Didi Conn

b. July 13, 1951

by JWA Staff
Our work to expand the Encyclopedia is ongoing. We are providing this brief biography for Didi Conn until we are able to commission a full entry.

Didi Conn became famous for her role as Frenchy in Grease, then used her fame to advocate for autistic children and their families. Born Edith Bernstein, Conn married Frank Conn in 1975 and combined her childhood nickname with her married name to create her stage name. Her first roles included a brief appearance on Happy Days in 1975, an ongoing part on The Practice in 1976, and the lead role in the 1977 film You Light Up My Life, but she is best known for playing Frenchy in the 1978 classic Grease and its 1982 sequel. From 1981–1985 she was a regular on the Soap spinoff Benson, and from 1989–1995 she co-starred on the children’s show Shining Time Station opposite George Carlin and Ringo Starr. She has continued to appear in guest roles on television shows as varied as The Wild Thornberrys, Law & Order SVU, and Transparent. In 2008, Conn, the mother of an autistic son, became a celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks, and in 2012 she launched a pilot for an animated children’s show with an autistic character, Didi Delightful.

Donate

Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women.

donate now

Get JWA in your inbox

Read the latest from JWA from your inbox.

sign up now

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Didi Conn." (Viewed on November 7, 2024) <http://qa.jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/conn-didi>.