Shelley Fabares Biography
Shelley Fabares is an American actress and singer. She is well known for her television roles as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom Coach (1989–97) and Mary Stone on the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–1963), the latter of which made her win two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. Her recording of “Johnny Angel” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962.
10 Quick Facts About Shelley Fabares
- Name: Michele Ann Marie
- Age: 78 Years (2022)
- Birthday: 19 January
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- Height: 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters)
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Actress, Singer
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: To be updated
- Net worth: $1.5 million
Shelley Fabares Age
Shelley is 78 years old as of 2022, she was born on 19 January 1944 in Santa Monica, California, United States. She celebrates her birthday on 19 January every year and her birth sign is Aquarius.
Shelley Fabares Height and Weight
Shelley stands at an average height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters) tall and she also weighs 55 kilograms (121 lbs). Her body measurements are 33-25-33 Inches. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes.
Shelley Fabares Education
Shelley studied at North Hollywood High School. Afterward, she enrolled at Black Hawk College.
Shelley Fabares Family, Parents, Siblings
Fabares was born in Santa Monica, California to her mother, Elsa R. Eyler, who died from Alzheimer’s disease in 1992, and her father, James Alan Fabares, who was born in Algiers, New Orleans on 2 August 1909, and passed in Los Angeles on 10 December 1977. She has an older sister Nanette (“Smokey”). She is the niece of actress Nanette Fabray (née Fabares).
Shelley Fabares and Mike Farrell’s Wedding
The pair were both divorced at the time. Mike had divorced Judy in 1983, and Fabares had left her marriage to record magnate husband Lou Adler. After Mike met with Fabares at the convention, he requested her for coffee, then subsequently to an exhibition of photos and films he made on a trip to Central America.
After a year, the 83-year-old offered to Fabares, 78, in a Topanga Canyon health-food restaurant, and she said yes to his proposal. The lovebirds walked down the aisle in 1984. They did their wedding at the Pacific Palisades home of Fabares’ aunt, veteran actress Nanette Fabray.
Shelley Fabares Husband
Shelly is married to her beloved husband, Mike Farrell an American actor known for his role in the popular TV series MASH. She has not shared information about her having children. She was previously to her first husband, Lou Adler married in 1964. Adler was a producer. They separated in 1966 and divorced in 1980.
Shelley Fabares Children
Fabares did not have any child of her own, though she was stepmother to the two children of her second hubby, Mike Farrell. Their names are Michael and Erin.
Shelley Fabares Salary
Details pertaining to her annual earnings are currently unavailable. This information is however currently under review and will soon be updated.
Shelley Fabares Net Worth
Fabares has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million dollars as of 2022. This includes her assets, money, and income. Her primary source of income is her career as an Actress and Singer. Through her various sources of income, Shelley has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Shelley Fabares Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Shelley.
Shelley Fabares Wiki
- Full Names: Michele Ann Marie
- Popular As: Shelley Fabares
- Gender: Female
- Occupation / Profession: Actress, Singer
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: White
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Shelley Fabares Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 78 Years (2022)
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- Date of Birth: 19 January 1944
- Place of Birth: Santa Monica, California, United States
- Birthday: 19 January
Shelley Fabares Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: 33-25-33 inches (84-64-86 cm)
- Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters)
- Weight: 55 kg (121 lbs)
- Eye Color: Gray
- Hair Color: Dark Brown
- Shoe Size: Not Available
- Dress Size: Not Available
- Breast Size: 33 inches / 84 cm
- Waist Size: 25 inches / 64 cm
- Hip Size: 33 inches / 86 cm
Shelley Fabares Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): James Alan Fabares
- Mother: Elsa R. Eyler
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Nanette
- Marital Status: Married
- Spouse / Husband: Mike Farrell
- Children: Not Available
Shelley Fabares Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $1.5 million
- Salary: To be updated
- Source of Income: Actress, Singer
Shelley Fabares Career
Fabares’s acting debut was at the age of 3. At the age of 10, she made her first appearance on television in an episode of Letter to Loretta, “The Clara Schuman Story” (1954). Early TV appearances included the Producers’ Showcase adaptation of Our Town starring Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman. She was Young Cathy in a Matinee Theatre adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Fabares had small parts in The Girl Rush (1955), Never Say Goodbye (1956), The Bad Seed (1956), Rock, and Pretty Baby! (1956), Jeanne Eagels (1957), Marjorie Morningstar (1958), and Summer Love (1958). On TV she was in Captain Midnight, Annie Oakley, Fury, and Colgate Theatre.
She portrayed Moselle Corey on Annette (1958) starring Annette Funicello. She guest-starred on Mr. Novak, The Eleventh Hour, Arrest and Trial, and The Twilight Zone (“Black Leather Jackets”).
Shelley Fabares Songs
- Johnny Angel
- Johnny Loves Me
- Johnny Get Angry
- See You in September
- Where’s It Gonna Get Me
- Very Unlikely
- Ronnie, Call Me When You Get a Chance
- Telephone
- Football Season’s Over
- Lost Summer Love
- The Things We Did Last Summer
- He Don’t Love Me
- Big Star
- Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
- Welcome Home
- Shelley Fabares-Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
- I’m Growing Up
- What Did They Do Before Rock ‘N Roll
- I Left a Note to Say Goodbye
- The Loco-Motion
- I Know You’ll Be There
- Sealed With A Kiss
- Billy Boy
- Roses Are Red
- Boy of My Own
- Picnic
- Pretty Please
- Hi Lili, Hi Lo
- Bye Bye Birdie
- True Love
- Make Me Happy
- Palisades Park
Shelley Fabares Elvis
Shelley had starred with Elvis Presley in the 1965 movie Girl Happy and was one of three leading ladies in ‘Spinout’ (1966). Adding to her lineup of movies with Elvis, the next year she starred in ‘Clambake’, (1967) her third starring role beside the King. ‘I loved doing those pictures’, said Fabares.
Shelley Fabares Movies and TV shows
- The Donna Reed Show 1958 – 1966
- Coach 1989 – 1997
- Girl Happy 1965 Clambake 1967
- Spinout 1966 Brian’s Song 1971
- Ride the Wild Surf 1964
- The Great Mom Swap 1995
- The Brian Keith Show 1972 – 1974
- One Day at a Time 1975 – 1984
- Hold On! 1966
- Never Say Goodbye 1956
- A Time to Sing 1968
- Deadly Relations 1993
- Walt Disney Presents: Annette 1957 – 1958
- The Canterville Ghost 2003
- Hot Pursuit 1987
- Meet Me in St. Louis 1944
- The Practice 1976 – 1977
- The Rockford Files 1974 – 1980
- Friendships, Secrets and Lies
- Rock, Pretty Baby 1956
- Mork & Mindy 1978 – 1982
- Highcliffe Manor 1979
- Playing to Win 1998
- Memorial Day 1983
- The Great American Traffic Jam
- A Nightmare Come True
- Love or Money 1990
- Jeanne Eagels 1957
- Superman: Brainiac Attacks 2006
- Suburban Beat
- Summer Love 1958
- Justice League 2001 – 2004
- Superman: The Animated Series 1996 – 2000
- McCloud 1970 – 1977
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman 1976 – 1977
- Superman: The Last Son of Krypton 1996
- Marjorie Morningstar 1958
- Your Studio and You 1995
- Forever Fernwood Since 1977
- Medical Story 1975 – 1976
- NBC Matinee Theater 1955 – 1958
- Class Cruise 1989
- The Girl Rush 1955
- Sky Heist 1975
- Pleasure Cove 1979
- U.M.C. Two for the Money 1972
- Donovan’s Kid
- Superman the Animated Series: A Little Piece of Home 1996
The Donna Reed Show
In 1958, Fabares landed the role of Mary Stone in the long-running family sitcom The Donna Reed Show. This ran until 1966. Fabares quickly established herself as a favorite with teen audiences.
“Donna Reed was simply an extraordinary woman, a woman of great strength, kindness, integrity, and compassion,” said Fabares later of her television mother.
Singer
Fabares’ national popularity led to a recording contract and two “Top 40” hits, including “Johnny Angel,” which went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962, and peaked at number 41 in the UK. It sold over one million copies and was certified gold. She released an album, Shelley!. “I was stunned about that, to put it mildly,” she later said. “After all, I never could sing.”
This was followed by a second album, The Things We Did Last Summer (album), which included two hit songs “Johnny Loves Me” (no. 21) and “The Things We Did Last Summer” (no. 46).
Fabares left The Donna Reed Show in 1963 (she would return periodically until its end in 1966) to pursue other acting opportunities. She released a third album, Teenage Triangle in 1963.
TV guest spots
Film roles dried up in the late 1960s and Fabares went back to guest-starring on shows like The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Daniel Boone, Medical Center, Lancer, Bracken’s World, and The Interns.
Fabares said she went through a period where she struggled to find work. “I went to bed on Tuesday having worked since I was 3. I got up Wednesday morning and didn’t work for four years, went to bed Wednesday night after four years, got up and interviewed for a Mannix episode, and started working again. I think this business is very cyclical. You go through busy times and you go through dead times.”
After Mannix, she was in Longstreet, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, Love, American Style, Rockford Files, McCloud and Cade’s County.
“I wasn’t a big risk-taker,” she said later. “I should have been more aggressive. I was nervous and scared to try something really different.”
Fabares had support roles in TV movies like Brian’s Song (1971) (playing the wife of Brian Piccolo, played by James Caan), and Two for the Money (1972). Her performance in Brian’s Song earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
The Brian Keith Show, The Practice
Fabares had a regular role on The Brian Keith Show (1972–1974), known as The Little People during its first season, which lasted for 47 episodes. When the show ended she resumed guest shots: Police Story, Ironside, The Rockford Files, The Rookies, Matt Helm, Medical Story, Marcus Welby, M.D., Barnaby Jones, and Spencer’s Pilots.
She had a role in the TV movie Sky Heist (1975) and from 1976 to 1977 had a regular part on The Practice with Danny Thomas.
Forever Fernwood, One Day at a Time, and Highcliffe Manor
She then had a regular role on Forever Fernwood. In 1978, Fabares played Francine Webster on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, a role she reprised for the last three years of the show. “I was Francine, a rather villainous character,” she said later. “She was wonderful. She saw the world only through her eyes, and it never occurred to her that other people didn’t.”
She was also in episodes of Lucan, Vega$, The Incredible Hulk, Hello, Larry, and Fantasy Island. Fabares was in the TV movies Pleasure Cove (1979), Donovan’s Kid (1979), Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979), and The Great American Traffic Jam (1980).
She had the starring role in the TV series Highcliffe Manor (1979) but it only lasted six episodes.
The 1980s
In the 1980s Fabares could be seen on Mork & Mindy, Matt Houston, The Love Boat, Newhart, and Murder, She Wrote.
She did a TV movie on Memorial Day (1983) with Mike Farrell who became her husband, as well as movies Suburban Beat (1985), The Canterville Ghost (1985), Hot Pursuit (1987), and Run Till You Fall (1988).
Coach
In 1989, she won the role of Christine Armstrong Fox on the ABC sitcom Coach. “Here was an intelligent, funny, well-written series,” Fabares said, “And the people putting it on wanted me to play a very successful, ambitious woman in it.”
The series originally struggled in the ratings until it shifted to play after Roseanne. It was a hit and played until 1997. For her work, Fabares 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.
During the series’ run Fabares appeared on Love or Money (1990), Deadly Relations (1993), The Great Mom Swap (1995), and A Nightmare Come True (1997).
Frequently Asked Questions About Shelley
Michele Ann Marie is 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 (1989–97), the latter of which earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.
Shelley is 77 years old as of 2022. She was born on 19 January 1944 in Santa Monica, California, United States. Additionally, Fabares celebrates her birthday on January 19th every year.
Shelley stands at an average height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters) tall.
Yes, Shelly is married to her beloved husband, Mike Farrel
Fabares has an approximate net worth of $1.5 million. This amount has been accrued from her leading roles in the entertainment industry.
Details pertaining to her annual earnings are currently unavailable. This information is however currently under review and will soon be updated.
Because of personal reasons, Shelley has not shared her precise location of residence. We will update this information if we get the location and images of her house.
Shelley is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of her being sick or having any health-related issues.
To get her latest updates, visit her official social updates listed below.
Shelley Fabares Contacts
Related Biographies
You may also like to read the Bio, Career, Family, Relationship, Body measurements, Net worth, Achievements, and more about:
- Shelley Long
- Shelley Winters
- Donna Pescow
- Shelley Brown
- Pamela Reed
- George Shelley
- Shelley Smith
- Shelley Childers
About InformationCradle Editorial Staff
This Article is produced by InformationCradle Editorial Staff which is a team of expert writers and editors led by Josphat Gachie and trusted by millions of readers worldwide.
We endeavor to keep our content True, Accurate, Correct, Original and Up to Date. For complain, correction or an update, please send us an email to informationcradle@gmail.com. We promise to take corrective measures to the best of our abilities.