Fran Drescher

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Drescher made her screen debut with a small role in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever and later appeared in American Hot Wax (1978) and Wes Craven's horror film Stranger in Our House (1978). In the 1980s, she worked as a comedic actress in the films Gorp (1980), The Hollywood Knights (1980), Doctor Detroit (1983), This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and UHF (1989), and made guest appearances on several television series.

In 1993, she achieved wider fame as Fran Fine in her own sitcom vehicle The Nanny, for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Television Series during the show's run. In the 2000s, Drescher starred in the sitcoms Living with Fran and Happily Divorced.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From 2012 to 2022, she starred in the animated Hotel Transylvania film series. In 2014, Drescher made her Broadway debut in Cinderella as stepmother Madame.<ref name=thr>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2020, she starred in the NBC sitcom Indebted.

The national members of trade union SAG-AFTRA, representing actors and other media professionals, elected Drescher as president, and she took office on October 15, 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=president>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher led the union during the five-month actors' strike that began on July 14, 2023, partially overlapping with the writers' strike that had begun in May of that year.<ref name=":0" />

Early life and educationEdit

Francine Joy Drescher was born on September 30, 1957, in Queens, a borough of New York City,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the younger daughter of Sylvia Drescher (born 1934), a bridal consultant, and Morty Drescher (1929–2024), a naval systems analyst. Her family is Jewish, from Southeast and Central Europe. Her maternal great-grandmother Yetta was born in Focșani, Romania, and emigrated to the United States,<ref name=evz>Template:Cite news</ref> while her father's family came from Poland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She has an older sister, Nadine.<ref name=somefamily /> Drescher was a first runner-up for "Miss New York Teenager" in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

She attended Flushing's Parsons Junior High School, which later dissolved,<ref name=biography.com /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and then Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens. There she met her future husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, whom she married in 1978, at age 21. They divorced in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Drescher graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1975;<ref name=biography.com>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> one of her classmates was comedian Ray Romano.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Drescher's character Fran Fine from The Nanny and Romano's character Ray Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond met at a 20th high school reunion on an episode of The Nanny.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher and Jacobson attended Queens College, City University of New York, but dropped out in their first year because "all the acting classes were filled." They then enrolled in cosmetology school.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

CareerEdit

Early careerEdit

Drescher's first break was a small role as dancer Connie in the movie Saturday Night Fever (1977), in which she delivered the line "So, are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?" to John Travolta's character. A year later, she began to gain attention in films such as American Hot Wax (1978) and Summer of Fear (1978). She also took on a rare dramatic role in the 1981 Miloš Forman film Ragtime. During the 1980s, Drescher found success as a character actress with roles in films such as Gorp (1980), The Hollywood Knights (1980), Doctor Detroit (1983), The Big Picture (1989), UHF (1989), Cadillac Man (1990), and memorably in This Is Spinal Tap (1984) as publicist Bobbi Flekman. She also made an appearance in a second-season episode of Who's the Boss? in 1985 as an interior decorator. She also had an appearance on Night Court as a woman with dissociative identity disorder who flips from a prude to a sexually minded woman and ends up in a hotel with Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding. In 1990, Drescher appeared on ALF as Roxanne, the wife of grown-up Brian, who had no clue she was a mob boss, in the episode "Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades". In 1991, Drescher co-starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom Princesses. In the early-to-mid 1990s, she voiced "Peggy" from The P Pals on PBS (the woman with the flower on her hat).

The Nanny and film rolesEdit

File:Fran Drescher mirror.jpg

Drescher in 1996

Drescher and Jacobson created their own television show, The Nanny, in 1993. The show aired on CBS from 1993 to 1999, and Drescher became an instant star. In this sitcom, she played a woman named Fran Fine who casually became the nanny of Margaret ("Maggie") (played by Nicholle Tom), Brighton ("B") (played by Benjamin Salisbury), and Grace ("Gracie") Sheffield (played by Madeline Zima); with her wit and her charm, she endeared herself to their widower father: stuffy, composed, proper British gentleman and Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy). She reprised her This is Spinal Tap character of Bobbi Flekman, a look-alike for her Fran Fine character, in season 5, episode 3, of The Nanny. Drescher appeared in Jack (1996), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Beautician and the Beast (1997) (for which she was also executive producer) and Picking Up the Pieces (2000) co-starring Woody Allen. She was also the voice of "Pearl" in Shark Bait (2006).

Return to televisionEdit

In the 2000s, Drescher made a return to television both with leading and guest roles. In 2003, Drescher appeared in episodes of the short-lived sitcom Good Morning, Miami as Roberta Diaz. In 2005, she returned with the sitcom Living with Fran, in which she played Fran Reeves, a middle-aged mother of two living with Riley Martin (Ryan McPartlin), a man half her age and not much older than her son. Former Nanny costar Charles Shaughnessy appeared as her philandering ex-husband, Ted. Living with Fran was cancelled on May 17, 2006, after two seasons.

In 2006, Drescher guest-starred in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent; the episode, "The War at Home", aired on US television on November 14, 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She also appeared in an episode of Entourage and, in the same year, gave her voice to the role of a female golem in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XVII". In 2007, Drescher appeared in the US version of the Australian improvisational comedy series Thank God You're Here. In 2008, Drescher announced that she was developing a new sitcom entitled The New Thirty, also starring Rosie O'Donnell. A series about two old high school friends coping with midlife crises, Drescher described the premature plot of the show as "kind of Sex and the City but we ain't getting any! It'll probably be more like The Odd Couple."<ref name="tnt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was never produced.<ref name="tnt"/>

In 2010, Drescher returned to television with her own daytime talk show, The Fran Drescher Tawk Show. While the program debuted to strong ratings, it ended its three-week test run to moderate success, resulting in its shelving.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following year, the sitcom Happily Divorced, created by Drescher and her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, was picked up by TV Land for a ten-episode order. It premiered there June 15, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The show was renewed in July 2011 for a second season of 12 episodes, which aired in spring 2012. On May 1, 2012, TV Land extended the second season and picked up 12 additional episodes, taking the second season total to 24. The back-order of season two debuted later in 2012. Happily Divorced was cancelled in August 2013.

To promote Happily Divorced, Drescher performed the weddings of three gay couples in New York City using the minister's license she received from the Universal Life Church.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher hand-picked the three couples, all of whom were entrants into "Fran Drescher's 'Love Is Love' Gay Marriage Contest" on Facebook, based on the stories the couples submitted about how they met, why their relationship illustrated that "love is love" and why they wanted to be married by her.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

BroadwayEdit

Drescher made her Broadway debut on February 4, 2014, in the revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.<ref name=thr /> She replaced Harriet Harris as stepmother Madame for a 10-week engagement. She reprised the role during the North American tour's engagement in Los Angeles, lasting from March through April 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher's previous stage performances include an off-Broadway production of Nora Ephron's Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and Camelot at the Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On January 8, 2020, it was announced that Drescher and Jacobson were writing the book for a musical adaptation of The Nanny. Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend were brought on to compose the songs prior to Schlesinger's death in April 2020, while Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) was slated to direct. Drescher will not portray the title role, as she joked that if she did "We'd have to change the title to The Granny."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Trade union leaderEdit

In 2021, Drescher began her campaign to become president of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union, citing both her entertainment and political background. Her candidacy came from the "Unite for Strength" faction, and she ran against actor Matthew Modine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On September 2, 2021, SAG-AFTRA announced that Drescher had won the election.<ref name=president/> On July 13, 2023, after SAG-AFTRA members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike action a week prior,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher announced the SAG-AFTRA strike was to begin at midnight the following day, running alongside the concurrent Writers Guild of America strike (WGA strike) that began just over two months prior.<ref name=":0">PBS News Hour, July 13, 2023 'Screen Actors Guild president Fran Drescher announces unanimous vote to go on strike' https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/screen-actors-guild-to-vote-on-strike-after-contract-deadline-passes-without-a-deal Template:Webarchive</ref> The strike ended with a tentative deal between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers which was approved by the SAG-AFTRA board. Drescher was elected to a second two-year term as SAG-AFTRA president in August 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On July 25, 2024, ten months after SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhemingly to authorize another strike against the video game industry, Drescher stated that SAG-AFTRA would begin a strike against major video game publishers, with the strike then going into effect the following day at 12:01 am.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Fran Drescher met Peter Marc Jacobson when she was 15.<ref>Template:Cite AV media Template:Cbignore</ref> The two were high school sweethearts and married at 21.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In January 1985, two armed men broke into Drescher and Jacobson's Los Angeles apartment. While one ransacked their home, Drescher and a female friend were raped by the other robber at gunpoint. Jacobson was also physically attacked, tied up, and forced to witness the entire ordeal. It took Drescher many years to recover, and it took her even longer to tell her story to the press. She was paraphrased as saying in an interview with Larry King that although it was a traumatic experience, she found ways to turn it into something positive. In her book Cancer Schmancer, the actress writes: "My whole life has been about changing negatives into positives." According to Drescher, her rapist, who was on parole at the time of the crime, was returned to prison and given two life sentences.<ref name=FranCNN>Template:Cite news</ref>

After separating in 1996, Drescher and Jacobson divorced in 1999. They had no children. Drescher has worked to support LGBT rights issues after her former husband came out.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher has stated that the primary reason for the divorce was her need to change directions in life. Drescher and Jacobson remain friends and business partners. She has stated that "we choose to be in each other's lives in any capacity. Our love is unique, rare, and unconditional, unless he's being annoying."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On September 7, 2014, Drescher and Shiva Ayyadurai participated in a ceremony at Drescher's beach house. Both tweeted that they had married and the event was widely reported as such.<ref name=LATimesMarriage>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ayyadurai later said it was not "a formal wedding or marriage," but a celebration of their "friendship in a spiritual ceremony with close friends and her family."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The couple separated two years later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> In March 2024, Drescher's father died at the age of 94.<ref name=somefamily>Template:Cite news</ref>

CancerEdit

File:Fran Drescher, dancer against cancer press conference 2010 (2).jpg

Drescher at a press conference for the Austrian charity Dancer Against Cancer, 2010

After two years of symptoms and misdiagnoses by eight doctors, Drescher was admitted to Los Angeles's Cedars Sinai Hospital on June 21, 2000, after doctors diagnosed her with uterine cancer. She had to undergo an immediate radical hysterectomy to treat the disease. Drescher was declared cancer-free and no post-operative treatment was ordered. Drescher wrote about her experiences in her second book, Cancer Schmancer.<ref name=FranCNN/> Her purpose for this book was to raise consciousness for people "to become more aware of the early warning signs of cancer, and to empower themselves". Drescher says, "I was going to learn what I needed to learn, ask questions, become partners with my doctor instead of having some kind of parent/child relationship."

Cancer Schmancer MovementEdit

On June 21, 2007, the seventh anniversary of her operation, Drescher launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women's cancers be diagnosed while in Stage 1, the most curable stage. She celebrated her tenth year of wellness on June 21, 2010. Drescher says: Template:Cquote

She says her goal is to live in a time when women's mortality rates drop as their healthcare improves and early cancer detection increases. Her efforts as an outspoken healthcare advocate in Washington, D.C., helped get unanimous passage for Template:USBill (also known as Johanna's Law) and she is acknowledged in the Congressional Record.

PoliticsEdit

File:AmeriDrescher.jpg

Drescher and Goli Ameri in 2008

In September 2008, Drescher, a Democrat, was appointed as a U.S. diplomat by George W. Bush administration's Assistant Secretary of State Goli Ameri. Her official title was Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women's Health Issues. In traveling throughout the world, she supported U.S. public diplomacy efforts, including working with health organizations and women's groups to raise awareness of women's health issues, cancer awareness and detection, and patient empowerment and advocacy. Her first trip was in late September and included stops in Serbia, Hungary, as well as her ancestral Romania and Poland.<ref name="evz"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2008, Drescher supported Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. She attended a Super Democrat rally for Clinton. Drescher said that she had been considering a run for the United States Senate in 2008 to succeed Hillary Clinton, but ultimately decided against it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She endorsed Barack Obama for re-election in 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, she said in an interview she was explicitly anti-capitalist and was happy to see the Green Party gaining some traction.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, Drescher attended a fundraiser gala for Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF), which raised $60 million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher received the COVID-19 vaccine but opposes vaccine mandates.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CharityEdit

In April 2014, Drescher presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Bryan Cranston, Idina Menzel and Denzel Washington, after raising donations at her Broadway show Cinderella.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drescher became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church Monastery so that she could legally officiate LGBT wedding ceremonies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

AwardsEdit

File:Life Ball 2009 (opening) Bill Clinton, Fran Drescher and Elke Winkens.jpg

Elke Winkens, Fran Drescher and Bill Clinton at the Life Ball, 2009

Drescher has been the recipient of the John Wayne Institute's Woman of Achievement Award, the Gilda Award, the City of Hope Woman of the Year Award, the Hebrew University Humanitarian Award, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Spirit of Achievement Award. In 2006, she was honored with the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award, which was presented to her by Senator Hillary Clinton. On April 10, 2010, she was guest of honor at the "Dancer against Cancer" charity ball held at the Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria, where she received the first "My Aid Award" for her achievements in support of cancer prevention and rehabilitation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, Drescher was awarded the LifeSaver Award by ELEM/Youth in Distress.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>

FilmographyEdit

Template:Pending films key

FilmEdit

Film work by Fran Drescher
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1977	Saturday Night Fever	Connie
1978	American Hot Wax	Sheryl
1978	Stranger in Our House	Carolyn Baker
1980	The Hollywood Knights	Sally
1980	Gorp	Evie
1981	Ragtime	Mameh
1983	Doctor Detroit	Karen Blittstein
1984	This Is Spinal Tap	Bobbi Flekman
	P.O.P.	Maggie Newton
	The Rosebud Beach Hotel	Linda
1988	Rock 'n' Roll Mom	Jody Levin
1989	UHF	Pamela Finklestein
	Love and Betrayal	Germaine
	The Big Picture	Polo Habel
1990	Wedding Band	Veronica
	Cadillac Man	Joy Munchack
	Hurricane Sam	Rene Gianelli
1991	We're Talking Serious Money	Valerie
1993	Without Warning: Terror in the Towers	Rosemarie Russo	Television Movie
1994	Car 54, Where Are You?	Velma Valour
1996	Jack	Dolores "D.D." Durante
1997	The Beautician and the Beast	Joy Miller	Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
1998	The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale	The Heralding Horn	(voice)
2000	Picking Up the Pieces	Sister Frida
2000	Kid Quick	Kerry
2003	Beautiful Girl	Amanda Wasserman
2005	Santa's Slay	Virginia Mason
2006	Shark Bait	Pearl (voice)
2011	Mindwash: The Jake Sessions	Madame LaRue
2012	Hotel Transylvania	Eunice (voice)
2013	Skum Rocks!	Herself
2013	Brave Miss World	Herself
2015	Hotel Transylvania 2	Eunice (voice)	Cameo
2018	The Creatress	Carrie Robards
2018	Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation	Eunice (voice)
2019	After Class	Diane
2022	Hotel Transylvania: Transformania	Eunice (voice)
2025	scope="row" Template:Pending film	Bobbi Flekman	Post-production
2025	scope="row" Template:Pending film	Marty's mother	Post-production

TelevisionEdit

Television work by Fran Drescher
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	Saturday Night Live	Concert Goer	Episode: "Steve Martin/Van Morrison"
1982	Fame	Rhonda	Episode: "Metamorphosis"
1983	9 to 5	Tapioca	Episode: "The Oldest Profession"
1985	Silver Spoons	Annie	Episode: "Marry Me, Marry Me: Part 2"
1985	227	Mrs. Baker	Episode: "The Refrigerator"
1985, 1986	Who's the Boss?	Carol Patrice, Joyce Columbus	2 episodes
1986	Night Court	Miriam Brody	Episode: "Author, Author"
1986	Charmed Lives	Joyce Columbus	4 episodes
1987	Rosie	Vicki Low	Episode: "Valentine of Life"
1990	ALF	Roxanne	Episode: "Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"
1990	WIOU	Jo Finc	Episode: "Pilot"
1991	Princesses	Melissa Kirshner	8 episodes
1991	Dream On	Kathleen	Episode: "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told"
1992	Civil Wars	Norma Baker	Episode: "A Bus Named Desire"
1993–1999	The Nanny	Fran Fine	Lead role, 146 episodes plus special Nominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Template:Small Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Template:Small Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
1995	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Herself	Episode: Girlie Show
2003	Good Morning, Miami	Roberta Diaz	3 episodes
2003	The Restaurant	Herself	1 episode
2004	Strong Medicine	Irene Slater	Episode: "Cinderella in Scrubs"
2005–2006	Living with Fran	Fran Reeves	Lead role, 26 episodes
2005	What I Like About You	Fran Reeves	Episode: "Girls Gone Wild"
2006	The Simpsons	The Female Golem	Episode: "Treehouse of Horror XVII"
2006	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Elaine Dockerty	Episode: "The War at Home"
2007	Thank God You're Here	Herself/Ms. Bumblebee
2007	SeeMore's Playhouse	Herself
2008	Live from Lincoln Center	Morgan Le Fay	Episode: "Camelot"
2008	Entourage	Mrs. Levine	Episode: "The All Out Fall Out"
2010	Glenn Martin, DDS	Arlene Stein	Episode: "Dad News Bears"
2010	The Fran Drescher Show	Host	16 episodes
2011–2013	Happily Divorced	Fran Lovett	Lead role, 34 episodes
2015	Hell's Kitchen	Herself	Episode: "8 Chefs Compete Again"
2017	Broad City	Beverly Baumgarten	Episode: "Florida"
2018	Alone Together	Mary	Episode: "Mom"
2019	Welcome to the Wayne	Barbara Wasserman (voice)	Episode: "Welcome to the Wassermans"
2020	Indebted	Debbie	Main role, 12 episodes
2020	The Christmas Setup	Kate	TV movie
2022	Mr. Mayor	Angelica Masters	Episode: "Trampage"
2023	Secrets of the Morning	Agnes Morris	Television film

TheaterEdit

Theater work by Fran Drescher
Year	Title	Role	Venue
2006	Some Girl(s)	Lindsay	Lucille Lortel Theatre
2008	Camelot	Morgan le Fay	Avery Fisher Hall
2010	Love, Loss, and What I Wore	Performer	Westside Theatre
2014	Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella	Madame	Broadway Theatre
2015	Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella	Madame	Ahmanson Theatre

BooksEdit

Year	Title	Publisher	ISBN	Notes
1996	Enter Whining	Regan Books	Template:ISBN	Memoir
2002	Cancer Schmancer	Grand Central Publishing	Template:ISBN	Memoir
2011	Being Wendy	Grosset & Dunlap	Template:ISBN	with Amy Blay

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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