Childhood & Early Life
Concetta Sellecchia was born on May 25, 1955, in The Bronx, New York, to Italian parents, Primo and Ann Sellecchia. She grew up with her brother, Vincent Sellecchia, and her sister, Rosann Mack.
She was 12 when her family moved to Pomona, New York, where she attended the 'Pomona Junior High School.'
Sellecca later went to the 'Ramapo High School' in Spring Valley, where she was introduced to the performing arts and eventually developed an interest in it.
She dropped out of 'Boston College' to pursue a career in acting.
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Career
Sellecca began her career in the entertainment industry as a fashion model. She made her acting debut with the 1978 Japanese–American co-production fantasy TV film 'The Bermuda Depths.' It featured her as a beautiful but mysterious woman named 'Jennifer "Jennie" Haniver.'
That year, she began her 19-episode stint in the short-lived ‘CBS’ comedy 'Flying High,' based on the misadventures of three airline flight attendants. Sellecca and her co-stars, Kathryn Witt and Pat Klous, played three ‘Sun West Airlines’ attendants named 'Lisa Benton,' 'Pam Bellagio,' and 'Marcy Bower,' respectively.
She was next seen as 'Dr. Wendy Day,' alongside Len Birman, Lana Wood, Christopher Lee, and Reb Brown, in the title role in the ‘CBS’ movie 'Captain America II: Death Too Soon.'
Sellecca played 'Alix Goldman' in the 1979 slasher TV film 'She's Dressed to Kill.' The following year, she appeared as 'Pamela Wiliams' in four episodes of the TV adaptation of the 1973 film 'Westworld,' titled 'Beyond Westworld.'
From 1981 to 1983, she played 'Pam Davidson,' the lawyer girlfriend of the main character, 'Ralph Hinkley'/'Ralph Hanley' (played by William Katt), in the ‘ABC’ superhero comedy–drama 'The Greatest American Hero.'
As soon as 'The Greatest American Hero' ended, Sellecca was released from her contract. She then signed the ‘ABC’ primetime soap drama 'Hotel.' She was cast to play 'Christine Francis,' one of the leads and the love interest of 'Peter McDermott' (played by James Brolin). ‘Christine’ and ‘Peter’ were the assistant general manager and the general manager of the fictional ‘St. Gregory Hotel’ in this adaption of Arthur Hailey's 1965 novel of the same name. She played the character from 1983 to 1988.
Her performance in the series got her nominated for a 'Golden Globe Award' in 1987.
In 1984, she appeared as 'Sara Hawthorne Nevins' in an episode of the ‘ABC’ drama 'Finder of Lost Loves.' Sellecca appeared as 'Dana Fredricks' in the 1985 TV movie 'International Airport.' The movie also featured Gil Gerard as 'David Montgomery.' She played 'Gloria Franklin' in her next release, the 1987 ‘ABC’ romantic comedy 'The Last Fling.'
She played 'Erika Bernstein' in the 1989 ‘NBC’ miniseries 'Brotherhood of the Rose,' adapted from David Morrell's novel of the same name.
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Sellecca portrayed first officer ‘Madeline "Mimi" Tompkins’ in the 1990 ‘CBS’ drama film 'Miracle Landing' (also known as 'Panic in the Open Sky'), based on the in-flight accident aboard 'Aloha Airlines Flight 243' that took place in April 1988.
Meanwhile, she appeared in several TV movies, such as 'Downpayment on Murder' (as 'Karen Cardell'), 'Turn Back the Clock' (as 'Stephanie Powers'), 'People Like Us' (as 'Ruby Nolte Renthall'), 'Mulberry Street' (as 'Connie Savoia'), 'A House of Secrets and Lies' (as 'Susan'), 'Passport to Murder' (as 'Helen Hollander'), and 'She Led Two Lives' (as 'Rebecca Madison').
From 1991 to 1992, she appeared in the ‘CBS’ crime drama series 'P.S. I Luv U,' co-starring with Greg Evigan. The series featured her as a con woman named 'Wanda Tallbert.' She next starred as 'Dianne Benedict' in six episodes of the ‘CBS’ drama 'Second Chances.'
She co-starred with Gregory Harrison in the 1995 ‘ABC’ thriller film 'A Dangerous Affair.' It featured her as 'Sharon Blake,' a successful career woman dating a real-estate agent named ‘Robert Kenzer.’
She played an extremely mysterious and gray character, 'Joan Quinn'/'Catherine Peyser,' in the 1995 ‘ABC’ film 'The Surrogate.' Sellecca starred as 'Carolyn Giblin,' opposite Randy Travis (as 'Clay Traynor'), in the ‘CBS’ movie 'A Holiday to Remember.'
The 1997 'The Family Channel' movie 'Doomsday Rock' featured her as 'Katherine.' She played 'Stephanie Carver' in her next TV movie, 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,' the 'PAX Network' movie based on the classic holiday song of the same name.
From 2013 to 2015, she and her husband, John Tesh, hosted 'Intelligence for Your Life,' a radio show that was later syndicated as a TV program.
Family & Personal Life
Sellecca was initially married to her co-star Gil Gerard. They got married on October 28, 1979, but divorced in 1987. They have a son named Gib.
On April 4, 1992, she married pianist and TV host John Tesh after dating him for 2 years. Their daughter, Prima, was named after Sellecca's father, Primo Sellecchia.
Sellecca and Tesh had first met at a hotel gym in Palm Springs and had begun dating soon after. He had proposed to her in 1991, at a restaurant in Monterey, which he had booked for the day. He had sung a self-composed song titled 'Concetta' (her original name) and had played a string quartet to her. He had also arranged for a fireworks display on that day. Both Selleca and Tesh are “born-again Christians.”
Sellecca is a spokesperson for ‘MADD's 'Project Red Ribbon' campaign against drunk driving. Along with Tesh, she runs the 'Sellecca–Tesh Foundation for the Forgotten Generation.'
