Biography

She wanted to read the role of Rizzo at her Grease (1978) audition, but the producers decided that she was exactly right to play the part of Frenchy.

As the mother of an autistic son, she was named national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks in 2008. She has also been a spokesperson for the National Alliance for Autism Research, now part of Autism Speaks. She has performed at benefits Foundation for Education Children with Autism (FECA).

She once attended a school play of "Grease" at Nyack Middle School (in the play, "Danny" was played by Freaks and Geeks (1999) star John Francis Daley). Didi signed autographs for the cast, crew and audience.

Explained in a 2003 interview why her character Frenchy disappeared about halfway through Grease 2. She said when they began filming, the script was not even finished yet, but the draft they were using still had her character in it. However, the script was rewritten once again during filming, and her character had been written out, and she was told halfway through filming that she was no longer needed. Then, during the editing process, the filmmakers ultimately decided to include Frenchy in the final cut, though they had limited footage. Didi described the filming process as "rushed, frantic, and unorganized".

Daughter of a clinical psychologist.