Edith "Didi" Conn (neé Bernstein; July 13, 1951) is an American film, stage and television actress. Conn was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of a clinical psychologist. She was one of the Carollers in "Babies in Toyland".
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)
- "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)
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.
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.
Activism[]
Conn's son Daniel was diagnosed with autism. On November 13, 2008, she was named national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks. 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).
On September 27, 2008, Conn performed with David Shire and Lynne Wintersteller at a benefit performance for Barack Obama in Nyack, New York.
Personal life[]
"Didi" was her childhood nickname. She attended Midwood High School. Her brother is opera singer Richard Bernstein. She married her first husband Frank Conn in 1975 and they divorced in 1978. She has been married to composer David Shire since 1982, with whom she has a son, Daniel Shire, who has autism. Conn is the stepmother to Matthew Shire, a Los Angeles screenwriter and the son of Talia Shire.