Honey West (1965-1966) as Honey West / Pandora Fox
Short Info
Date Of Birth
September 16, 1930
Died
January 2, 2011, Santa Barbara, California, United States
Spouse
Robert Abeloff, Bamlet Lawrence Price Jr.
Mark
Deep sultry voice
Fact
1953 Deb Star.
Anne Francis was an American actress best known for her role in the film noir classic “Bad Day at Black Rock” and the television series “Honey West. ” Francis was born on September 16, 1930, in Ossining, New York, the daughter of Margaret (née Keane) and Edward Aloysius Francis. Her father was a successful businessman, and her mother was a homemaker. Francis had two sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth. She was educated at the Sacred Heart Convent in Ossining and the Marymount School in Tarrytown, New York. After graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting.
Francis made her film debut in 1949 with a small role in the comedy “So Young, So Bad. ” She went on to appear in a number of films throughout the 1950s, including “The Flame and the Arrow” (1950), “The Black Shield of Falworth” (1954), and “Forbidden Planet” (1956). In 1955, she starred in the film noir classic “Bad Day at Black Rock” opposite Spencer Tracy. The following year, she appeared in the Western “The Searchers” with John Wayne. In 1957, Francis was cast as the titular character in the television series “Honey West.
” The show ran for one season and was cancelled due to low ratings. Francis continued to work steadily in film and television throughout her career. Some of her later roles include “The Love Boat” (1977), “Fantasy Island” (1978), and “Murder, She Wrote” (1984). Francis died of natural causes on January 2, 2011, at the age of 80. ..
General Info
Full Name
Anne Francis
Date Of Birth
September 16, 1930
Died
January 2, 2011, Santa Barbara, California, United States
Place Of Birth
Ossining, New York, United States
Height
1.73 m
Profession
Actor, Model
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Robert Abeloff, Bamlet Lawrence Price Jr.
Children
Jane Elizabeth Abeloff, Margaret Francis West
Parents
Edith Francis, Philip Francis
Accomplishments
Awards
Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Female
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Movies
Forbidden Planet, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, Funny Girl, So Young, So Bad, Susan Slept Here, Dreamboat, The Satan Bug, Rogue Cop, Hook, Line & Sinker, The Rack, Girl of the Night, The Love God?, A Lion Is in the Streets, More Dead Than Alive, Don't Go Near the Water, Lydia Bailey, The...
TV Shows
Dallas, Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, Riptide, Honey West
[After her character was discontinued on "Riptide" (1984)] I don't think the networks give much consideration about women on action shows. I think networks feel that women are mindless creatures, and they have no place on this kind of show.
2
Most young blondes in those days [1950s] were not taken too seriously. I had wanted to work on a project [directing] all my own from beginning to end for many years. I had managers who said, "Look, you're an actress. You're not supposed to do that other business". And now I look at all the women today who are doing it, and no one's batting an eyelash.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Actually took karate lessons while starring in the TV series Honey West (1965).
The alleged "feud" between Anne and Barbra Streisand with Anne blaming Barbra over her role as Follies chorine Georgia James being cut down to a glorified extra part was over exaggerated. In truth, writer Isobel Lennart tried to incorporate the Georgia character into the stage version back in the early 1960s and it was also cut entirely. The Georgia role was largely reduced because it veered away from the Brice story, but it was not at Streisand's urging. Streisand also did not have final say over film cuts, director William Wyler did. Anne apologized to Barbra in 2002 on her official website claiming her publicist instigated the "feud" by crediting Barbra with certain remarks.
5
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1611 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
6
Retired from acting in 2004 after less than 60 years in the motion picture industry.
7
She has no grave; she was cremated and her ashes are in the possession of family.
8
First husband, Bamlet Lawrence Price Jr. was a former UCLA student who was working on a film project entitled One Way Ticket to Hell (1955). As part of their divorce settlement, he repaid her the $4,000 he borrowed for this film. She had one daughter, Jane Elizabeth, by her second husband, Dr. Robert Abeloff, a dentist. Each marriage lasted about three years.
9
Long involved with the International New Thought Alliance, a metaphysical religious organization.
10
Has two daughters, Jane Elizabeth Abeloff (born March 21, 1962) and Margaret Francis West. Margaret was adopted in May of 1970. The adoption was one of the first granted to a single parent in the state of California. Jane Elizabeth was born with the same trade mark mole as her mother.
11
A longtime rodeo fan, she wrote and directed the short subject film Gemini Rising (1968).
Not only participated in radio programs early in her career, but she also regularly appeared on one of New York's first television stations before World War II. The CBS-owned station used television cameras from the Farnsworth Corporation because RCA, the only other U.S. manufacturer of television equipment, was affiliated with NBC. Her participation included an early experiment with color television.
14
1953 Deb Star.
15
Interviewed in Tom Weaver's book "They Fought in the Creature Features" (McFarland & Co., 1995).
16
Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007, despite having quit smoking nearly twenty years earlier. She immediately underwent chemotherapy and had surgery to remove the upper lobe of her right lung.
17
Had part of her right lung removed in her battle with lung cancer [February 8, 2008].
18
Stage: Appeared as the "young" Gertrude Lawrence in the original Broadway production of "Lady in the Dark".
