Constance Ford: a memorable unique actress

Constance Ford: A force of nature

Constance Ford had a face and personality that was hard to forget. She was referred to as a cool blonde. Ford had a stare that was so ice cold, and in her various roles, she was either extremely vulnerable and taken advantage of or a fierce bitch and ruthless. Sometimes, fans would see both sides of the actress in one character.

This was evident in the 1963 season 5 episode 5 of The Twilight Zone, Uncle Simon where Ford portrayed Barbara, a meek, unfashionable woman who was a coward in front of her uncle Simon. After he died, she used his money to fix her hair, put on makeup, and she began wearing better clothing and asserting herself.

Her uncle had built a robot with his voice, and it was so much like Simon that Barbara became intimidated. By the end of the episode, she looked distressed and began dressing down again.

Ford was born Cornelia M. Ford on July 1, 1923, in The Bronx, to Edwin and Cornelia Ford. At age 15, she became a model for the Montgomery Ward catalog, and in 1941, her face graced an ad for Elizabeth Arden Victory Red lipstick. Beginning in 1949, she appeared on Broadway in productions like Nobody Loves an Albatross and Say Darling.

Constance Ford was a woman of many talents

Hr most famous role was in 1959 as Sandra Dee's cruel mother in A Summer Place. In one scene, Ford's character traumatized her on-screen daughter by having a doctor check to see if the teen was still a virgin.

Among her many movie roles, Constance portrayed Daisy Bronson in Rome Adventure in 1962. In House of Women, the actress played a tough female prisoner who gets into a catfight with one of the prison matrons portrayed by Jeanne Cooper, who later played the iconic Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless.`



Daytime roles and other appearances

Ford made her soap opera debut in 1954 as Lynn Sherwood in Woman With a Past on CBS. Her assertiveness made Ford a favorite of casting directors. She made three appearances on Perry Mason and three in Thriller.

In 1960, Ford was cast in the "Worse Than Murder" episode of Thriller that fans continue to talk about today. Her character was money hungry, and in one scene, she threw a nurse against a wall in an attempt to extract information from her.

She held both the nurse's wrists tight and high above her head. She was in her face in such a brutal manner that fans today continue to say it looked like a rape scene. Ford's sexuality was questioned because she never married or had children, but she kept her personal life private.

She also had roles in many television shows including Zane Grey Theater, The Phil Silvers Show, The Twilight Zone, Wanted Dear or Alive, and Have Gun Will Travel.

Ford portrayed Eve Morris on The Edge of Night and was beloved as Ada Davis from 1967 to 1992 on Another World. She left the soap due to health issues. Her character was said to be out of town visiting her daughter, Nancy.

When Ford passed away, Ada died off-screen, and the show honored her with a tribute that featured many vintage flashback scenes. Constance Ford died from cancer on February 26, 1993, at age 69 and had no survivors. Her legacy lives on through her many television

appearances.