Frances Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances Bay
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Frances Bay in 1999
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| Born |
Frances Evelyn Goffman
January 23, 1919 Mannville, Alberta, Canada
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| Died | September 15, 2011 (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Nationality | Canadian American |
| Occupation | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 1930s–2011 |
| Employer | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Spouse(s) |
Charles Bay
(m. 1946; |
| Children | 1 |
Frances Evelyn Bay (born Frances Evelyn Goffman; January 23, 1919 – September 15, 2011) was a Canadian-American actress and comedian. She was known for playing many different characters in movies and TV shows for over 35 years. She was even honored in Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008 for her amazing career.
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Early Life and Family
Frances Evelyn Goffman was born on January 23, 1919, in Mannville, Alberta, Canada. Her parents, Ann and Max Goffman, were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. She grew up in Dauphin, Manitoba. Her younger brother, Erving Goffman, became a famous sociologist, who studies how people behave in groups.
Before World War II, Frances acted professionally in Winnipeg. During the war, she hosted a radio show called Everybody's Program for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. This show was made for soldiers serving overseas.
In 1946, she married Charles Irwin Bay. They moved to Cape Town, South Africa. While there, she studied acting with a famous teacher named Uta Hagen. Frances and Charles had one son, Josh, who sadly passed away at the age of 23.
Acting Career Highlights
Frances Bay began her acting journey in the 1930s as a radio actress. She returned to acting in the 1970s, when she was in her mid-50s, and continued to appear in TV shows and movies until 2011.
Her first movie role was a small part in Foul Play (1978), a comedy with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. She also appeared in a Christmas TV special with Mister Rogers.
Famous TV Roles
One of Frances Bay's first big TV roles was playing the grandmother of the character Fonzie on the popular show Happy Days. She said that Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie, was "just a sweet guy." He even wrote her a letter saying she was like a grandmother to him, because he had lost his own grandmother in the Holocaust.
She also appeared in the final episodes of other long-running TV shows like Happy Days and Who's the Boss?. In 1990, she played an old movie star on the TV series ALF. She won a Gemini Award for her role as Cousin Winifred in an episode of Road to Avonlea.
From 2009 to 2011, Frances Bay had a regular role as "Aunt Ginny" on the TV series The Middle. Her character was written out of the show after her death in 2011.
Memorable Movie Appearances
Frances Bay had many small but memorable roles in movies. She appeared in The Karate Kid (1984), Twins (1988), and Big Top Pee-wee (1988).
She worked with director David Lynch in several films, including Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Many people remember her as Adam Sandler's grandmother in the movie Happy Gilmore (1996). She also played Thelma, a security guard, in the film Inspector Gadget (1999).
Other Notable Performances
Frances Bay also had a funny role in a famous 1996 episode of Seinfeld called "The Rye." In this episode, she played a woman who got into a fight with Jerry over a loaf of marble rye bread. She also worked in theater and won a Drama-Logue Award.
In 2008, Frances Bay was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. This honor happened partly because of a petition with 10,000 names submitted on her behalf. Many famous people, like Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, David Lynch, and Henry Winkler, also sent personal letters supporting her.
Later Life and Passing
In 2002, Frances Bay was in a car accident in Glendale, California. Because of the accident, she had to have part of her leg removed.
Frances Bay passed away on September 15, 2011, in Tarzana, California. She was 92 years old and died from problems related to pneumonia.
Images for kids
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Frances Bay in 1999
See also
In Spanish: Frances Bay para niños
