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Frances Bay began life as Frances Goffman, the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant father, Max Goffman, and his wife, Ann Averbach. Born in Alberta, Bay grew up in Dauphin, Manitoba, which she considered her home town and where she was introduced to theatre while at school. Acting became her passion after the family moved to Winnipeg in 1937, Bay became enthralled with that city`s leftist New Theatre Group in the 1930s. She was once quoted as saying, “It was when labour unions were struggling to be recognized. I wasn’t a labour sort of person. I’m a middle-class Jewish gal. But this theatre was so exciting.” She acted professionally before the outbreak of World War II and spent the war years working for the CBC as host of the radio show, Everybody’s Program, which was created for service members overseas. She did not begin her long film and television career until 1978 when she was cast in Foul Play starring Goldie Hawn. Bay worked regularly and almost exclusively in the United States, making rare appearances in Canadian productions like Street Legal, The Commish and Road to Avonlea. In the last few years of her life she had a recurring role on ABC`s The Middle, playing Aunt Ginny. Bay was 92 when died of pneumonia. Some sources say she was born in Winnipeg on January 23, 1919.
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
Foul Play (1978)
Head Over Heels (1979)
Topper (TV-1979)
The Attic (1980)
Murder in Texas (TV-1981)
Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)
Callie & Son (1981)
Dream On! (1981)
Buddy Buddy (1981)
Father Murphy (1982)
Double Exposure (1983)
Wings (TV-1983)
Private School (1983)
A Rose for Emily (1983, short)
Second Sight: A Love Story (TV-1984)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The President of Love (TV-1984)
The Eagle and the Bear (TV-1985)
Movers & Shakers (1985)
Amos (TV-1985)
Amazing Stories (1985)
Nomads (1986)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Medium Rare (1987)
Convicted: A Mother`s Story (TV-1987)
Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Police Story: Monster Manor (TV-1988)
Twins (1988)
The Karate Kid, Part III (1989
Wild at Heart (1990)
Arachnophobia (1990)
The Grifters (1990)
The Pit and the Pendulum (1991)
Critters 3 (1991)
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive (TV-1992)
Single White Female (1992)
Inside Monkey Zetterland (1992)
The Neighbor (1993)
The Paper Boy (1994)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Rossini`s Ghost (TV-1996)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Never Too Late (1997)
Never Too Late (1997)
Mitzi & Joe (1997)
Changing Habits (1997)
Sparkler (1997)
Krippendorf`s Tribe (1998)
Goodbye Lover (1998)
Forever Love (TV-1998)
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn (TV-2009)
Inspector Gadget (1999)
The Storyteller (VR-1999, short)
A Day in a Life (2000)
The Operator (2000)
Stranger than Fiction (2000)
Cookies for Harry (2001, short)
Finder`s Fee (2001)
Kiss the Bride (2002)
Frame of Mind (2003)
A Freudian Image (2003, short)
In the Land of Milk and Money (2004)
Annie`s Point (TV-2005)
Oh, Baby (TV-2005)
Edmond (2005)
The Red Scarf (2006, short)
Ring Around the Rosie (VR-2006)
Short on Time (2010, short)
Bare Knuckles (2010)
TV Series – Cast:
By Way of the Stars (mini-series, 1992)
TV Series – Guest appearances:
Hart to Hart (1979, 1980)
The Big Hex of Little Lulu (1981)
The Jeffersons (1981)
The Dukes of Hazzard (1981)
Flamingo Road (1981)
Father Murphy (1982)
Happy Days (1982, 1984)
Lottery! (1983)
Faerie Tale Theatre (1983)
Remington Steele (1983)
Family Ties (1984)
E/R (1984)
Cagney & Lacey (1985)
Fame (1985)
Amazing Stories (1985)
Santa Barbara (1985)
Cheers (1986)
T.J. Hooker (1986)
Hill Street Blues (1986)
Riptide (1986)
Simon & Simon (1986)
Mike Hammer (1986)
Sidekicks (1986)
My Sister Sam (1987)
St. Elsewhere (1987)
The Oldest Rookie (1987)
Houston Knights (1988)
The Golden Girls (1988)
Hunter (1988, 1991)
The Cavanaughs (1989)
Newhart (1989)
Dragnet (1989)
Alien Nation (1990)
ALF (1990)
Normal Life (1990)
Equal Justice (1990)
Tales from the Crypt (1990)
Twin Peaks (1990)
Over My Dead Body (1990)
True Colors (1990)
Father Dowling Mysteries (1990)
Matlock (1991)
Life Goes On (1991, 1992)
Quantum Leap (1992)
Baby Talk (1992)
Who’s the Boss? (1992)
L.A. Law (1992)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
Middle Ages (1992)
Down the Shore (1992)
The Ben Stiller Show (1992)
Empty Nest (1992, 1993)
Street Legal (1993)
Phenom (1994)
Dave’s World (1994)
The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (1994)
The X Files (1994)
Platypus Man (1995)
The Marshal (1995)
The Commish (1995)
The Crew (1995)
Murder, She Wrote (1995)
Courthouse (1995)
Road to Avonlea (1996)
Seinfeld (1996, 1998)
Suddenly Susan (1997)
Life with Roger (1997)
Diagnosis Murder (1997)
Players (1997)
Clueless (1998)
C-16: FBI (1998)
Beyond Belief (1998)
Da Vinci’s Inquest (1999)
The Hughleys (1998, 1999, 2000)
ER (2001)
Passions (2001)
Bob Patterson (2001)
Charmed (2002)
My Wife and Kids (2002)
Presidio Med (2002)
Hannah Montana (2006)
Cavemen (2007)
Grey’s Anatomy (2009)
The Middle (2009, 2010, 2011)
Northernstars.ca is published by the Canadian Independent Visual
and Digital Media Association – A nonprofit corporation.
Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1X7
First published as Northernstars.net February 1, 1998
ISSN 2563 4895
