to Virginia Jeanne (née Albano), and Joseph Edward Funicello. Her family moved to Southern California when she was four years old. She was of Italian American heritage.

Career

The Mickey Mouse Club

Funicello took dancing and music lessons when she was a child in order to overcome her shyness. In 1955, the 12-year-old was discovered by Walt Disney when she performed as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake

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