Constance Towers took over the role of Helena Cassadine in 1997. Her elegance, charisma, and beauty made it hard to believe that she was one of the most villainous women on daytime television. Although cold, calculating, and fabulously malicious, the matriarch of Port Charles' Cassadine family does in fact have a soft spot for her grandson Nikolas.
Constance had dreams as a child of one day being an opera singer and at the age of eleven, actually turned down a contract from Paramount Pictures. Her family then moved to New York where she attended both the Julliard School of Music and the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. Her first professional role was in a summer 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 Broadway who is remembered most for her starring role as Mrs. Anna in the 1978 revival of The King and I. Ms. Towers' other stage appearances include The Sound of Music, Kiss, Me Kate, 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, Camelot and Mame.
Constance has been honored for her work on stage on many occasions. She won 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 from the New Jersey Drama Critics Association. In addition to her numerous stage appearances, she is also an accredited actress in television and motion pictures. Her big screen debut came opposite John Wayne and William Holden in John Ford's The Horse Soldiers. Her recent films include A Perfect Murder with Gwyneth Paltrow, and The Relic. She has appeared on many television shows including a starring role on Capitol, and guest appearances on such series as L.A. Law, Designing Women, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Providence, Baywatch, and Frasier. She received an Emmy nomination for her dramatic performance in the Television Network special, Once in Her Life.
Constance has been married to John Gavin since 1974, and she has four children, Michael and Maureen McGrath, Cristina and Maria Gavin; and a grandson, Gavin Patrick McGrath. Through her husband's work as the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Constance has been able to be involved with numerous charitable organizations. After the 1985 Mexico City earthquake she founded Project Connie, an organization that offered aid to those in need of medical and rehabilitation assistance. To date, the organization has provided a new orphanage in Mexico City, adoption placements in U.S. homes for over 20 children from Mexico and El Salvador, and helped aid many devastated families in rebuilding their homes and helping them start new lives. In addition, Constance now sits on the boards of the Children's Bureau of California, the National Health Foundation, and The Red Cross and The Blue Ribbon of Los Angeles.
Constance Towers feels she had a wonderfully blessed life, both personally and professionally, and her greatest desire is to share those blessings with others all around the world. She is doing that through her acting and vocal gifts, and through her dedicated work with Project Connie.
Sergeant Rutledge
Mary Beecher
1960
The Horse Soldiers
Hannah Hunter
1959
Bring Your Smile Along
Nancy Willows
1955
PLACE OF BIRTH: Whitefish, Montana
DATE OF BIRTH: May 20, 1933
HEIGHT: 5'8"
HAIR: White
EYES: Hazel
MARITAL STATUS: Married; John Gavin (1974)
