Where are Grease’s Pink Ladies? From multiple marriages to a tragic death, what became of Rydell High’s bad girls five decades on – as Didi Conn lands new beauty campaign at 74
It’s been almost 50 years since the Pink Ladies debuted in Grease.
The ultimate group of bad girls, Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan and Marty, “acted cool, looked cool and were cool” and helped the wholesome Sandy Olsson unleash her wild side to trap Danny Zuko.
Now Grease fans have gotten a little nostalgic with the release of Didi Conn’s new Laura Geller Beauty campaign, inspired by the Grease storyline in which the character Frenchy is a ‘beauty school dropout’.
In the ad, Didi, 74, wears a pale pink dress and wears her products while musing: ‘You may remember when I dropped out of beauty school.
‘I thought my life and my hair were ruined and that I would have to make expensive hair appointments forever.’
Fans were left in awe of Didi’s youthful appearance, saying her ‘cute’ personality didn’t seem to have changed since her Grease days.
So what happened to the other Pink Ladies?
Where are the Pink Ladies of Grease? From multiple marriages to a tragic death, she became the mean girls of Rydell High (LR Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff, Stockard Channing and Jamie Donnelly).
Grease fans got a little nostalgic with Didi’s new Beauty campaign, inspired by the Grease storyline in which Frenchy ‘dropped out of beauty school’.
Rizzo – Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing, 82, grew up in New York. He started his career as a theater actor before moving to television.
But her breakout moment was her role as Betty Rizzo in Grease.
He later starred in 1983’s The Stockard Channing Show, followed by his own CBS sitcom called Without a Trace, the drama The Men’s Club, the war movie A Time of Destiny, and throughout the 1980s the CBS miniseries Echoes in the Darkness (which earned him an Emmy nomination).
Stockard later returned to her roots and starred in the Broadway plays They Playing Our Song, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, The House of Blue Leaves, and Six Degrees of Separation.
In 1993, the actress starred in the film adaptation of Six Degrees of Separation, which earned her an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
His other acting credits include the romantic drama Up Close & Personal, Practical Magic, Smoke, USA’s An Unexpected Family, The West Wing, CBS sitcom Out of Practice, docudrama The Matthew Shepard Story, The Business of Strangers and The Good Wife.
Stockard Channing played Betty Rizzo in Grease. Seen in the 1978 movie (left) and in 2023.
He began a relationship with cinematographer Danie Gillham in 1990 and they were together until his death in 2014 (they were photographed together in 1999).
Stockard was married and divorced four times during her decades-long career. She married her first husband, Walter Channing Jr., a wooden statue, in 1963 and they separated in 1967.
She later married a professor named Paul Schmidt in 1970, but they divorced after six years together.
Her third marriage was with writer and producer David Deblin, with whom she was together from 1976 to 1980.
Stockard later married businessman David Rawle in 1980. Eight years later they went their separate ways.
Later in 1990, she began a relationship with cinematographer Danie Gillham, with whom she was with him until his death in 2014.
Stockard never had children and currently lives in London.
This year she will be seen on screen in Practical Magic 2, in which she reprises her role as Aunt Frances Owens.
January – Jamie Donnelly
Jamie Donnelly played Jan in Grease. Seen in the 1978 movie (left) and the 2002 one.
He still holds Grease close to his heart and appeared as a special guest at a screening of the film at the Tee Pee Drive-In in Oklahoma City earlier this month.
Originally from Teaneck, New Jersey, 79-year-old Jamie Donnelly made his acting debut in 1974 in the science fiction series The Six Million Dollar Man.
She made a number of guest appearances in TV series such as Barnaby Jones and Police Woman before being cast as Jan in Grease.
Jamie first played Jan in the theatrical version of Grease, making him the only person to reprise his stage character in the film.
He later continued acting, appearing in the family adventure film Slappy and the Stinkers, the 1998 romantic comedy Can’t Hardly Wait, the TV show Family Affair, Cyrus, and the crime drama Black Mass.
His theater career also flourished with his roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Broadway and Tarzan.
He has not acted since 2017 and currently works as an acting coach.
Jamie married a writer named Stephen Foreman and they have two children together, Sevi and Madden.
He still holds Grease close to his heart, and appeared as a special guest at a screening of the film at the Tee Pee Drive-In in Oklahoma earlier this month.
Marty – Dinah Manoff
Dinah Manoff played Marty Maraschino in Grease. Seen in the movie (left) and in 2002.
She married French designer Jean-Marc Joubert in 1980, but they separated in 1985 after five years together. She later married a real estate agent named Arthur Mortell (pictured) in 1997.
Hailing from New York City, 70-year-old Dinah Manoff seemed destined for stardom from a young age; because his parents were also in the industry.
Her mother, Lee Grant, was an actress, director and writer, and her father, Arnold Manoff, was a screenwriter.
She landed her first role in the animated film Everybody’s Going on the Carousel in 1975 and played the role of Elaine Dallas on ABC’s Soap before landing the role of Marty Maraschino in Grease.
Following the success of Grease, Dinah starred in the Oscar-winning Ordinary People, the horror classic Child’s Play, the NBC sitcom Empty Nest, Welcome Home, Roxy Charmichael (with Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels), The Amati Girls, and the Fox series State of Grace.
He also dabbled in theater and appeared in numerous Broadway plays over the years, including I Ought to be Pictures and Leader of the Pack, before retiring from acting in 2008.
Dinah married French designer Jean-Marc Joubert in 1980, but they separated in 1985 after five years together.
She later married a real estate agent named Arthur Mortell in 1997. They currently live on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with their two sons, Desi and Oliver.
The couple faced tragedy in 2017 when their third son, Dashiell, died in a car accident.
Dinah has since focused on writing and published her first novel, The Real True Hollywood Story of Jackie Gold, in 2023.
French – Didi Conn
Didi Conn played Frenchy in Grease. Seen in the 1978 film (left) and this year
After divorcing her first husband, Frank Conn, in 1978, she married famous songwriter David Shire (seen in 2010) in 1984 and they had a son, Daniel, in 1992.
Born Edith Bernstein in Brooklyn, New York, Didi began acting in her early teens.
He rose to fame in the early ’70s with a few small roles, but arguably his first major role was in Grease, where he played Frenchy.
And this was just the beginning for him. He later appeared in the popular sitcoms Benson and Shining Time Station, and returned to the role of Frenchy in Grease 2.
Her other acting credits include the film Almost Summer, the biographical drama Frida, the comedy Most Likely to Murder, and 2020’s The Mimic.
She also voiced the popular cartoon character Raggedy Ann in the movie Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.
Didi had a minor role in the 2016 TV special Grease: Live, making her the only original cast member to appear in all three Grease film adaptations.
In addition to acting, the artist, who is a talented skater, participated in the eleventh season of the British show Dancing on Ice in 2019, at the age of 67, becoming the oldest person to compete on the series.
She married Frank Conn in 1975, but they divorced three years later in 1978.
Didi later married famous songwriter David Shire in 1984 and together they welcomed a son named Daniel in 1992.
She is also the stepmother of David’s son from a previous marriage, Matthew, who is now a budding screenwriter.
Didi’s son was diagnosed with autism at a young age and became the official spokesperson for Autism Speaks in 2008.
He will next be seen on the screens in the new sports comedy-drama Weekend Warriors, starring Mark Wahlberg.
Sandy Olsson – Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John played Sandy Olsson in Grease. Seen in the 1978 movie (left) and in 2020
Olivia died at home on August 8, 2022, at the age of 73, following a battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe (pictured in 2023)
Born in England but spending most of her childhood in Australia, Olivia first broke into the industry in her early 20s when she starred in a number of Australian TV shows.
While acting, she also ventured into the music industry and released ten albums before landing the role of Sandy Olsson in Grease.
His career took off even further after starring in the popular movie. She quickly became one of the most well-known singers and actresses in the world.
She released 16 more albums and starred in bigger movies like Xanadu, the romantic fantasy Two of a Kind, She’s Have a Baby, It’s My Party and A Few Best Men.
Olivia married her first husband, actor and dancer Matt Lattanzi, in December 1984. A year later, they gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Chloe.
The couple was married when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. The patient underwent a mastectomy and nine months of chemotherapy before entering recovery.
The couple divorced amicably in 1995, and more than a decade later, in 2008, she married her second husband, businessman John Easterling.
He beat cancer for a second time in 2013, but the disease returned four years later and in 2017 he was told the cancer had metastasized and spread to his bones.
He died peacefully at his home in Southern California on August 8, 2022, at the age of 73.
Olivia was surrounded by family and friends, according to her husband, who announced her death on his Facebook page.
