Conny Van Dyke
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Conny Van Dyke was born September 28, 1945 to Benjamin and Charlotte Elizabeth Van Dyke. Van Dyke began as a songwriter and recording artist for Wheelsville Records in Detroit, Michigan. In 1960, Van Dyke entered and won the "Miss Teen USA" contest (sponsored by Teen magazine and apparently unrelated to the current Miss Teen USA pageant). She was signed to Motown Records in 1961, making her the first white recording artist for the label.
She was cast in Hell's Angels '69 with Tom Stern, Jeremy Slate, and the several members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Her only sibling, Benjamin Van Dyke III, was killed in an auto accident near Salinas, CA in 1969. Shortly after Hell's Angels '69 she married Robert Page and gave birth to her only son, Bronson Page. She continued to pursue recording, and released a self-titled album in 1972. She co-starred in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings in 1975 with Burt Reynolds. Another album, "Conny Van Dyke Sings For You," followed the film. In 1975, she co-starred in Framed with Joe Don Baker.
After Framed Van Dyke turned to television, and appeared on Adam-12 and Police Woman as well as a number of game shows in the 70's, including Match Game, You Don't Say, The Cross-Wits, The Hollywood Squares and The Gong Show.
Van Dyke's career is marked by thousands of public appearances from Caesar's Palace to Radio City Music Hall. She was a featured talent in 25 years of telethons for her favorite charity, United Cerebral Palsy. She currently works for Click Interactive Media in Los Angeles.
