Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello was an American actress and singer. She rose to fame as one of the most popular "Mouseketeers" on the original Mickey Mouse Club. Her most famous song is “Pineapple Princess.” Born 1942 in Utica, New York, she was discovered in 1955 by Walt Disney when she performed as a little girl as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake at the Starlight Bowl in California and cast her as one of the original Mousketeers. In 1959 she released the song, “It's Really Love” and the next year released “Pineapple Princess.” In 1963 Funicello started filming her “beach movies” with the first in the series, “Beach Party” followed the next year with “Muscle Beach Party” and “Beach Blanket Bingo.” One of her fan favorite movies is “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini” filmed in 1965. In 1979 she became the spokeswoman for Skippy peanut butter and began a very popular ad campaign. In 1987 Funicello and Avalon re-united for the movie “Back to the Beach.” Funicello received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993. That same