Didi Conn

Didi Conn, born Edith Bernstein on July 13, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American actress with a career spanning several decades. She became widely recognized for her role as Frenchy, the beauty school dropout, in the iconic 1978 film “Grease” and its 1982 sequel, “Grease 2.” Her early career included a feature film debut in “You Light Up My Life” (1977), where Kvitka Cisyk provided her character’s singing voice. She also lent her voice to the animated musical “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure” (1977) and played the title role in the Academy Award-winning short film “Violet” (1981).

Throughout her career, Conn has maintained a prominent presence in television. She was a regular on “The Practice” (1976–77) and had a significant role as Denise Stevens Downey on the series “Benson” (1981–84). Children and families came to know her through her role as Station Mistress Stacy Jones on the PBS series “Shining Time Station” (1989–95), a character she reprised in “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” (2000). Her commitment to her most famous role was evident when she made a cameo as Vi in “Grease: Live!” (2016), making her the only actress to appear in all three screen adaptations of the franchise. Beyond her acting, Conn has been a dedicated advocate for autism awareness, serving as a national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks since 2008, following her son Daniel’s autism diagnosis.

Conn’s career also includes extensive work in theater, including her Broadway debut as Bella in Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” (1991), and roles in “The Green Bird” (2000) and “Say Goodnight, Gracie” (2002). Her recent projects include roles in the television mini-series “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” (2023) and upcoming appearances in “Overcompensating” (2025) and “Étoile” (2025). Her work demonstrates a versatile career across various entertainment mediums, marked by both commercial successes and contributions to important social causes.