Anne Francine
Anne Hollingshead Francine (August 8, 1917 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress and cabaret singer.[1]
Anne Francine | |
---|---|
Born | Anne Hollingshead Francine August 8, 1917 |
Died | December 3, 1999 82) Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, New London, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged
Occupation | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1954-1988 |
She is perhaps best known for her role as villain Flora Simpson Reilly in the American television series Harper Valley PTA.
Biography
The Main Line, Philadelphia-reared Francine began performing as a cabaret singer in the 1930s at the Coq Rouge. Other notable engagements included the Copacabana and the Algonquin. She sang abroad in London and Paris in the 1940s.
She made her Broadway debut in 1954 with Shirley Booth in By the Beautiful Sea. She stepped in for Bea Arthur as Vera Charles in the 1966 Broadway production of Mame, starring Angela Lansbury. She and Lansbury reprised their characters in the 1983 revival. She last appeared on Broadway in 1987 as Mrs. Harcourt in the Lincoln Center revival of Anything Goes, starring Patti LuPone.[2]
In 1979, she starred as the Evil Queen in the musical adaption of the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Her film work included Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits (1965), Stand Up and Be Counted (1972), Savages (1972), and Crocodile Dundee (1986).
Anne Francine is interred in the Michael Ehret mausoleum on "Millionaire's Row" at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | Juliet of the Spirits | Psychodramatist | |
1972 | Stand Up and Be Counted | Mabel Hammond | |
1972 | Savages | Carlotta, a Hostess | |
1986 | Crocodile Dundee | Fran | (final film role) |
References
- "Anne Francine, 82, Actress and Cabaret Singer". New York Times. 1999-12-07.
- Holden, Stephen (1988-06-11). "Reviews/Music; Anne Francine Spoofs Herself In Cabaret Act". New York Times.