Elizabeth Franz

Elizabeth Franz was an American stage, television, and film actress. Born in Akron, Ohio, she trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and acted at the Weathervane Theater in Akron billed as Betty Frankovitch. She performed with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1968 to 1970 and later appeared in many Off-Broadway and regional productions, including a production of Frank McGuinness's Bird Sanctuary. She won a Tony for her portrayal of Linda Loman in a 50th anniversary staging of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. On television, she was known for playing Alma Rudder on Another World from 1982 to 1983 and Helen Wendall on As the World Turns from 1994 to 1995, and she appeared in Roseanne, Gilmore Girls, and Law & Order. Her films included Sabrina (1995), The Secret of My Success (1987), School Ties (1992), Jacknife (1989), Thinner (1996), The Pallbearer (1996), and Christmas with the Kranks (2004).