Annette Funicello was an American actress and singer who began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She rose to prominence as one of the most popular 'Mouseketeers' on the original Mickey Mouse Club. As a teenager, she starred in a series of 'Beach Party' films opposite Frankie Avalon, becoming a pop culture icon of the era. Later in life, she bravely faced a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, founding a research fund to help find a cure for the disease.