Nancy Travis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Travis
Travis in 2012
Born	Nancy Ann Travis (1961-09-21) September 21, 1961 (age 63) New York City, U.S.
Education	New York University (BA)
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1985–present
Known for	Chris Connor - Becker Vanessa Baxter - Last Man Standing
Spouse(s)	Robert N. Fried ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	2

Nancy Ann Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in popular TV shows and movies. Nancy started her acting journey in theater shows that were not on Broadway. Later, she got her first main role in a TV show called Harem.

She became very famous in 1987 for playing Sylvia Bennington in the comedy film Three Men and a Baby. This movie was a big hit! She also starred in its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady, in 1990. Nancy has appeared in many other films like Air America and Chaplin. On TV, she starred in the sitcom Almost Perfect and later joined the cast of Becker.

From 2011 to 2021, Nancy played Vanessa Baxter in the popular sitcom Last Man Standing. She also acted alongside Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method. In 2023, she starred in the TV series Ride on the Hallmark Channel.

Early Life and Beginnings

Nancy Travis was born in Queens, a part of New York City. Her mother, Theresa, was a social worker, and her father, Gordon Travis, worked in sales. Nancy grew up in different places, including Framingham, Massachusetts, and Baltimore, Maryland. She was raised in the Catholic faith.

After finishing high school, Nancy's first acting job was in a play called It's Hard to Be a Jew in New York City. She also appeared in commercials for brands like Twinkies and Levi's Jeans. She was a founding member of an Off-Broadway theater group called Naked Angels. In 1985, she made her first appearance on Broadway in the play I'm Not Rappaport.

Becoming a Movie Star

In 1985, Nancy Travis made her first appearance on screen in a TV movie called Malice in Wonderland. The next year, she had a big role in the TV miniseries Harem. She also made guest appearances in TV shows like Spenser: For Hire.

Her big break in movies came in 1987 with Three Men and a Baby. She played Sylvia Bennington in this comedy film, which also starred Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson. The movie was a huge success, earning a lot of money worldwide. She played the same character again in the sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady, in 1990.

In 1988, Nancy had supporting roles in two more films: the crime comedy Married to the Mob and the sports drama Eight Men Out. She also starred in the TV Christmas movie I'll Be Home for Christmas.

More Film and TV Roles

The 1990s were a busy time for Nancy Travis. In 1990 alone, she starred in four movies! These included the crime thriller Internal Affairs, the action comedy Air America with Mel Gibson, and Three Men and a Little Lady.

She continued to appear in many films throughout the 1990s. Some of these include:

• Passed Away (1992)
• Chaplin (1992), where she played Joan Barry
• So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) with Mike Myers
• Greedy (1994) with Michael J. Fox
• Fluke (1995)
• Bogus (1996) with Whoopi Goldberg

In 1995, Nancy took on a main role in the TV sitcom Almost Perfect. She played a female executive producer of a police TV show. The show ran for two seasons. She also did voice acting for the animated series Duckman from 1994 to 1997. In 1999, she starred in and produced the TV movie My Last Love and the sitcom Work with Me.

Later Career Highlights

In 2002, Nancy Travis had a big role in the TV miniseries Stephen King's Rose Red. She played a psychology professor named Dr. Joyce Reardon. Later that year, she joined the cast of the sitcom Becker for its last two seasons. She played Chris Connor, a new character on the show.

She also appeared in movies like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and The Jane Austen Book Club (2007). From 2007 to 2009, Nancy starred as Susan Pearson in the TV sitcom The Bill Engvall Show. In 2009, she starred in the Hallmark Channel movie Safe Harbor.

In 2011, Nancy Travis was cast in the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing alongside Tim Allen. She played Vanessa Baxter, the wife of Tim Allen's character. The show was very popular and ran for six seasons before being brought back by Fox in 2018. It finally ended in 2021 after a total of 194 episodes.

From 2018 to 2019, Nancy also starred with Michael Douglas in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method. In 2022, she returned to movies in the drama Ordinary Angels. Her most recent TV role was in the Hallmark Channel series Ride in 2023, where she played the family leader, Isabelle McMurray.

Personal Life

In 1994, Nancy Travis married Robert N. Fried. He is a film executive who founded Hallmark Movies Now. They have two sons named Benjamin and Jeremy. In 2007, Nancy starred in a short film called Sally, which featured her son Benjamin and was written by her husband.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Nancy Travis para niños