Constance Towers

Early life Towers was born May 20, 1933 in Whitefish, Montana, one of two daughters born to Ardath L. (née Reynolds) and Harry J. Towers, a pharmacist. Her mother, originally from Nebraska, was of Irish descent, while her father was an Ireland native from Dublin, who immigrated to the United States through Philadelphia. Towers's family subsequently relocated to Seattle, Washington, and she began working as a child radio actress on Pacific Northwest programs over the following three years.

Career 1955–1964: Early film work

While attending Juilliard, Towers was discovered by a film agent. followed by a supporting part in the crime thriller Over-Exposed (1956). Standing at , Towers initially struggled to obtain leading film roles due to her height. In 1958, she was cast in her first leading role as Hannah Hunter in John Ford's Civil War film The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne and William Holden.

In 1963, Towers was cast in a supporting role in Samuel Fuller's thriller Shock Corridor (1963), which tells the story of a journalist who commits himself to a psychiatric hospital to solve a murder. Her role as a stripper in the film was described by The New York Times as "hard, driving, and realistic." In preparation for the role, Towers spent time at exotic dance clubs in Los Angeles.

Fuller cast Towers in a lead role in his next film The Naked Kiss (1964), another lurid and hard-edged thriller, in which she plays a crazed prostitute who attempts to assimilate in suburbia after having battered her pimp. Eugene Archer of The New York Times commented: "Patently absurd as the plot may be, Mr. Fuller has filmed it with flair, and he has drawn a richly amusing performance from Miss Towers. Between his stylish handling of sensational nonsense and Mr. Marton's turgid floundering around a serious theme, Mr. Fuller's wild little movie has a decided edge."

The same year, Towers appeared in the thriller Fate Is the Hunter, which chronicles the investigation of an airline crash. She also worked as a model for the Heart Fund Benefit at a fashion show held in Reno, Nevada. Between 1961 and 1965, she had five guest roles on the series Perry Mason; in her first two appearances, Jonny Baker in "The Case of the Missing Melody" (1961) and Esther Metcalfe in "The Case of the Prankish Professor" (1963).

1965–1990: Theater 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 Anya, a short-lived 1965 musical.

Towers 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, which she would reprise in 1970, 1971 and 1980 at the Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, New York. Clive Barnes praised Towers in the role, and theatre writer John Kenrick calls her performance on the 1977 cast album "great."

In 1995, she played the role of Phyllis in Stephen Sondheim's Follies.

From the mid-1960s until the 1990s, Towers' career was primarily focused on theater, though she did appear in films occasionally. She starred in the 1974 television film Once in Her Life, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Special Program. She also appeared on television, playing Marian Hiller, the wife of Dr. Sanford Hiller in Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1971–72).

She had a starring role as noble widow Clarissa McCandless in Capitol (1982–87, the show's entire run), playing rival to the scheming matriarch Myrna Clegg (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.

1991–present: Television, General Hospital

Towers had a supporting part in the film The Next Karate Kid (1994) and appeared on television as John Abbott's former secretary, Audrey North, on The Young and the Restless (1996). She later played Madame Julianna Deschanel on Sunset Beach (1997). In 1998, Towers had supporting parts in the horror film The Relic (1997), and the thriller A Perfect Murder (1998), playing the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow's character.

Towers' best-known soap part is as villainous Helena Cassadine on General Hospital. She began playing Helena in late 1997, until the character's death in 2015; Towers made additional onscreen guest appearances in 2016, 2017, 2019 and most recently February 2020. In October 2020, Towers briefly reprised the role of Helena in an offscreen cameo; Helena was heard via a phone call.

Towers guest-starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Forsaken" in 1993. 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.

In 2008, Towers starred in the Los Angeles revival of Arthur Allan Seidelman's production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks; the play premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in 2001 with Uta Hagen and David Hyde Pierce in the two roles.

Personal life Towers was first married to Eugene McGrath from 1959 until their divorce in 1966. In 1974, she married actor and future ambassador to Mexico John Gavin. She has two children from her first marriage. She also has two stepchildren from her marriage to Gavin. Gavin died on February 9, 2018, aged 86.

Towers serves as chairwoman of the board of directors of the Blue Ribbon of the Los Angeles Music Center.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Director 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 CorridorCathy 1964 Fate Is the Hunter Peg Burke 1964 The Naked Kiss Kelly 1974 Once in Her Life Joan Baldwin Television filmNominated – Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Special Program 1985 Fast Forward Jessie Granger 1985 SylvesterMuffy 1991 Memories of Midnight Sister Larissa Television film 1992 The Nutt House Mrs. Henderson 1992 The Sands of Time Sister Larissa 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 2015 Aghápe Mature Leean Short film 2018 The Storyteller Rosemary

Television Year Title Role Notes 1952 Tales of Tomorrow MarthaEpisode: "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 ParadiseCavanna 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 BoatieEpisode: "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, 2009–2017, 2019–2020, 2022 General HospitalHelena Cassadine Series regular (1997–2002), Recurring guest star (2003–2022)Nominated: Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Villain (2002) 1998 Kelly Kelly KateEpisode: "The Kilt Show" 2000 Providence Candice Whitman Episode: "Syd in Wonderland" 2006 Criminal Minds Deb Mason Episode: "Riding the Lightning" 2007 The 4400Audrey ParkerEpisode: "Audrey Parker's Come and Gone" 2009 Cold CaseCaroline KempEpisode: "Libertyville" 2013 1600 Penn Bunny Thoroughgood Episode: "So You Don't Want to Dance" 2014 Men at Work Mary Episode: "Suburban Gibbs" 2016 11.22.63 Old Sadie Dunhill Episode: "The Day in Question"2022 9-1-1: Lone Star Helen Strand Episode: "Shift-Less"

Stage credits Year Title Role Notes 1960–1961 Guys and Dolls Sarah Brown Civic Light Opera Company, Los Angeles, California 1962 Kismet Lalume U.S. touring production 1964 Camelot Guenevere U.S. touring production 1964 Kiss Me Kate Lilli/Kate U.S. touring production 1965 110 in the Shade Lizzie Kansas City Starlight Production 1965 Anya Anya Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City 1967 Dumas and Son Marie Los Angeles Civic Light Opera 1987 42nd Street Dorothy Brock Heritage Forum, Anaheim 1989 Steel Magnolias M'Lynn Royal George, Chicago 1991 The Speed of Darkness Associate producerBelasco Theatre, New York City 1995 Follies Phyllis Stone Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington 1998 Something Wonderful McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, California 2008 Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks Lilly Harrison Falcon Theatre, Los Angeles