Constance Towers(I)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
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 playing a school
teacher in the modest movie musical
Bring Your Smile Along (1955),
and appeared in exceptionally strong ingénue roles in the movie dramas
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
starring John Wayne and
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
opposite Jeffrey Hunter. Director
Samuel Fuller cast her against type in
some of his highly offbeat dramas in the early 1960s. She played a
stripper girlfriend in
Shock Corridor (1963) and in
The Naked Kiss (1964) 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 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 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 novel
"Exodus."
TV proved a sturdy medium as well. In her early days, she made singing
appearances on Ed Sullivan's
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
and, in dramatic roles, was a frequent glamorous suspect on
Perry Mason (1957). 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),
The Young and the Restless (1973)
and Sunset Beach (1997), she did
her most consistent work on
Capitol (1982), 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), in
which she plays the inherently wicked Helena Cassadine, a
role originated by the legendary
Elizabeth Taylor. Recent films
have included
The Next Karate Kid (1994),
The Relic (1997) and
A Perfect Murder (1998) starring
Michael Douglas and
Gwyneth Paltrow, 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),
Designing Women (1986),
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990),
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993),
"Caroline in the City,"
Frasier (1993),
Baywatch (1989), and
Providence (1999). She received an
Emmy nomination for her role in the single episode drama special on
CBS Daytime 90 (1974) entitled
"Once in Her Life." Millennium on-camera appearances have included the films The Awakening of Spring (2008) and The Storyteller (2018) 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. 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. 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.
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 playing a school
teacher in the modest movie musical
Bring Your Smile Along (1955),
and appeared in exceptionally strong ingénue roles in the movie dramas
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
starring John Wayne and
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
opposite Jeffrey Hunter. Director
Samuel Fuller cast her against type in
some of his highly offbeat dramas in the early 1960s. She played a
stripper girlfriend in
Shock Corridor (1963) and in
The Naked Kiss (1964) 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 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 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 novel
"Exodus."
TV proved a sturdy medium as well. In her early days, she made singing
appearances on Ed Sullivan's
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
and, in dramatic roles, was a frequent glamorous suspect on
Perry Mason (1957). 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),
The Young and the Restless (1973)
and Sunset Beach (1997), she did
her most consistent work on
Capitol (1982), 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), in
which she plays the inherently wicked Helena Cassadine, a
role originated by the legendary
Elizabeth Taylor. Recent films
have included
The Next Karate Kid (1994),
The Relic (1997) and
A Perfect Murder (1998) starring
Michael Douglas and
Gwyneth Paltrow, 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),
Designing Women (1986),
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990),
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993),
"Caroline in the City,"
Frasier (1993),
Baywatch (1989), and
Providence (1999). She received an
Emmy nomination for her role in the single episode drama special on
CBS Daytime 90 (1974) entitled
"Once in Her Life." Millennium on-camera appearances have included the films The Awakening of Spring (2008) and The Storyteller (2018) 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. 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. 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.