Conny Van Dyke
| Conny Van Dyke | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 28, 1945 Nassawadox, Virginia, USA |
Conny Van Dyke (sometimes credited as Connie Van Dyke) is a singer and actress, born September 28, 1945 in Nassawadox, Virginia to Benjamin and Charlotte Elizabeth Van Dyke.
Van Dyke began as a songwriter and recording artist for Wheelsville Records in Detroit, Michigan. She entered and won Teen magazine's "Miss Teen USA" (unrelated to the current Miss Teen USA pageant) in 1960 and signed with Motown Records in 1961, making her one of the first white recording artists for the label. Her only Motown release appeared in early 1963, featuring "Oh Freddy," written by Smokey Robinson, backed by "It Hurt Me Too," written and previously recorded by Marvin Gaye.
She was cast in Hell's Angels '69 with Tom Stern, Jeremy Slate, and the several members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Her only sibling, Benjamin Van Dyke III, was killed in an auto accident near Salinas, California, in 1969. Shortly after Hell's Angels '69 she married Robert Page and gave birth to her son, Bronson Page. She continued to pursue recording, and released a self-titled album in 1972. She co-starred in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings in 1975 with Burt Reynolds. Another album, Conny Van Dyke Sings For You, followed the film.
In 1975, she co-starred in Framed with Joe Don Baker, and in 2004 she co-starred in Shiner. Van Dyke appeared on Adam-12, Nakia, and Police Woman and on several game shows in the 1970s, including Match Game, You Don't Say, The Cross-Wits, The Hollywood Squares and The Gong Show.
In 2008, she made a return to network television, guest-starring on Cold Case, and appearing in CSI the following year.
Van Dyke supported United Cerebral Palsy's telethons for over 25 years.