Florence Stanley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence Stanley
Stanley in 1977
Born	Florence Lenore Schwartz (1924-07-01)July 1, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 3, 2003(2003-10-03) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1940–2003
Spouse(s)	Martin Newman ​ (m. 1951)​
Children	2

Florence Stanley (born Florence Lenore Schwartz) was a talented American actress. She performed in plays, movies, and TV shows. Many people remember her from TV series like Barney Miller and My Two Dads. She also lent her voice to characters in animated films, including Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Early Life and Stage Career

Florence Stanley was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 1, 1924. Her parents were Jacob Schwartz and Hanna Weil. She went to Senn High School and later studied at Northwestern University.

Stanley started acting professionally in the 1940s. She performed in many plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest. She also appeared in Bury The Dead in New York City. At some point in her career, she began using the stage name Florence Stanley.

During the 1950s, Florence Stanley was in many live TV shows. In 1964, she played Clytemnestra in a New York Shakespeare Festival play called Electra. She also started her long career on Broadway, which is famous for its plays. She was an understudy for Maureen Stapleton in The Glass Menagerie.

In 1966, she took over the role of Yente in the Broadway show Fiddler On The Roof. She performed in over 2,000 shows before leaving in 1971. After that, she starred in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, directed by Mike Nichols. She continued to perform on Broadway in the 1970s and 1980s.

Film and Television Roles

Florence Stanley began her film career in 1967. Her first movie was Up the Down Staircase. In 1973, director Mike Nichols asked her to be in his film The Day of the Dolphin. She also appeared in the movie version of The Prisoner of Second Avenue in 1975.

She was also in The Fortune (1975) with famous actors like Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson. In 1975, she joined the TV series Joe and Sons. That same year, she was cast as Bernice Fish in Barney Miller. Her character and Detective Fish (played by Abe Vigoda) got their own TV show called Fish in 1977.

Later Acting Work

In 1966, Florence Stanley also did voice acting for the TV show Dark Shadows. She voiced a ghost in the basement.

On television, she played Margaret Wilbur, a judge, in My Two Dads. This show was about a girl whose custody was given to her late mother's two former boyfriends. Stanley also directed some episodes of this series. She made guest appearances on other TV shows like Night Court and Mad About You.

She played Dr. Amanda Riskin on Nurses. She was also the voice of Grandma Ethyl Phillips on Dinosaurs. Later, she voiced Peter Griffin's mother, Thelma, on Family Guy. Her later film roles included The Odd Couple II and Bulworth (both in 1998).

In 2001, she provided the voice of Wilhelmina Packard in Disney's animated movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. She was even nominated for an award for her voice acting in this film. She returned to voice the character again in the sequel, Atlantis: Milo's Return, in 2003.

Death

Florence Stanley passed away on October 3, 2003. She was 79 years old. She died in Los Angeles from problems related to a stroke.

Filmography Highlights