Annette Funicello's Life and Career in Pictures

Mickey Mouse Club

When she was 12 years old, Funicello was discovered by Walt Disney while performing in a production of Swan Lake as the Swan Queen. Disney cast her as one of the original "Mouseketeers,” and one of the few cast-members to be personally selected by Disney himself. By the end of the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club, Funicello was reportedly receiving 6,000 letters a month.

American Bandstand

Funicello, a trained dancer, joined the cast of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in 1959.    

Hawainnette

Funicello, despite being uncomfortable with being defined as a singer, had a number of pop record hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Tall Paul" "First Name Initial," "O Dio Mio," "Train of Love" and "Pineapple Princess." They were released by Disney's Buena Vista label.

Shaggy Dog

After The Mickey Mouse Club, Funicello continued to work with Disney, co-starring in numerous films, including The Shaggy Dog. The 1959 film was the studio’ s first live-action comedy.

Babes in Toyland

In 1961, Funicello starred in another Disney production, Babes in Toyland, where she played the classic children’s storybook character, Mary Quite Contrary. 

Beach Party

In the mid-1960s, Funicello starred in a series of teen movies, including 1963’s Beach Party, which credited with popularizing the beach party genre.

Frankie Avalon

In her beach-themed films, Funicello consistently starred alongside actor-singer Frankie Avalon. The two acted together in Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

Back to the Beach

Funicello and Avalon reunited in 1987 for Back to the Beach, which was an open parody of the 1960s beach party movies that they helped to make popular. Siskel and Ebert gave the film “two thumbs up.”

Annette Funicello

In 1992, Funicello announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The original “Mouseketeer” died on April 8, 2013, due to complications from the disease.