Frances Sternhagen | |
|---|---|
 Sternhagen in 1962 | |
| Born | (1930-01-13)January 13, 1930 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | November 27, 2023(2023-11-27) (aged 93) New Rochelle, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Vassar College Catholic University of America Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1951–2014 |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | John M. Sternhagen (father) |
Frances Hussey Sternhagen (January 13, 1930 – November 27, 2023) was an American actress. She was known as acharacter actress who appearedon- andoff-Broadway, in movies, and on television for over six decades.[1] Sternhagen received numerous accolades, including twoTony Awards, aDrama Desk Award, and aSaturn Award, as well as nominations for threePrimetime Emmy Awards.
Sternhagen gained acclaim for her extensive career on theBroadway stage. She made her debut inThe Skin of Our Teeth (1955). She went on to receive twoTony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performances as various characters inNeil Simon's comedic playThe Good Doctor (1973) and as Lavinia Penniman inRuth and Augustus Goetz's dramatic playThe Heiress (1995). Her other Tony-nominated roles were forThe Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (1972),Equus (1975),Angel (1978),On Golden Pond (1979), andMorning's at Seven (2002).
She gained prominence and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her recurring roles asEsther Clavin in theNBCsitcomCheers (1986–1993) and Bunny MacDougal in theHBO seriesSex and the City (2000–2002). She also had recurring roles in theNBC medical dramaER (1994–2009), and theTNT seriesThe Closer (2006–2012). Sternhagen acted in numerous films, includingThe Hospital (1971),Starting Over (1979),Misery (1990), andJulie & Julia (2009).
Frances Hussey Sternhagen was born in Washington, DC, on January 13, 1930.[2][3] Her father was tax court judgeJohn M. Sternhagen and her mother was a homemaker who served as a nurse duringWorld War I.[2] She was educated at theMadeira andPotomac Schools inMcLean, Virginia.[2] AtVassar College, she was elected head of the Drama Club "after silencing a giggling college crowd at a campus dining hall with her interpretation of a scene fromRichard II, playing none other than Richard himself". She attended theCatholic University of America as a graduate student. She also studied at the Perry Mansfield School of the Theatre, and at New York City'sNeighborhood Playhouse.[1]
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Sternhagen started her career teaching acting, singing, and dancing to school children at theMilton Academy inMassachusetts, and she first performed in 1948 at aBryn Mawr summer theater inThe Glass Menagerie andAngel Street.[1] She went on to work at Washington'sArena Stage from 1953 to 1954, then made her Broadway debut in 1955 as Miss T. Muse inThe Skin of Our Teeth.[4] The same year, she had her off-Broadway debut inThieves' Carnival, and her TV debut inThe Great Bank Robbery onOmnibus (CBS). By the following year, she had won her firstObie Award for "Distinguished Performance (Actress)" inThe Admirable Bashville (1955–56).[5]
Sternhagen made her film debut inUp the Down Staircase (1967).[6] Following this, she worked periodically in Hollywood. She had character roles in thePaddy Chayefsky-writtenThe Hospital (1971),Two People (1973), andBilly Wilder'sFedora (1978). Sternhagen appeared as the daughter in the original 1971 Broadway production ofEdward Albee'sAll Over withColleen Dewhurst andJessica Tandy. She worked for many years in soap operas, such asAnother World,The Secret Storm,Love of Life, andThe Doctors, and she played two roles onOne Life to Live. She is also recognized as Mrs. Marsh from a series of television commercials forColgate toothpaste that aired in the 1970s.
Sternhagen won aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1974 for the original Broadway production ofNeil Simon'sThe Good Doctor.[7] She was also nominated for Tony Awards in that decade for her roles inLorraine Hansberry'sThe Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (1972),Equus (1975), the musicalAngel (1978), which was based onThomas Wolfe'sLook Homeward, Angel, andOn Golden Pond (1979).[7] She was also nominated for theDrama Desk Award forOutstanding Actress in a Play in 1979 forOn Golden Pond.
Sternhagen portrayed the title character in 1988'sPulitzer Prize-winning dramaDriving Miss Daisy, which was originated byDana Ivey atPlaywrights Horizons in New York City. Sternhagen took over the role after the show moved to theJohn Houseman Theatre and played it for more than two years.
During this time, Sternhagen appeared asCharles Durning's strong-willed wife inStarting Over (1979) withBurt Reynolds andJill Clayburgh, the acerbic and tough-as-nails Dr. Marian Lazarus oppositeSean Connery inOutland (1981), a turn that garnered her aSaturn Award forBest Supporting Actress, and played roles inBright Lights, Big City (1988) andDoc Hollywood (1991), both alongsideMichael J. Fox. Sternhagen's work as Sheriff Buster's (Richard Farnsworth) wife Deputy Virginia inRob Reiner'sMisery (1990), an adaptation ofStephen King's1987novel of the same name, and her performance as Dr. Lynn Waldheim inBrian De Palma's 1992 psychological horror-thrillerRaising Cain garnered her two more career Saturn Award nominations forBest Supporting Actress. Sternhagen also playedFarrah Fawcett's mother inSee You in the Morning (1989). She may be best known to TV audiences as Esther Clavin, mother ofJohn Ratzenberger's Boston postman characterCliff Clavin, on the long-running seriesCheers, which she played from 1986 to 1993. For her performance, she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.[2]
Sternhagen won a second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1995 for the revival ofThe Heiress. She received her seventh and final Tony Award nomination for the 2002 revival ofPaul Osborn'sMorning's at Seven. Sternhagen's later television roles included Millicent Carter onER; Bunny MacDougal, mother ofCharlotte's first husbandTrey, onSex and the City (another Emmy Award nomination); a memorable Willie Rae Johnson (mother ofBrenda Leigh Johnson, played byKyra Sedgwick) onThe Closer; andLaw & Order, among other network dramas and sitcoms. She recorded a voice-over for a May 2002 episode ofThe Simpsons ("The Frying Game").
In the summer of 2005, she starred in theBroadway production ofSteel Magnolias along withMarsha Mason,Delta Burke,Christine Ebersole,Lily Rabe, andRebecca Gayheart. She also starred in the 2005 revival ofEdward Albee'sSeascape, produced byLincoln Center Theater at the Booth Theater on Broadway. She received Drama Desk Award nominations in 1998 for a revival ofEugene O'Neill'sLong Day's Journey into Night (which starred her own son, Paul Carlin, as her character's son, Jamie Tyrone) for theIrish Repertory Theatre[8] and in 2005 for theWorld War I dramaEchoes of the War.[1] In 2013, Sternhagen was awarded theObie Award for Lifetime Achievement.[9] She is included in theNew Rochelle Walk of Fame.[citation needed] Her final film roles included Irene Reppler, one of the numerous local townfolk trapped in a supermarket, inFrank Darabont's horror-chillerThe Mist (2007), real-lifeJoy of Cooking authorIrma Rombauer inJulie & Julia (2009), Clearwater Aquarium owner Gloria Forrest inDolphin Tale (2011), and in her final screen appearance, Claire in theRob Reiner romantic comedyAnd So It Goes (2014) starringMichael Douglas andDiane Keaton.
Sternhagen metThomas A. Carlin while in graduate school and was married to him from 1956 until his death in 1991; the couple had four sons and two daughters.[10]
Sternhagen was a longtime resident ofNew Rochelle, New York.[2] She died at home November 27, 2023, at age 93.[2][11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Up the Down Staircase | Charlotte Wolf | |
| 1967 | The Tiger Makes Out | Lady On Bus | |
| 1971 | The Hospital | Mrs. Cushing | |
| 1973 | Two People | Mrs. McCluskey | |
| 1978 | Fedora | Miss Balfour | |
| 1979 | Starting Over | Marva Potter | |
| 1981 | Outland | Dr. Marian Lazarus | |
| 1983 | Independence Day | Carla Taylor | |
| 1983 | Romantic Comedy | Blanche Dailey | |
| 1988 | Bright Lights, Big City | Clara Tillinghast | |
| 1989 | Communion | Dr. Janet Duffy | |
| 1989 | See You in the Morning | Neenie | |
| 1990 | Sibling Rivalry | Rose Turner | |
| 1990 | Misery | Deputy Virginia | |
| 1991 | Doc Hollywood | Lillian | |
| 1991 | Walking the Dog | Antique Dealer | Short film |
| 1992 | Raising Cain | Dr. Lynn Waldheim | |
| 1998 | It All Came True | Amy | |
| 2000 | Midnight Gospel | Ruth | Short film |
| 2001 | Landfall | Emily Thornton | |
| 2001 | The Rising Place | Ruth Wilder | |
| 2002 | Highway | Mrs. Murray | |
| 2007 | The Mist | Irene Reppler | |
| 2009 | Julie & Julia | Irma Rombauer | |
| 2011 | Dolphin Tale | Gloria Forrest | |
| 2014 | And So It Goes | Claire |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Westinghouse Studio One | Betty | Episode: "The Arena" |
| 1957 | Westinghouse Studio One | Mary | Episode: "My Mother and How She Undid Me" |
| 1957 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | Elizabeth Barnes | Episode: "The House" |
| 1959 | Play of the Week | Eva | Episode: "Thieves Carnival" |
| 1961 | Play of the Week | Unknown | Episode: "In a Garden" |
| 1962 | The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe | Theatre-Goer | TV movie |
| 1962 | The Nurses | Mrs. Harris | Episode: "The Lady Made of Stone" |
| 1964 | The Defenders | Louise Kiley | Episode: "May Day! May Day!" |
| 1964 | Profiles in Courage | Miss Koeller | Episode: "Mary S. McDowell" |
| 1967 | NET Playhouse | Unknown | Episode: "Infancy and Childhood" |
| 1967 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Abigail | Episode: "Soldier in Love" |
| 1967–1968 | Love of Life | Toni Prentiss Davis | TV series |
| 1970 | The Doctors | Phyllis Corrigan | TV series |
| 1971 | NET Playhouse | Unknown | Segment: "Foul!" |
| 1971 | Another World | Jane Overstreet | TV series |
| 1972 | Great Performances | Wilma Atkins | Episode: "The Rimers of Eldritch" |
| 1974 | The Secret Storm | Jessie Reddin | TV series |
| 1974 | Great Performances | Paulina | Episode: "Enemies" |
| 1977 | The Andros Targets | Mrs. Mason | Episode: "In the Event of My Death" |
| 1978 | Who'll Save Our Children? | Nellie Henderson | TV movie |
| 1980 | Mother and Daughter: The Loving War | Mrs. Lloyd | TV movie |
| 1980 | The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg | Mary Richards | TV short |
| 1983 | Prototype | Dorothy Forrester | TV movie |
| 1984 | The Dining Room | Various | TV movie |
| 1985 | Spencer | Millie Sprague | 7 episodes |
| 1986 | Resting Place | Eudora McCallister | TV movie |
| 1986–1993 | Cheers | Esther Clavin | 7 episodes |
| 1987 | At Mother's Request | Berenice Bradshaw | TV movie |
| 1987 | Once Again | Esther | TV movie |
| 1990 | Follow Your Heart | Cloe Sixbury | TV movie |
| 1991 | American Experience | (voice) | Episode: "Coney Island" |
| 1991 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Dora | Episode: "Here's a High Dive Into a Shallow Pool" |
| 1991 | Golden Years | Gina Williams | 7 episodes |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Margaret Langdon | Episode: "The Serpent's Tooth" |
| 1992 | She Woke Up | Noelle | TV movie |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Effie Gluckman | Episode: "None But the Lonely Heart" |
| 1993 | Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story [sv] | Mary Rafferty | TV movie |
| 1994 | Vault of Horror I | Unknown | TV movie |
| 1994 | The Road Home | Charlotte Babineaux | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Reunion [it] | Tobie Yates | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Jean Anderson | Episode: "The Choice" |
| 1997 | Law & Order | Estelle Muller | Episode: "Legacy" |
| 1997–2003 | ER | Millicent Carter | 21 episodes |
| 1998 | The Con | Hadabelle | TV movie |
| 1998 | To Live Again | Constance Holmes | TV movie |
| 2000–2002 | Sex and the City | Bunny MacDougal | 10 episodes |
| 2002 | The Laramie Project | Marge Murray | TV movie |
| 2002 | The Simpsons | Mrs. Bellamy (voice) | Episode: "The Frying Game" |
| 2004 | Becker | Naomi | Episode: "Subway Story" |
| 2006–2012 | The Closer | Willie Rae Johnson | 15 episodes |
| 2012 | Parenthood | Blanche Braverman | Episode: "Road Trip" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | The Skin of Our Teeth | Miss T. Muse | |
| 1955 | The Carefree Tree | Widow Yang | |
| 1960 | Viva Madison Avenue! | Dee Jones | |
| 1962 | Great Day in the Morning | Alice McAnany | |
| 1965–1966 | The Right Honourable Gentleman | Mrs. Ashton Dilke | |
| 1967 | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | |
| 1967–1969 | You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running | Harriet / Edith / Muriel (standby) | |
| 1968–1969 | The Cocktail Party | Lavinia Chamberlayne | |
| 1969 | Cock-A-Doodle Dandy | Loreleen | |
| 1970 | Blood Red Roses | Various (standby) | |
| 1971 | The Playboy of the Western World | Widow Quin | |
| 1971 | All Over | The Daughter / The Mistress (standby) | |
| 1971 | Mary Stuart | Mary Stuart /Queen Elizabeth (understudy) | |
| 1972 | The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window | Mavis Parodus Bryson | |
| 1972 | Enemies | Paulina | |
| 1973–1974 | The Good Doctor | Performer | |
| 1974–1977 | Equus | Dora Strang | |
| 1978 | Angel | Eliza Gant | |
| 1979–1980 | On Golden Pond | Ethel Thayer | |
| 1981 | The Father | Laura | |
| 1981–1982 | Grown Ups | Helen | |
| 1983–1984 | You Can't Take It with You | Penelope Sycamore | |
| 1985 | Home Front | Maurine | |
| 1993 | A Perfect Ganesh | Margaret | |
| 1995 | The Heiress | Lavinia Penniman | |
| 1998 | Long Day's Journey into Night | Mary Cavan Tyrone | |
| 1999 | The Exact Center of the Universe | Vada Love Powell | |
| 2002 | Morning's at Seven | Ida Bolton | |
| 2004 | Echoes of the War | Mrs. Dowey | |
| 2005 | Steel Magnolias | Clairee | |
| 2005–2006 | Seascape | Nancy | |
| 2013 | The Madrid | Rose |
…actor Frances Sternhagen in 1930 (age 91)…
