb!" |
| 2003 | The Wild Thornberrys | Muskox #2 (voice) | Episode: "Clash and Learn" |
| 2008–10 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Nurse | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Gigantic | Didi Conn | Episode: "Scramble" |
| 2012 | Didi Lightful | Didi Lightful (voice) | TV pilot |
| 2015 | Transparent | Joyce Feldman | Episode: "The Book of Life" |
| 2016 | The Call | Corrine | TV pilot |
| 2016 | Grease: Live | Vi | TV movie |
| 2019 | Dancing on Ice | Herself (contestant) | 4 episodes, Series 11 |
| 2019 | Welcome to the Wayne | Oldest Annacille (voice) | Episode: "Some Sort of Bad Luck Curse" |
References
- Didi Conn profile, FilmReference.com; accessed November 21, 2015.
- http://www.jewishexponent.com/2019/04/16/didi-conn-grease-middletown/
- Didi Conn at IMDb
- Didi Conn profile, Jewish Woman's Archives; accessed September 8, 2018.
- Dancing On Ice star opens up on being oldest contestant in 2019 series, OK! Magazine; accessed January 20th, 2019.
- I Was the Queen of Denial on Autism CNN.com, April 1, 2009
- Didi Conn Named a National Celebrity Spokesperson for Autism Speaks, AutismSpeaks.org, November 14, 2008.
- "Devereux Millwood gala goes retro". devereux.org. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
- Sept 27, 2008 Obama Benefit performance, NyackNewsandViews.com, September 21, 2008.
