Constance Towers debuted in 1997 as Helena Cassadine. This is one of Connie's first "villian" roles, and not only does she enjoy it, she excels at being "mean"! Being the matriarch of the Cassadine family is difficult, but as we all know, no one does it better than Ms Towers.
Constance was born in Whitefish, Montana, and had dreams as a child of being an operatic star. These aspirations led her to actually turn down a contract from Paramount Pictures at age eleven. "Here I was, this scrawny little girl who sang...and the Paramount executives made an offer. Though I could have killed myself ten years later for turning down the contract, at the time I wanted no part of it."
When her family moved to New York, Constance attended both the Juilliard School of Music and the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Her first professional role was in a summer stock production of "Carousel," which inspired her to forget her operatic aspirations and pursue a career in musical theater. She is now a respected veteran of the Broadway stage who is remembered most for her starring role as Mrs. Anna in the 1978 revival of "The King and I," opposite Yul Brynner. Ms. Towers' other stage appearances include "The Sound of Music," "Kiss Me Kate," "42nd Street," "Oklahoma!," "Camelot" and "Mame."
She has been honored for her work on stage on many occasions. She is a recipient of the New York Critic's Outer Circle Award for Excellence in Theater, the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts Achievement Award, and the Best Musical Actress of 1974 Award by the New Jersey Drama Critics Association. In 2002, she was honored by the dePaul Universtity of Performing Arts.
In addition to her many stage appearances, she is also an accomplished actress in television and motion pictures. Her big screen debut came opposite John Wayne and William Holden in John Ford's "The Horse Soldiers." She went on to appear in another Ford film, "Sergeant Rutledge," and her recent films include "A Perfect Murder" with Gwyneth Paltrow, "The Relic" and "Karate Kid IV."
On television, she has appeared on many shows including a starring role on "Capitol," and guest appearances on such series as "Sunset Beach," "L.A. Law," "Designing Women," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Silk Stalkings," "Baywatch," "Caroline in the City" and "Frasier." She received an Emmy nomination for her dramatic performance in the Television Network special, "Once in Her Life." She has also appeared on "The Home Show," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson." (please see "credits" page for more information)
Constance currently lives in LA with her husband, John Gavin an actor and one time ambassador to Mexico. Connie enjoys traveling and has several personal appearence concerts throughout the year. She hopes to continue her run on GH as the wonderfully wicked Helena Cassadine for years to come!
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