Elizabeth Franz

This article is about the actress. For the neuroscientist, see Elizabeth Franz (scientist).

Elizabeth Franz (born Betty Frankovitch;^[1] 1941^[2]) is an American stage and television actress.

Elizabeth Franz
Born	Betty Frankovitch 1941 (age 83–84) Akron, Ohio
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Edward Binns ​ ​ (m. 1983; died 1990)​

Early years

Franz was born Betty Frankovitch in Akron, Ohio.^[1] Her Serbo-Croatian father, Joe Frankovitch, worked at an Akron, tire factory. Her half Irish, half Native American mother, Harriet, had mental problems that sometimes frightened Franz when she was a child. In childhood she decided to become an actress as a way of releasing emotions that she had to hold in while dealing with her parents.^[3] She had two brothers and a sister, and she graduated from Copley High School in Copley Township, Ohio, in 1959.^[4]

Although her mother never thought Franz would succeed as an actress, she wanted to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and worked as a secretary at Ohio Edison to save enough money to enroll there.^[5] An AADA teacher warned her that despite being a good actress, she might not get roles before she reached age 40.^[3]

Life and career

Billed as Betty Frankovitch, Franz acted at the Weathervane Theater in Akron.^[4] She acted with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis 1968-1970.^[6]

In 2004–05, she appeared at the Royal National Theatre in London, in the Sam Shepard play Buried Child. She has starred in numerous Off-Broadway and regional theater productions, including the American premiere of Frank McGuinness's Bird Sanctuary. She also appeared in Long Day's Journey into Night, The Glass Menagerie, The Comedy of Errors, Madwoman of Chaillot, The Lion in Winter, A View from the Bridge, The Matchmaker, The Wizard of Oz, Great Expectations, The Model Apartment, and Woman in Mind.

Her "subtly layered performance" as Grandma Kurnitz in the 2017 Weston Playhouse Theatre Company production of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers was duly noted by Rutland Herald critic Jim Lowe, who deemed Franz's portrayal the "dramatic backbone" of the production, "allowing only traces of the octogenarian's love and humanity to seep through."^[7]

Franz's Tony-winning performance as Linda Loman in the 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman proved a revelation to audiences and author alike, as evidenced by Miller's brief but pointed tribute.

She has discovered in the role the basic underlying powerful protectiveness, which comes out as fury, and that in the past, in every performance that I know of, was simply washed out.^[8]

On television, Franz is most notably a character actor. She became best known for her role as the villainous Alma Rudder on Another World, which she portrayed from 1982–83, while she was performing Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway. She played Helen Wendall on As the World Turns from 1994–95, and appeared as free-spirited beauty salon owner Marsha in three episodes of Roseanne.

She appeared in the series Gilmore Girls, as the inn owner, Mia, and in Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Cold Case, Dear John and Judging Amy.

She has appeared in such feature films and motion pictures as Sabrina, Christmas with the Kranks, The Substance of Fire, The Pallbearer, Thinner, The Secret of My Success, School Ties and Jacknife.

Personal life

Franz married actor Edward Binns in 1983, and they remained wed until his death in 1990.^[3]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	The Secret of My Success	Grace Foster
1989	Jacknife	Pru Buckman
1992	School Ties	Jane Dillon
1993	It's Nothing Personal	Unknown
1995	Sabrina	Joanna
1996	The Pallbearer	Aunt Lucille
	The Substance of Fire	Miss Barzakian
	Thinner	Leda Rossington
	Twisted	Mrs. Bundrass
1999	A Fish in the Bathtub	Bea Greenberg
2004	Christmas with the Kranks	Bev Scheel
	Loopy	Doris Highsmith	Short Film
2005	The Reader	Sissel	Short Film
2009	In Memoriam	Woman	Short Film
	Alone	Sarah	Short Film
2015	Take Me to the River	Evelyn

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	The House of Mirth	Grace Stepney	TV movie
1982	American Playhouse	Doctor	Episode: "Pilgrim, Farewell"
1982	Another World	Alma Rudder	Episode: "July 30, 1982"
1985	Spenser: For Hire	Mrs. O'Rourke	Episode: "Original Sin"
1986	American Playhouse	Mrs. Rice	Episode: "The Rise and Rise and Daniel Rocket"
1987	The Equalizer	Mrs. Thomas	Episode: "Blood and Wine"
1987	American Playhouse	Dottie McCann	Episode: "Dottie"
1989	ABC Afterschool Special	Cecile Nelson	Episode: "A Town's Revenge"
1989	American Playhouse	Unknown	Episode: "Love and Other Sorrows"
1990	Roseanne	Marsha	3 episodes
1991	Face of a Stranger		TV movie
1993	Shameful Secrets	Maryanne's Mother	TV movie
1994–1995	Sisters	Gladys Lear	2 episodes
1995	ABC Afterschool Special	Alice Kelly	Episode: "Notes for My Daughter"
2000	Death of a Salesman	Linda Loman	TV movie
2000–2001	Judging Amy	Vivian Galloway	2 episodes
2001	A Girl Thing	Josephine McCormack	TV movie
2001	Gilmore Girls	Mia	Episode: "The Ins and Outs of Inns"
2003	Cold Case	Evelyn Shelby	Episode: "Look Again" (S1.E1)
	An Unexpected Love	Dorothy	TV movie
2004	Law & Order	Alison Bishop	Episode: "Married with Children"
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Jeannette Henley	Episode: "Scavenger" (S6.E4)
2011	Homeland	Isabel Samler	Episode: "Marine One"
2012	Grey's Anatomy	Emma Carroll	Episode: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1982	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Play	Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You	Nominated
1983	Tony Awards	Best Featured Actress in a Play	Brighton Beach Memoirs	Nominated
1990	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special	ABC Afterschool Special	Nominated
1999	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Play	Death of a Salesman	Nominated
1999	Tony Awards	Best Featured Actress in a Play	Death of a Salesman	Won
2000	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	Death of a Salesman	Nominated
2001	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	Death of a Salesman	Nominated
2002	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play	Morning's at Seven	Nominated
2002	Tony Awards	Best Featured Actress in a Play	Morning's at Seven	Nominated