Connie Hines
Encyclopedia
Connie Hines was an American
actress, best known for playing Alan Young
's wife, Carol Post, on the 1960s syndicated
and then CBS sitcom Mister Ed
.
to an actress mother and a Boston
-based teacher/acting coach father. As a child, she appeared in many of her father's stock-company plays. A member of the class of 1948 at Dedham High School, she was voted the most popular girl in her class. She also dated the captain of the football team and was class secretary. She tried out for a part in the senior class play, but did not get it.
After her father's death, she went on to marry an insurance agent and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
. She worked as a model there and as a radio and stage actress, joining a stock company in Miami
. By the time she was divorced, Hines traveled to New York City
to study with the Helen Hayes Equity Group. When she came to Hollywood, California, she lived in an apartment, rented a car and got her start in acting on an episode of Whirlybirds
.
Her first film role was in 1960's Thunder in Carolina.
, which was, arguably, her best-known character. Hines considered her role to be just getting a steady paycheck as the storylines focused more on the relationship of Wilbur and Mister Ed (the talking horse) than her. She also said that playing the same role wasn't the greatest part in the world. Around the same time, she took some acting, dancing and music classes. She continued playing that role until 1966. After the series ended she took guest parts on television shows (Bonanza, The Mod Squad
) before retiring in 1971. Young and Hines performed together in 1996 in Irvine
in the two-person play Love Letters, which deals with the correspondence of a man and woman over 50 years.
in 1989 on the recommendation of Young, who had been living there. Hines hosted a local Public-access television
cable TV show about animals, interviewing veterinarians and animal behaviorists and offering animals for adoption. They remained together until Lee Savin's death in 1995.
. She was 78 years old. (The LA Times obituary originally listed her age as 79, but corrected her birth date and updated her age as 78.)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, best known for playing Alan Young
Alan Young
Alan Young is an English-Canadian actor and voice actor, best known for his role as Wilbur Post in the television series Mister Ed and as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, TV series and video games...
's wife, Carol Post, on the 1960s syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
and then CBS sitcom Mister Ed
Mister Ed
Originally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....
.
Biography
Hines was one of four children born in Dedham, MassachusettsDedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
to an actress mother and a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based teacher/acting coach father. As a child, she appeared in many of her father's stock-company plays. A member of the class of 1948 at Dedham High School, she was voted the most popular girl in her class. She also dated the captain of the football team and was class secretary. She tried out for a part in the senior class play, but did not get it.
After her father's death, she went on to marry an insurance agent and moved to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. She worked as a model there and as a radio and stage actress, joining a stock company in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. By the time she was divorced, Hines traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study with the Helen Hayes Equity Group. When she came to Hollywood, California, she lived in an apartment, rented a car and got her start in acting on an episode of Whirlybirds
Whirlybirds
Whirlybirds is an American drama television series....
.
Her first film role was in 1960's Thunder in Carolina.
Mister Ed
Hines auditioned and won the role of appropriate wife, Carol Post, on Mister EdMister Ed
Originally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....
, which was, arguably, her best-known character. Hines considered her role to be just getting a steady paycheck as the storylines focused more on the relationship of Wilbur and Mister Ed (the talking horse) than her. She also said that playing the same role wasn't the greatest part in the world. Around the same time, she took some acting, dancing and music classes. She continued playing that role until 1966. After the series ended she took guest parts on television shows (Bonanza, The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
) before retiring in 1971. Young and Hines performed together in 1996 in Irvine
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
in the two-person play Love Letters, which deals with the correspondence of a man and woman over 50 years.
Family
A divorcee, she remarried in 1970 to Lee Savin, an entertainment lawyer and producer. They retired to Dana PointDana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...
in 1989 on the recommendation of Young, who had been living there. Hines hosted a local Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show about animals, interviewing veterinarians and animal behaviorists and offering animals for adoption. They remained together until Lee Savin's death in 1995.
Death
Hines died from heart problems on December 18, 2009 at her home in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She was 78 years old. (The LA Times obituary originally listed her age as 79, but corrected her birth date and updated her age as 78.)