Char Fontane

Char "Kaci" Fontane (January 12, 1952 – April 1, 2007) was an American actress and singer.

She was born in Los Angeles, to singer Tony Fontane and his wife,[1] actress Kerry Vaughn Fontane. Early in her career, Fontane worked as an assistant to a disc jockey in Los Angeles.[2] Her first role was portraying her father as a young boy in the 1963 production The Tony Fontane Story. The movie told about her father's rise to popularity as a teen idol and his subsequent tragedies and successes.[citation needed] She also played herself as a child in the second half of the story.[2]

She made guest appearances on several popular TV shows during the 1970s, including Love, American Style, Barnaby Jones, and The Love Boat. One of her most memorable performances was as a prostitute in the 1978 ABC television miniseries, Pearl. She starred in the 1983 TV movie The Night the Bridge Fell Down, and had a small role in the 1989 action film The Punisher. She also appeared on Broadway in Grease[3] and toured in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar.[2]

Fontane was married to musician Roy Yeager,[4] a drummer who worked with several successful recording artists, including the popular 1970s group Lobo and country superstar Ronnie Milsap. He was also the drummer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section for several years. She had one child, Shaun Fontane, a son born to her and her first husband, Sergio Consani. In her later years, Fontane was an artist and interior designer.[4]

Fontane died at age 55 on April 1, 2007, in Marietta, Georgia from breast cancer.[citation needed]

Filmography

Film and Television
Year Title Role Notes
1972 Banyon Helena Baxter 1 episode: "Meal Ticket"
1972 Love, American Style Lolita 1 episode: "Love and the Confession"
1973 The F.B.I. 1 episode: "The Double Play"
1978–79 Joe & Valerie Valerie Sweetzer Main cast (8 episodes)
1978 Pearl Shirley TV miniseries
1979 Barnaby Jones Candy Harper 2 episodes: "Echo of a Distant Battle" (Parts 1 & 2)
1979 Supertrain Cindy Chappel 1 episode: "Express to Terror"
1979 $weepstake$ Cathy 1 episode: "Episode #1.8"
1979 The Love Boat Stephanie Chapman 1 episode: "The Stimulation of Stephanie"
1981 Nero Wolfe Violet Crown 1 episode: "Before I Die"
1983 The Night the Bridge Fell Down Dee TV movie
1987 Too Much Dr. Finkel Feature film
1989 The Punisher Laurie Silver Feature film

Further reading

  • Culbertson, Charles (2011). A Bargain With God: The Tony Fontane Story (Kindle ed.). ISBN 978-0-615-53492-3.

References

  1. ^ Kleiner, Dick (December 23, 1972). "Char Fontane Is Versatile". The Atlanta Constitution. Georgia, Atlanta. p. 64. Retrieved March 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Coffey, Jerry (April 30, 1978). "'I tell him what to do, and he does it'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Texas, Fort Worth. p. 200. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  3. ^ "Char Fontane". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. ^ a b De Gennaro, Nancy (December 26, 2004). "Main Street America at Winslow Park". The Daily News-Journal. Tennessee, Murfreesboro. p. 49. Retrieved March 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.