Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello (born October 22, 1942) was one of Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeers.

Born in Utica, New York, she took dancing and music lessons as a child and was discovered by Walt Disney while performing in Swan Lake. She was cast as one of the original "Mouseketeers", and went on to television roles in Zorro and Elfego Baca, and Disney-produced movies such as The Shaggy Dog, Babes in Toyland, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Monkey's Uncle.

After maturing, she went on to star in a series of "Beach Party" movies with Frankie Avalon.

She announced in 1992 that she suffered from multiple sclerosis.

Her autobiography, published in 1995, is A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story.