Former Mouseketeer, ANNETTE FUNICELLO. At the age of 12, she was discovered by Walt Disney at a dance recital; he was looking for kids for his new show, "The Mickey Mouse Club." FUNICELLO became the "most popular" Mouseketeer, and went on to star in a number of Disney films: "The Shaggy Dog," "Babes in Toyland," and "The Monkey's Uncle." Before she went to star in the beach party movies for which she is also known, Disney requested that she wear a one-piece bathing suit instead of a bikini. FUNICELLO agreed. In 1987 FUNICELLO was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she founded the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases. FUNICELLO's new autobiography is "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, (Hyperion - written with Patricia Romanowski).
Copyright 1994 Fresh Air