Constance Towers

Constance Towers
File:Constance Towers.jpg Constance Towers in The Horse Soldiers (1959)
Born	Constance Mary Towers (1933-05-20) 20 May 1933 Whitefish, Montana, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1952-present
Spouse(s)	Eugene McGrath (1959-1966) (divorced); 2 children John Gavin (1974-present); 2 stepchildren
Children	Christina Gavin (b. 1960) Maria Gavin (b. 1963)

Constance Mary Towers (born 20 May 1933) is an American actress and singer. In a six-decade career in films, television and on stage, important parts have included the role of Anna in a Broadway revival of The King and I, several leading film roles, and such popular television roles as kind-hearted matriarch Clarissa McCandless in Capitol and villainous Helena Cassadine on General Hospital.

Early life

Towers was born in Whitefish, Montana, the daughter of Ardath L. (née Reynolds) and Harry J. Towers (both born in Ireland according to the 1940 U.S. census). According to her official website, she was offered a contract with Paramount Pictures at age 11, but the offer was declined by her parents. She later attended Juilliard School of Music and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She studied singing with well known voice teacher Beverley Peck Johnson.

Towers in the play The King and I (1977)

Career

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 the short-lived 1965 musical, Anya, and appeared as Julie in a 1966 production of Show Boat at Lincoln Center. She also starred in Carousel in 1966 and The Sound of Music in 1967. She played Anna Leonowens in 1968 briefly, and later opposite Yul Brynner in a long-running revival of The King and I on tour and then on Broadway (1976–1978). Clive Barnes praised Towers in the role, and theatre writer John Kenrick calls her performance on the 1977 cast album "great". In 1985, she played the role of Phyllis in a tour of Stephen Sondheim's Follies with Tony Award-winning actress Judy Kaye cast as Sally.

Towers starred in number of movies, including The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne, Sergeant Rutledge (1960), Shock Corridor (1963), Fate Is the Hunter, and The Naked Kiss (1964). Having portrayed sophisticated ladies in the past, Towers was cast against type in two lurid roles by writer-director Samuel Fuller, as an exotic dancer in Shock Corridor and as a prostitute with a shaved head who kills a man in The Naked Kiss.

In later years, she has had supporting roles in The Next Karate Kid (1994) and A Perfect Murder (1998).

Towers's first television appearance was in 1948 on the Ed Sullivan Show. She starred in several television soap operas, playing Marian Hiller, the wheelchair-bound wife of Dr. Sanford Hiller in Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1971-72); John Abbott's former secretary, Audrey North, on The Young and the Restless (1996) and Madame Julianna Deschanel on Sunset Beach (1997). She had a starring as noble widow Clarissa McCandless in Capitol (1982-1987, the show's entire run), playing rival to the scheming matriarch Myrna Cleggg (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.

Her best-known soap part is as villainous Helena Cassadine, a role originated by Elizabeth Taylor, on General Hospital which she began playing late in 1997, continuing on and off ever since. During her stint, it was revealed that Helena had murdered the mistress of her husband Mikkos, slicing her throat in full view of Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) who was Mikkos's illegitimate daughter. She was also involved in the deaths of several other major characters on the show in her efforts to protect the Cassadine legacy, making Helena perhaps the most dangerous woman on soaps. In 2001, a storyline involving Helena's bringing late son Stavros (Robert Kelker Kelly) back from the dead was ended early because of the 9/11 attacks and certain similarities about terrorism where the storyline had been slowly heading. While her appearances were greatly reduced, Constance would appear as storyline dictated, even becoming a cohort of the not-quite-as-villainous Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) to keep Emily Quartermaine from marrying her grandson, Nikolas. The role appeared to end in early 2013 when her character was allegedly shot to death by longtime rival Luke Spencer. Constance made several "flashback" appearances on the show after the character died, and in 2014 was revealed to have been brought back to life, being crucial in a storyline where Luke developed a second personality and utilized Helena in his schemes to take over ELQ. While that storyline ended in early 2015, Towers returned as part of Anthony Geary's sendoff on July 9th.

File:US Navy 110728-N-HQ755-104 Rear Adm. Alton Stocks, commander of Navy Medicine East and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, speaks about Navy Medicine'.jpg

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

Towers guest-starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Forsaken" in 1993. She has had guest roles on a number of popular television programs, including five episodes of 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). 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.

Personal life

Towers was first married to Eugene McGrath, and since 1974 has been married to actor and former ambassador to Mexico John Gavin. She has two children from her first marriage and two stepchildren by her marriage to Gavin.

She serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Blue Ribbon of the Los Angeles Music Center.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	Bring Your Smile Along	Nancy Willows
1956	Over-Exposed	Shirley Thomas
1959	The Horse Soldiers	Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar
1960	Sergeant Rutledge	Mary Beecher
1963	Shock Corridor	Cathy
1964	Fate Is the Hunter	Peg Burke
1964	The Naked Kiss	Kelly
1974	Once in Her Life	Joan Baldwin	Television film Nominated – Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Special Program
1985	Fast Forward	Jessie Granger
1985	Sylvester	Muffy
1991	Memories of Midnight		Television film
1992	The Nutt House	Mrs. Henderson
1992	The Sands of Time		Television film
1994	The Next Karate Kid	Louisa Pierce
1995	Thunder in Paradise 3	Cavanna
1997	The Relic	Mrs. Blaisedale
1998	A Perfect Murder	Sandra Bradford
2008	The Awakening of Spring	Mrs. Gable
2013	A Fuller Life	Herself	Documentary film
2015	Aghápe	Mature Leean	Short film

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, 2009–13, 2014—present	General Hospital	Helena Cassadine	Series regular (1997-2002), Recurring guest star (2003—) 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"

External links

• Official website
• Constance Towers at the Internet Movie Database
• Constance Towers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Interview, July 21, 2014