Classic Comedy Actress Fran Drescher
The Nanny (TV)/
Car 54, Where Are You?/Velma Velour
The Beautician & The Beast/ Joy Miller
Living With Fran (TV)/ Fran Reeves
Francine Joy Drescher was born at Flushing, NY in 1957, the daughter of a naval systems analyst and a bridal consultant.
She was a first runner up for Miss New York Teenager in 1973.
Ms. Dreshcer attended Hillcrest High in Jamaica Queens where she met her first husband Peter Marc Jacobson. They both attended Queens College City University of New York but dropped out because because all of the acting classes were filled up. They then enrolled in cosmetology school.
Ms. Dresher's first big break was in a small role in the blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever after which she began to appear more in films and found moderate success in such films as American Hot Wax (1978) and Summer of Fear (1978).
She found moderate success as a character actress during the 1980's in films such as The Hollywood Knights, Doctor Detroit and Cadillac Man as well as appearances on such TV shows as Who's The Boss and Night Court.
Ms. Drescher and her husband created their own television show called The Nanny which was telecast on CBS. The show ran for 6 years ( 1993 - 1999) in which she appeared as Fran Fine, who became a nanny for Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield's three kids, Maggie, Brighton and Gracie.
She appeared again in some film work and then returned to television making guest appearances and then starring again in a sitcom entitled Living With Fran as Fran Reeves from 2005 to 2007 as well as Happily Divorced as Fran Lovett from 2011 to 2013.
The film roles of Fran Drescher were:
Saturday Night Fever (1977) as Connie
American Hot Wax (1978) as Sheryl
Stranger In Our House (1978-TV) as Carolyn Baker
Gorp (1978) as Eve
The Hollywood Knights (1980) as Sally
Ragtime (1981) as Mameh
I'd Rather Be Calm (1982-TV) as Leslie Harper Weinstein
Doctor Detroit (1983) as Karen Blittstein
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) as Bobbi Flekman
P. O. P. (1984-TV) as Maggie Newton
The Rosebud Beach Hotel (1984) as Linda
The Big Picture (1989) as Polo Habel
Love And Betrayed (1989-TV) as Germaine
UHF (1989) as Pamela Finkelstein
Wedding Band (1989) as Veronica
Cadillac Man (1990) as Joy Munchack
Hurricane Sam (1990-TV) as Reine Gianelli
We're Talking Serious Money (1992) as Valerie
Without Warning: Terror In The Towers (1993-TV) Rosemary Russo
Car 54, Where Are You? 1994) as Velma Velour
Jack (1994) as Dolores "D.D." Durante
The Beautician And The Beast (1996) as Joy Miller
Picking Up The Pieces (2000) as Sister Frida
Beautiful Girl (2003-TV) as Amanda Wasserman
Santa's Slay (2005) as Virginia Mason
Ms. Drescher also appeared on television in such programs as Saturday Night Live, Fame, Nine To Five, Silver Spoons, 227, Charmed Lives, Who's The Boss?, Night Court, Once A Hero, Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color, The Tracey Ullman Show, Alf, WIOU, Princesses, Dream On, Civil Wars, The Simple Life, Good Morning Miami, Strong Medicine, What I Like About You, Law And Order- Criminal Intent, Life From Lincoln Center, Entourage and Glenn Martin DDS.
In February 2014 she made her debut on Broadway in the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. replacing Harriet Harris as stepmother Madame for a 10 week engagement. She reprised the role during the North American tour engagement in Los Angeles lasting for two months in 2015.
Ms. Drescher appeared in an off-Broadway production of Love, Loss And What I Wore as well as Camelot at Lincoln Center with The New York Philharmonic.
She was married twice.
Her first husband was Peter Marc Jacobson from 1978 to 1999 at which time the couple divorced. They had no children. Jacobson was along with Ms. Drescher the creator of her successful TV series The Nanny.
Since her first husband has come out as being gay, she has been a LGBT rights activist and they still remain friends.
Her second husband is Shiva Ayyaduria whom she married in 2014.
A uterine cancer survivor she is an outspoken advocate for health care.
She has also written three successful books entitled Enter Whining, Cancer Schmancer and Being Wendy.
Ms. Drescher has been the recipient of several awards including John Wayne Institute Woman Of Achievement Award, The Hebrew University Humanitarian Award , the Albert Einstein College Of Medicine's Spirit Of Achievement Award and City Of Hope Spirit Of Life Award.
She has also become an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church Monastery.
Quite an impressive list of achievements.
I enjoyed Fran Drescher in her TV series The Nanny as well as the films Car 54, Where Are You?, The Beautician And The Beast, We're Talking Serious Money and Ragtime.
Louie The Movie Buff