Mary Frann
Encyclopedia
Mary Frann was an American
actress best known for her role as Bob Newhart
's wife, Joanna Loudon, on the television series Newhart
.
, Frann was a child model
and appeared in commercials for a local television station while she was at Nerinx Hall High School
. At the age of 18, she was voted Missouri's "Junior Miss." She went on to win the 1961 national title of America's Junior Miss
and earned a college scholarship. Frann studied drama at Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
, and worked as a weather reporter for the NBC
station in St. Louis.
In 1964, Frann made her television debut in an episode of the Kraft Suspense Theatre
. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Nightmare in Chicago with Carroll O'Connor
. In 1966, Frann made her film debut in Nashville Rebel
with Waylon Jennings
and Loretta Lynn
. The movie was a commercial failure. Frann would go on to appear in only one more film, 1976's Woman in the Rain, concentrating on television guest spots and roles in television movies.
In 1974, Frann landed the role of Amanda Howard on the soap opera
Days of our Lives
. She would remain on the show until 1979. While on Days of our Lives, Frann also made guest appearances on Quincy, M.E.
, The Rockford Files
, Fantasy Island
, and WKRP in Cincinnati
. In 1982, Frann starred in the short-lived series King's Crossing
with Linda Hamilton
. Later that year, she landed her most memorable role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Vermont inn owner Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart
), in the popular sitcom
Newhart
. The series ran from 1982 to 1990, and was nominated for 25 Emmys
and five Golden Globes
. During the run of Newhart, Frann continued acting in various projects. In 1985, she co-starred in the TV movie Gidget's Summer Reunion, and in 1988, she appeared in Dance 'til Dawn
with Alyssa Milano
, Christina Applegate
, and Kelsey Grammer
. Frann also co-hosted the Miss USA
and Miss Universe
pageants of 1986 and 1987.
Her last acting role came in the series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
. Due to the sporadic airing of the series, the episode she was in, "The Curse of Hampton Manor," aired two years after her death.
. She was a member of the Celebrity Action Council, a volunteer group of celebrity women who served the women’s outreach of the Los Angeles Mission, for seven years. The night before her death, she had attended a meeting at the Mission where she championed the cause for women in need.
. An autopsy later determined that she died of a heart attack
and also suffered from an undiagnosed scarring of the heart muscle tissue. Her remains are interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best known for her role as Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
's wife, Joanna Loudon, on the television series Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
.
Early life and career
Born Mary Frances Luecke in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Frann was a child model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and appeared in commercials for a local television station while she was at Nerinx Hall High School
Nerinx Hall High School
Nerinx Hall High School is a private all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Webster Groves, Missouri, and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.-History:...
. At the age of 18, she was voted Missouri's "Junior Miss." She went on to win the 1961 national title of America's Junior Miss
America's Junior Miss
Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as America's Junior Miss, is a national non-profit organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school senior girls. Depending on the schedule of the various state and local programs, young women are eligible during the summer preceding...
and earned a college scholarship. Frann studied drama at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, and worked as a weather reporter for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
station in St. Louis.
In 1964, Frann made her television debut in an episode of the Kraft Suspense Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre, an anthology series, was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly...
. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Nightmare in Chicago with Carroll O'Connor
Carroll O'Connor
John Carroll O'Connor best known as Carroll O'Connor, was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades...
. In 1966, Frann made her film debut in Nashville Rebel
Nashville Rebel
Nashville Rebel is Waylon Jennings' third album for RCA Victor, released in 1966. It is the soundtrack to the Jay Sheridan film of the same name. It includes a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" from Rubber Soul...
with Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
and Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
. The movie was a commercial failure. Frann would go on to appear in only one more film, 1976's Woman in the Rain, concentrating on television guest spots and roles in television movies.
In 1974, Frann landed the role of Amanda Howard on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. She would remain on the show until 1979. While on Days of our Lives, Frann also made guest appearances on Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, and WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati
WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
. In 1982, Frann starred in the short-lived series King's Crossing
King's Crossing
King's Crossing is a short-lived 1982 nighttime soap opera which aired on ABC from January 16, 1982 to February 27, 1982 for seven episodes.Its roots can be found in the 1980 drama Secrets of Midland Heights, which aired on CBS for eight episodes...
with Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
. Later that year, she landed her most memorable role as Joanna Loudon, the wife of Vermont inn owner Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
), in the popular sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
. The series ran from 1982 to 1990, and was nominated for 25 Emmys
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and five Golden Globes
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
. During the run of Newhart, Frann continued acting in various projects. In 1985, she co-starred in the TV movie Gidget's Summer Reunion, and in 1988, she appeared in Dance 'til Dawn
Dance 'til Dawn
Dance 'til Dawn is a 1988 made for television teen movie directed by Paul Schneider.-Plot:Shelley Sheridan and her jock-boyfriend Kevin McCrea are Herbert Hoover High's most popular students. When she refuses to sleep with him, they break up shortly before their senior prom and are forced to find...
with Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
, Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
, and Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
. Frann also co-hosted the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
and Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
pageants of 1986 and 1987.
Her last acting role came in the series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction is an American television anthology series created by Lynn Lehmann, presented by Dick Clark Productions, and produced and aired by the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. Each episode featured five stories, all of which appeared to defy logic, and some of which were...
. Due to the sporadic airing of the series, the episode she was in, "The Curse of Hampton Manor," aired two years after her death.
Charity work
Outside of her career, Frann was active as a volunteer fund raiser and was involved with charitable worksCharitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
. She was a member of the Celebrity Action Council, a volunteer group of celebrity women who served the women’s outreach of the Los Angeles Mission, for seven years. The night before her death, she had attended a meeting at the Mission where she championed the cause for women in need.
Death
On September 23, 1998, Frann died in her sleep at her home in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. An autopsy later determined that she died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and also suffered from an undiagnosed scarring of the heart muscle tissue. Her remains are interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Nashville Rebel Nashville Rebel Nashville Rebel is Waylon Jennings' third album for RCA Victor, released in 1966. It is the soundtrack to the Jay Sheridan film of the same name. It includes a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" from Rubber Soul... |
Molly Morgan | |
| 1976 | Woman In the Rain | Alternative title: A Hell Black Night | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre Kraft Suspense Theatre Kraft Suspense Theatre, an anthology series, was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly... |
Annette | 1 episode |
| 1968 | Get Smart Get Smart Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt... |
Stewardess | 1 episode |
| That Girl That Girl That Girl is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who had moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City... |
Pat the Secretary | 1 episode | |
| 1969 | Bonanza Bonanza Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the... |
Barbara Parker | 1 episode |
| Lancer Lancer (TV series) Lancer is a 1968-1970 Western television series on CBS, which starred Andrew Duggan, James Stacy, and Wayne Maunder as a father with two half-brother sons, an arrangement similar to the more successful Bonanza on NBC.... |
Dorrie | 1 episode | |
| 1971 | The Bill Cosby Show The Bill Cosby Show The Bill Cosby Show is an American situation comedy that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Cosby's first solo foray in television, after his co-starring role with... |
Louise | 1 episode |
| 1972 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977... |
Joanne | 1 episode |
| Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,... |
Jean Holland | 1 episode | |
| Search Search (TV series) Search is an American science fiction series that aired on Wednesday nights on NBC at 10 pm ET, from September 1972 to August 1973. It ran for 23 episodes, not including the two-hour pilot film originally titled Probe. When picked up for series production, the title had to be changed because Probe... |
Stephanie Burnside | 1 episode | |
| 1973 | Cannon Cannon (TV series) Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad.... |
Janice Rogers | 1 episode |
| 1973–1974 | Return to Peyton Place Return to Peyton Place (TV series) Return to Peyton Place is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from April 3, 1972 to January 4, 1974. The series was a spin-off of the primetime drama series Peyton Place rather than an adaptation of the 1959 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.The storylines from the daytime... |
D. B. Bentley | Unknown episodes |
| 1974 | Apple's Way Apple's Way Apple's Way is a television dramedy which aired on CBS from 1974-1975. It was created by Earl Hamner, Jr..-Premise:The Apples, a family from Los Angeles, seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to the father's hometown of Appleton, Iowa, which was founded by the father's... |
Claudine Delacorte | 1 episode |
| 1974–1979 | Days of our Lives Days of our Lives Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around... |
Amanda Howard | Unknown episodes |
| 1975–1978 | The Rockford Files The Rockford Files The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah... |
Valerie Thomas/Maria Heller Ruth Beetson-White |
2 episodes |
| 1977 | The Fantastic Journey The Fantastic Journey The Fantastic Journey is an American science fiction television series that was originally aired on NBC from February 3 through June 17, 1977.-Premise:... |
Roxanne | 1 episode |
| Quincy, M.E. Quincy, M.E. Quincy, M.E., also called Quincy, is a United States television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC... |
Christine Hopwood | 1 episode | |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island Fantasy Island Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:... |
Grace Arnold | 1 episode |
| The Incredible Hulk | Karen Weiss | 1 episode | |
| 1981 | Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe (1981 TV series) Nero Wolfe is a television series based on the characters in Rex Stout's classic series of detective stories that aired January 16 – August 25, 1981, on NBC. William Conrad fills the role of the detective genius Nero Wolfe, and Lee Horsley is his assistant Archie Goodwin... |
Janet Eaton | 1 episode |
| WKRP in Cincinnati WKRP in Cincinnati WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta... |
Avis Dropkin | 2 episodes | |
| King's Crossing King's Crossing King's Crossing is a short-lived 1982 nighttime soap opera which aired on ABC from January 16, 1982 to February 27, 1982 for seven episodes.Its roots can be found in the 1980 drama Secrets of Midland Heights, which aired on CBS for eight episodes... |
Nan Hollister | 7 episodes | |
| 1982–1990 | Newhart Newhart Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990... |
Joanna Loudon | 184 episodes |
| 1987 | Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion | Abby Bradford | Television movie |
| 1988 | Dance 'Til Dawn Dance 'til Dawn Dance 'til Dawn is a 1988 made for television teen movie directed by Paul Schneider.-Plot:Shelley Sheridan and her jock-boyfriend Kevin McCrea are Herbert Hoover High's most popular students. When she refuses to sleep with him, they break up shortly before their senior prom and are forced to find... |
Nancy Johnson | Television movie |
| 1990 | I'm Dangerous Tonight I'm Dangerous Tonight I'm Dangerous Tonight is a 1990 horror themed television movie directed by Tobe Hooper. It made its debut on the USA Network before being released on home video.-Plot:... |
Martha | Television movie |
| Lucky/Chances Lucky/Chances Lucky Chances is a 1990 television mini-series written by Jackie Collins and based on her bestselling novels Chances and Lucky. It starred Vincent Irizarry, Sandra Bullock, Eric Braeden, Nicollette Sheridan, Anne-Marie Johnson, Phil Morris, David McCallum, Richard Anderson and Robert Duncan McNeill... |
Clementine Duke | Miniseries | |
| 1991 | The Hitchhiker | Veronica | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Brittany Moore | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books... |
Alice White | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder Diagnosis: Murder Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman... |
Lucy Caruso | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction is an American television anthology series created by Lynn Lehmann, presented by Dick Clark Productions, and produced and aired by the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. Each episode featured five stories, all of which appeared to defy logic, and some of which were... |
Bev Conklin | 1 episode |