Francine York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Francine York
Francine York in Batman 1966
Born	Francine Yerich (1936-08-26)August 26, 1936 Aurora, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	January 6, 2017(2017-01-06) (aged 80) Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Other names	Francine Yerick
Alma mater	Hamline University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1960–2017
Known for	It's Only Money Batman

Francine York (born Francine Yerich; August 26, 1936 – January 6, 2017) was an American actress and model. She was also known as Francine Yerick. She became famous for her roles in movies and TV shows, including Batman and The Nutty Professor.

Early Life and Beginnings

Growing Up in Minnesota

Francine Yerich was born in Aurora, Minnesota. This was a small town where many people worked in mining. She later went to Hamline University because she received a special scholarship for drama. This helped her study acting.

Starting as a Model and Showgirl

When Francine was 17, she was almost chosen as "Miss Minnesota." This early success led her to work as a showgirl. She performed at famous nightclubs in San Francisco and Hollywood. She danced in many shows every night.

After a while, she decided to focus on acting. She took acting classes and soon got her first role in a play. She also appeared in her first movie, Secret File: Hollywood.

A Career in Acting

Film Roles

Francine York's first movie role was in 1960. Her big chance came when famous comedian Jerry Lewis cast her in his film It's Only Money. This movie made her very well known.

Jerry Lewis liked her so much that he hired her for five more of his movies. These included The Nutty Professor and The Family Jewels. She also appeared in other films like Bedtime Story and Cannon for Cordoba.

Francine York also starred in science fiction movies. Some of these were Curse of the Swamp Creature and Space Probe Taurus. In The Doll Squad (1973), she played a secret agent. Later, in 2000, she played the mother-in-law of Nicolas Cage in the movie The Family Man.

Television Appearances

Francine York from a guest appearance on It Takes a Thief (1968).

Francine York was a familiar face on television. She appeared in many popular TV shows. In 1964, she played Nurse Norma in an episode of My Favorite Martian. She also appeared in Death Valley Days as a historical figure named Lillie Langtry.

She was featured in five episodes of Burke's Law. She also made two guest appearances on the detective show Perry Mason.

One of her most famous roles was as Lydia Limpit on the classic Batman TV series in 1966. She also played Noble Niolani, a military leader, in an episode of Lost in Space.

Francine York continued acting in TV shows for many years. She appeared in Bewitched as a living statue of the goddess Venus. She also had roles in Columbo and Adam-12. In 1979, she played Queen Medusa in the show Jason of Star Command. Later in her career, she appeared in shows like Hot in Cleveland and The Mindy Project.

Other Interests

Besides acting, Francine York was also interested in health. She worked as an expert in fitness and nutrition. She was also known as a great cook.

Personal Life

Francine York never married. She once joked that she was waiting for a "handsome prince" but couldn't find one. For about ten years, she was the partner of director Vincent Sherman until he passed away in 2006.

Francine York died on January 6, 2017, in Van Nuys, California. She was 80 years old and passed away from cancer. At the time, she was writing a book about her life.

Filmography