She appeared in an episode of Get Smart called The King Lives (January 1968) as Princess Marta. She later played short-term recurring roles on The Beverly Hillbillies (1969) as a bank secretary and Green Acres (as Eb's girlfriend) in the 1970-71 season. She played Betsy Nicholls in an episode of Dragnet (1970) and in the TV series Mannix (Season 4 Episode 06: The Lost Art Of Dying).
Prior to her stints as Valerie Conway on As the World Turns from 1976 to 1979 and as Sophia Capwell on Santa Barbara, McConnell played Nurse Augusta McLeod on General Hospital from June 1973 to September 1975. Her character murdered longtime GH villain Phil Brewer which aired December 6, 1974 after he threatened her in regards to her unborn child fathered by the married Dr. Peter Taylor. She appeared in the Sliders episode (5/15) "To Catch a Slide" (1999).
Moving to New York, McConnell took on the role of scheming Valerie Conway on As the World Turns, and later played socialite Miranda Bishop on Another World. A brief role as spy Eva Vasquez on One Life to Live came about in 1983, after which she moved back to Los Angeles to replace Rosemary Forsyth on Santa Barbara.
McConnell has guest-starred on numerous television series throughout the years and some films. She has appeared in a commercial for IKEA, in The Weather Man (2005), and as the elderly auctioneer in The Purge: Anarchy.[4]
