Shelley Fabares, known for a wide range of acting roles both on stage and screen, died August 22 at the age of 82. Fabares had a long career, beginning with an appearance at age 10 on an episode of “The Loretta Young Show,” but her career really began to skyrocket after she was cast as Mary Stone on “The Donna Reed Show” in 1958. She also famously starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1965 film “Girl Happy.”
After multiple appearances across many TV shows, Fabares got her next big role as Christine Armstrong, the wife of Craig T. Nelson, on the series “Coach,” appearing in all nine seasons. Outside of her on-camera acting work, Fabares joined the DC animated universe as the voice of Martha Kent in the 1990s and 2000s. She voiced the character in 10 episodes of “Superman: The Animated Series,” as well as in several other animated projects in the same universe.
TVLine is remembering Fabares’ extensive TV career with a look back at Fabares’ five best TV roles. Everyone likely has their own personal favorite, so drop a comment with your own pick(s) in the comments section below.
Superman: The Animated Series, The Brian Keith Show, and One Day at a Time
5. SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES | Martha Kent fit perfectly with Shelley Fabares’ other maternal roles. As the Man of Steel’s mother, she was gentle yet firm, like all good TV moms. It’s no surprise that Fabares would return for several adjacent projects, including “Justice League” and “Superman: Brainiac Attacks.”
4. THE BRIAN KEITH SHOW | This starred Brian Keith and Fabares as a father-daughter duo running a clinic in Hawaii. Fabares showed off her comedic abilities in some of the show’s funnier plots.
3. ONE DAY AT A TIME | On the CBS sitcom, Fabares played Francine Webster, which began as a recurring role but was eventually elevated to series regular. She had great chemistry with Bonnie Franklin, who played as Ann Romano, resulting in one of TV’s best office rivalries.
The Donna Reed Show and Coach
2. THE DONNA REED SHOW | Fabares’ time on “The Donna Reed Show” was iconic, and not just because of her performance as Mary Stone, the teenage daughter of Donna (played by Reed) and Jeff Stone (Carl Betz). Her character’s storyline eventually required her to sing, and despite any reservations she had about singing, Fabares’ performance was met with high praise. She even hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her 1962 song “Johnny Angel.”
1. COACH | Not only was this Fabares’ longest TV role, but it also earned her two Emmy nominations andallowed her to break out of the innocent image she had maintained after her time on “Donna Reed.” “I wasn’t a big risk-taker,” Fabares told the Orlando Sentinel in 1989. “I should have been more aggressive. I was nervous and scared to try something really different.”
