Constance Ford
Encyclopedia
Constance Ford was an American
actress and model
. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Hobson on the daytime soap opera Another World
.
, Ford initially worked as a model, her face became famous in the Elizabeth Arden
1941 advertising campaign for Victory Red lipstick, which featured a Philippe Halsman
photo showing her face against the American flag. She had some success as an actress on Broadway
from 1949.
She began her television career in 1950, performing in live television dramas on Studio One
, Armstrong Circle Theatre
, Goodyear Television Playhouse
, and other acclaimed series. She also did turn as Sandra Dee
's heartless mother in A Summer Place
(1959).
In 1954 she made her soap opera debut on the short-lived Woman With A Past
, which aired on CBS
.
Ford's assertive style made her a favorite of TV casting directors, and she was often featured in episodes of The Kraft Television Theater, Appointment with Adventure
, State Trooper
, Bat Masterson
, The Phil Silvers Show
, Have Gun Will Travel, Rawhide
, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Tombstone Territory
(episode "Silver Killers"), Gunsmoke
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, Target: The Corruptors!
, and The Twilight Zone
. She also appeared on the NBC
interview program Here's Hollywood
.
Ford appeared on Another World from 1967 to 1992, playing the strong-willed mother of Rachel (Robin Strasser
; Victoria Wyndham
). When she left the show in 1992 due to declining health, her character was said to be out of town visiting her other daughter Nancy. When Ford died in New York City
the following year from cancer, aged 69, the character of Ada also died off-screen.
At the time Ford left the program, she was the longest-running performer on Another World.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Hobson on the daytime soap opera Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
.
Career
Born Connie Ford Halsman in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, Ford initially worked as a model, her face became famous in the Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden
Florence Nightingale Graham , who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who built a cosmetics empire in the United States. At the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.-Biography:Arden was born in 1884 at Woodbridge, Ontario,...
1941 advertising campaign for Victory Red lipstick, which featured a Philippe Halsman
Philippe Halsman
Philippe Halsman was an American portrait photographer.-Life and work:Born to a Jewish family of Morduch Halsman, a dentist, and Ita Grintuch, a grammar school principal, in Riga, Halsman studied electrical engineering in Dresden....
photo showing her face against the American flag. She had some success as an actress on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
from 1949.
She began her television career in 1950, performing in live television dramas on Studio One
Studio One (TV series)
Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
, Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour.-Synopsis:...
, Goodyear Television Playhouse
Goodyear Television Playhouse
The Goodyear Television Playhouse produced live television dramas from 1951 to 1957 during the "Golden Age of Television".Sponsored by Goodyear, the hour-long anthology series was telecast Sundays at 9pm on NBC...
, and other acclaimed series. She also did turn as Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
's heartless mother in A Summer Place
A Summer Place (film)
A Summer Place is a 1959 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sloan Wilson. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire, Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee...
(1959).
In 1954 she made her soap opera debut on the short-lived Woman With A Past
Woman with a Past
Woman with a Past is an American daytime soap opera that aired on CBS from February 1, 1954 to July 2, 1954.-Synopsis:The soap focuses on Lynn Sherwood , a Manhattan dress designer and her tribulations.-Cast:...
, which aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Ford's assertive style made her a favorite of TV casting directors, and she was often featured in episodes of The Kraft Television Theater, Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure
Appointment with Adventure is a half-hour adventure/dramatic anthology television series broadcast live on CBS from 1955-1956. The program has no host. It aired at 10 p.m...
, State Trooper
State Trooper (TV series)
State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
, Bat Masterson
Bat Masterson (TV series)
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black and white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961...
, The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
, Have Gun Will Travel, Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959...
(episode "Silver Killers"), Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, Target: The Corruptors!
Target: The Corruptors!
Target: The Corruptors! is a 35-episode crime drama starring Stephen McNally as newspaper reporter Paul Marino, which aired on ABC from September 29, 1961 to June 8, 1962. The character Jack Flood, Marino's undercover agent, was portrayed by Robert Harland...
, and The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. She also appeared on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
interview program Here's Hollywood
Here's Hollywood
Here's Hollywood is an American celebrity interview program which aired on weekday afternoons on NBC at 4:30 Eastern time from September 26, 1960, to December 28, 1962.-Overview:...
.
Ford appeared on Another World from 1967 to 1992, playing the strong-willed mother of Rachel (Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from...
; Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham is an American actress best known for her role as Rachel Cory on the soap opera Another World.-Personal life:...
). When she left the show in 1992 due to declining health, her character was said to be out of town visiting her other daughter Nancy. When Ford died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
the following year from cancer, aged 69, the character of Ada also died off-screen.
At the time Ford left the program, she was the longest-running performer on Another World.