The Nanny

Background:

American actress of Italian and Russian-Jewish descent Fran Drescher gained fame and received recognition while portraying Fran Fine, a charming and bubbly young woman who becomes the nanny of three kids, in the CBS hit sitcom “The Nanny” (1993-1999), in which she earned Emmy nominations in 1996 and in 1997. In more recent times, the brunette comic actress is known for her role as the divorcee Fran Reeves in the WB sitcom “Living with Fran” (2005), starring opposite Ryan McPartlin and “The Nanny” costar Charles Shaughnessy.

A stylish comic performer with a distinctively honking “Noo Yawk” accent, Drescher has also built a solid movie career. She was seen in the hit Saturday Night Fever (1977, starring John Travolta), Rob Reiner’s This Is Spinal Tap (1984), the musical American Hot Wax (1978, opposite Tim McIntire), Cadillac Man (1990, with Robin Williams), Francis Ford Coppola’s Jack (1996) and The comedy The Beautician and the Beast (1997). She added David Steiman’s Santa’s Slay to her impressive resume in 2005.

Off screen, Drescher, whose measurements are 34B-24-34 ½, was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 1996. A good friend of actors Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon, Drescher was a Patient Advocate on the External Advisory Board for the M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, Texas, and the recipient of the Public Service Award from the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation in 2002. An accomplished writer, Drescher released an autobiography titled “Enter Whining” in 1996, in which she revealed she had been sexually assaulted in a robbery, and her second book, “Cancer Schmancer,” detailing her experience after being diagnosed with uterine cancer, was published in early 2000. As for her romantic life, the brazenly sexy beauty was once married to actor Peter Marc Jacobson, but the couple later split up in 1999. After the divorce, Drescher was romantically involved with Gary Oseary (together in 1999) and Michael Angelo (born in 1974, dated in 1999). After selling her Spanish home to Alfred Gough, the actress currently resides in Malibu.


Studious Frannie

Childhood and Family:

Daughter of Morton Drescher, a civilian executive systems analyst, and Sylvia Drescher, a saleswoman, Francine Joy Drescher was born on September 30, 1957, in Flushing, New York. She has an older sister named Nadine. As a toddler, she spent a great deal of time watching I Love Lucy.

Born to Jewish parents, Francine Drescher, who carried the nickname Frannie, was a serious girl and was relatively popular in school. She attended PS 165 and Parsons Junior High School in Flushing, New York, before going to Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York. While there, she joined a performing group and was once advised by her teachers to throw away her thick Queens accent if she wanted to be a successful actress. Ignoring the suggestion, the girl promoted herself by entering a teen beauty contest and won second place for “Miss New York Teenager” at age 16. Five years later, Frannie moved to Los Angeles to give acting a try.

Frannie decided to marry her high school sweetheart, actor Peter Marc Jacobson, on November 4, 1978, following a six-year relationship. Sixteen years later, however, the couple became estranged and they finally divorced in 1999. Frannie doesn’t have any children from the marriage, but claims her dog Chester is the best $500 dollars she ever spent. Unfortunately, her dog died on December 25, 2000. She later became the proud owner of a chocolate colored Pomeranian.


Living with Fran

Career:

After beginning to act in high school, first runner up for Miss Teen New York (at age 16) Fran Drescher made her professional acting debut in the movie Saturday Night Fever (1977), playing the bit part of Connie. Heading for Hollywood in the following year, she soon gained a little notice as Sheryl, the snappy secretary in Floyd Mutrux’s musical American Hot Wax (1978), starring opposite Tim McIntire. The same year, Drescher also broke into television with the made-for-TV film Stranger in Our House.

She continued to work in film and took home supporting roles in several unremarkable features, including The Hollywood Knights (1980), Gorp (1980) and Doctor Detroit (1983). In 1984, the actress once more attracted a bit of attention when she made a notable cameo as a public relations director in Rob Reiner’s spoof This Is Spinal Tap. A tragedy struck in the following year when robbers looted her apartment and raped her. Although it took many years for Drescher to overcome the trauma, the tragedy didn’t put an end to Drescher’s career. She maintained her presence by performing in the series “Charmed Lives” (1986) and the short-lived sitcom “Princesses” (1991, opposite Julie Hagerty and Twiggy Lawson), and the television movies Rock ‘n’ Roll Mom (1988), What’s Alan Watching (1989), Love and Betrayal (1989) and Without Warning: Terror in the Towers (1993), and the films UHF (1989), The Big Picture (1989), Wedding Band (1990), and We're Talking Serious Money (1992). In 1990, Drescher offered a better performance as Robin Williams’ buzzing mistress in the bumpy movie Cadillac Man.

Drescher’s big break arrived in 1993 when she was cast as attractive and bubbly young Fran Fine, who casually became the nanny of three children, in the CBS sitcom “The Nanny.” Co-created with husband Peter Marc Jacobson, the sitcom was an immediate hit. As for Drescher, her sense of humor and charisma endeared herself to the father of the children Maxwell Sheffield, an oppressive, composed, proper British gentleman and a Broadway producer (played by Charles Shaughnessy). Drescher received a lot of recognition and the role subsequently made the actress a star. In addition, she received Emmy nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1996 and 1997. Drescher stayed with the role until 1999, during which time she also served as an executive producer and directed the episode of “Call Me Fan.”

With newfound popularity, studios began reaching out to Drescher. After rejoining Robin Williams in Francis Ford Coppola’s Jack (1996), she penned a two-picture deal with Caravan and TriStar. The following years, the actress starred as a Queen’s cosmetician in The Beautician and the Beast (1997), a comedy film executive produced by Drescher and her husband, and had triple duties as executive producer, writer and director in the MTV pilot “Daytrippers” (1998). She next played the lead in the short Kid Quick (2000) and costarred with Woody Allen in Picking Up the Pieces (2000), before taking some time off to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous growth in her uterus in June 2000.

Three years later, she was seen as the star of the made-for-cable film Beautiful Girl (2003) and played a recurring role in “Good Morning, Miami” (2003). After taking another hiatus, Drescher returned to the small screen in 2005 when she was cast as Fran Reeves, the middle-aged mom of two living with a man half her age (Ryan McPartlin), in the WB sitcom “Living with Fran.” Former Nanny costar Charles Shaughnessy also appeared in the series as Drescher’s philandering ex-husband Ted. Also in 2005, she re-embarked on the wide-screen to play the small role of Virginia Mason in the David Steiman-helmed comedy Santa’s Slay, which starred Bill Goldberg and Douglas Smith.


Awards:
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