Constance Ford was a talented and versatile actress who had a long and successful career in television, film, and theater. She is best remembered for her role as Ada Hobson, the resilient and supportive mother of Rachel Cory, on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World. She played this role from 1967 until 1992, making her the longest-running cast member on the show. She also appeared in several movies, such as A Summer Place, Rome Adventure, and The Caretakers, and guest-starred in many popular TV shows, such as Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She was admired by fans and colleagues alike for her professionalism, charisma, and beauty.
Early Life and Career
Constance Ford was born Cornelia M. Ford on July 1, 1923, in The Bronx, New York City. She was the daughter of Cornelia R. (née Smith) and Edwin J. Ford, and had three siblings: Arthur, John, and Evelyn. She attended St. Barnabas Grammar and High School, and Hunter College. She studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.
She began her career as a model when she was 15 years old, working for the Montgomery Ward catalog. Her face became famous in the Elizabeth Arden 1941 advertising campaign for Victory Red lipstick, which featured a Philippe Halsman photo showing her face against the American flag.
She made her Broadway debut in 1949, appearing in such productions as the musical Say Darling and Nobody Loves an Albatross. She also played the prostitute in the first production of Death of a Salesman.
She started her television career in 1950, performing in live television dramas such as Studio One, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Goodyear Television Playhouse, and other acclaimed series. She also played recurring characters in four afternoon serials: Rose Peabody in Search for Tomorrow, Lynn Sherwood in Woman with a Past, Eve Morris in The Edge of Night, and Ada Davis Downs Hobson in Another World.
Movie Roles and TV Appearances
As a Warner Bros. contract player, she had her most famous movie role as Sandra Dee’s heartless mother in A Summer Place (1959), in which her abused husband Richard Egan had a memorable scene telling her off for her outdated prejudices, and Ford arranged for Dee to be tested for her virginity. Another shocking scene had Ford slapping Dee so hard that she fell into a Christmas tree, which toppled over on her.
In Rome Adventure (1962), she played Daisy Bronson, owner of a bookstore in Rome, opposite Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue, being kinder to him than she had been in A Summer Place. In House of Women (1962), she played an aggressive but ultimately sympathetic female prisoner who got into a catfight with prison matron Jeanne Cooper. She played the tough-as-nails nurse alongside Joan Crawford in The Caretakers (1963). She also had a memorable walk-on playing a flirtatious but bored society matron who makes a play for Warren Beatty in All Fall Down (1962).
She made three memorable appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of a woman with split personality in the 1958 episode “The Case of the Deadly Double”, and as Frances Walden in “The Case of the Potted Planter” (1963) and defendant Sylvia Thompson in “The Case of the Shifty Shoebox” (also 1963).
She also guest-starred in many other TV shows, such as Bat Masterson, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, East Side/West Side, Dr. Kildare, The Dakotas, Sam Benedict, Alcoa Premiere, and Shane.
Another World and Legacy
In 1967, she joined the cast of Another World as Ada Hobson, a former prostitute who became a loyal friend and confidante to Rachel Cory (Victoria Wyndham). She was also the mother of Nancy McGowan (Carol Roux) and Liz Matthews (Irene Dailey). She was involved in many dramatic storylines over the years, such as being kidnapped by Mitch Blake (William Gray Espy), marrying Gil McGowan (John Considine) and later Ray Gordon (Robert Emhardt), losing Nancy to leukemia, being stalked by Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating), and supporting Rachel through her many trials and tribulations.
She won the hearts of millions of viewers with her portrayal of Ada, who was warm-hearted, down-to-earth, and witty. She received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 1975. She also won two Soapy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in 1977 and 1978.
She left Another World in 1992 due to health reasons. She was the longest-running cast member on the show, having appeared in more than 2,000 episodes. She died on February 26, 1993, at New York Hospital, from cancer. She was 69 years old.
She was survived by her son, Shelley Hull Jr., from her marriage to actor Shelley Hull, which ended in divorce in 1957. She never remarried.
She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.
She is remembered as one of the most beloved and respected soap opera stars of all time. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street. She was also inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame in 1998.
