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Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares

Actor · 1944 – 2026 · Santa Monica, California, USA

Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (January 19, 1944 – August 22, 2026) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom Coach (1989–1997), the latter of which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. Her film roles include playing the leading lady to Elvis Presley in Girl Happy, Spinout, and Clambake. As the niece of singer/comedienne Nanette Fabray, she was indoctrinated early into the show biz life. Tap dancing from age three, she also modeled during her elementary school years and began appearing on such TV shows as Captain Midnight (1954) and Annie Oakley (1954) (the latter a recurring role). At age 12, she made her professional film debut in the Rock Hudson/Cornell Borchers tearjerker Never Say Goodbye (1956) as Hudson's daughter, and went on to play kid sister roles in the rock 'n' roll-themed Rock, Pretty Baby! (1956) and its sequel Summer Love (1957) both starring John Saxon. Teen-idol status came with her coming-of-age role as the ever-wholesome daughter "Mary Stone" on The Donna Reed Show (1958), a part she played for five seasons before embarking on a more grown-up film career. The character of "Mary Stone" was gently phased out of the show as her character "left for college". During its' run, she and TV "brother" Paul Petersen grew so popular that they sprinted to adjoining pop singing celebrity, although both admitted that their vocal talents were limited. In 1962, her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 (she would return periodically until its end in 1966) to pursue other acting opportunities. This was followed by a second album, The Things We Did Last Summer, which included two hit songs "Johnny Loves Me" (no. 21) and "The Things We Did Last Summer" (no. 46). She released a third album, Teenage Triangle in 1963. She landed top femme parts in such fun-and-frolic fare as Ride the Wild Surf (1964), Hold On! (1966) in which she played the love interest of Peter Noone (of Herman's Hermits) and sings Make Me Happy, as well as three of Elvis Presley's less-acclaimed films of the later 1960s: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967). She then played the love interest of a young Hank Williams Jr. in A Time to Sing (1968). She had support roles in television films like Brian's Song (1971) (playing Brian Piccolo's wife with James Caan as Brian), and Two for the Money (1972). Her performance in Brian's Song earned her a Golden Globe nomination. For her work, she 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. From 2004 to 2011 she produced the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Series24

  • TV6.3

    The Love Boat

    1977 · 199 votes

  • TV7.5

    Murder, She Wrote

    1984 · 471 votes

  • TV6.8

    Ironside

    1967 · 71 votes

  • TV6.5

    The Donna Reed Show

    1958 · 19 votes

  • TV7.6

    The Rockford Files

    1974 · 133 votes

  • TV6.2

    Love, American Style

    1969 · 21 votes

  • TV6.8

    Mannix

    1967 · 56 votes

  • TV6.7

    Coach

    1989 · 66 votes

  • TV7.0

    Daniel Boone

    1964 · 34 votes

  • TV5.3

    Matinee Theater

    1955 · 7 votes

  • TV8.5

    The Twilight Zone

    1959 · 1.1K votes

  • TV7.2

    Newhart

    1982 · 65 votes

  • TV6.3

    Matt Houston

    1982 · 28 votes

  • TV6.5
  • TV7.7
  • TV7.2

    The Incredible Hulk

    1977 · 514 votes

  • TV6.8

    One Day at a Time

    1975 · 64 votes

  • TV6.6

    Marcus Welby, M.D.

    1969 · 20 votes

  • TV6.5

    Fantasy Island

    1978 · 130 votes

  • TV6.4

    Medical Center

    1969 · 14 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Bob Hope Show

    1950 · 5 votes

  • TV7.0

    Dinah!

    1974 · 4 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Rookies

    1972 · 22 votes

  • TV7.1

    Mork & Mindy

    1978 · 166 votes

Movies23

  • Movie7.1

    The Bad Seed

    1956 · 276 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Girl Happy

    1965 · 32 votes

  • Movie7.1
  • Movie5.7

    Hot Pursuit

    1987 · 101 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Spinout

    1966 · 41 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Never Say Goodbye

    1956 · 20 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Your Studio and You

    1995 · 33 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Clambake

    1967 · 49 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Jeanne Eagels

    1957 · 15 votes

  • Movie6.8

    The Great Mom Swap

    1995 · 5 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Brian's Song

    1971 · 96 votes

  • Movie4.3

    A Nightmare Come True

    1997 · 7 votes

  • Movie6.1
  • Movie5.3
  • Movie6.3

    Marjorie Morningstar

    1958 · 21 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Gridlock

    1980 · 3 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Summer Love

    1958 · 4 votes

  • Movie5.2

    Ride the Wild Surf

    1964 · 11 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Pleasure Cove

    1979 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.5

    Two for the Money

    1972 · 2 votes

  • Movie5.0
  • Movie5.3

    Sky Hei$t

    1975 · 6 votes

  • Movie7.3

    The Canterville Ghost

    1985 · 3 votes