Frances Bay
Biography
Frances Bay was a character actress and comedian whose film, television, and radio career lasted 80 years. Born in Mannville, Alberta, and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba, she began in the 1930s as a radio actress, hosted a Canadian Broadcasting Company program for service members during the war, and studied acting with Uta Hagen. She came back to acting in the 1970s in her mid-fifties, taking a small part in Foul Play (1978), and her first major television appearance was as Fonzie's grandmother on Happy Days. David Lynch cast her as an aunt in Blue Velvet (1986) and brought her back for Wild at Heart and Twin Peaks. Her later films included In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996), and Inspector Gadget (1999). She won a Gemini Award for Road to Avonlea and appeared as Aunt Ginny on The Middle. Canada's Walk of Fame inducted her in 2008.
92years old at death
- Born Winnipeg
- Died Tarzana
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Also credited as Frances Evelyn Bay
Movie Career
- Films
- 24
- Career span
- 27 years1978 to 2005
First and latest
Did you know?!
A change of course
Bay returned to acting in her mid-fifties after a long break, starting with a small part in the 1978 comedy Foul Play starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase.
Frances Bay movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Stuart Gordon directed two of these films. Five actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Jeffrey Combs's page
Peter Jason's page
Kenneth Tobey's page
Bernie Casey's page
Richard Kiel's page
All films by Stuart Gordon
Box office
What Frances Bay's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$502 million
12 of the 24 films have a worldwide figure, in dollars of the day.
Of the 24 films: 12 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 5 figure not found.
- 12Worldwide figure
- 4US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
- 5Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 94% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$134M26.7% of the total
- 2$95M18.8% of the total
- 3$53M10.6% of the total
- 4$48M9.6% of the total
- 5$45M9.0% of the total
- 6$41M8.2% of the total
- 7$39M7.8% of the total
- 8$15M3.0% of the total
$31.6 millionfrom the other 4 films with a worldwide figure, 6% of the total
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2008 | Canada's Walk of Fame | Honored | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.