Frances Lee McCain

Last updated

Frances Lee McCain
Frances Lee McCain 1977.JPG
McCain in 1977
Born
Other namesLee McCain
OccupationActress
Years active1969–present
SpouseMark Wheeler

Frances Lee McCain is an American actress.

Early life and education

McCain was born in York, Pennsylvania and grew up in New York, Illinois and Colorado in addition to California. [1] She graduated from Ripon College with a BA in Philosophy and then studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. [2] She completed a master's degree in psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2000.

Contents

Acting career

She returned to New York City where she appeared on Broadway in Woody Allen's Play it Again Sam , and off-Broadway in Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky , creating the role of Carol. [3] She joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco under William Ball and played a variety of roles in repertory.

Apple's Way TV show (1974–1975) and other 1970s work

She began her career in film and television after appearing opposite Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway in A Streetcar Named Desire , eventually co-starring with Ronny Cox as the female lead in the television series, CBS-TV's Apple's Way in 1974. She appeared in a variety of television series and miniseries throughout the 1970s, including Washington: Behind Closed Doors and the Quincy ME episode Eye Of The Needle playing a Holistic practitioner, and in "The Rockford Files" 1978 episode "The Prisoner of Rosemont Hall." In 1979, she appeared in Real Life . In 1979, she appeared on ABC in the television series 13 Queens Boulevard .

1980s acting work

In the 1980s, she was cast in several major films, usually playing the mother of a main character. In 1984, she co-starred in the film Gremlins as Lynn Peltzer, the mother of main character, Billy Peltzer. Also that year, she played Ethel McCormack, mother to Kevin Bacon's character, in Footloose . In 1985 she appeared in the film Back to the Future as Stella Baines, the mother of Lorraine Baines (Lea Thompson). In 1986, she played Mrs. Lachance, the mother of Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), in the drama film Stand by Me .

Later work

McCain continued to work in television after relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s and also appeared in Scream (1996), as the mother of Rose McGowan and David Arquette's characters, and Patch Adams (1998).

She earned a master's degree in psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2000, and continued to work in Theater extensively in the San Francisco Area until her relocation to Albuquerque, NM, in 2010. [ citation needed ]

In 2004, McCain initiated a theater project based on oral histories of the blue-collar workers responsible for the building and maintaining of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico which received workshop readings at the Lensic Center for Performing Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

She is an Associate Artist of the ZSpace Studio in San Francisco, and is an ensemble member of the AlterTheater Ensemble in San Rafael, California.[ citation needed ]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1973 The Laughing Policeman Prostitute
1973 The Mod Squad AliceEpisode: "And Once for My Baby"
1973 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law GinaEpisode: "The Second Victim"
1974 The New Perry Mason Laurie HadenEpisode: "The Case of the Violent Valley"
1974 to 1975 Apple's Way Barbara AppleSeries regular; 28 episodes
1975 Doctors' Hospital Annie RobaireEpisode: "But Who Will Bless Thy Daughter Norah?"
1975 The Bob Newhart Show JanetEpisode: "A Matter of Vice-Principal"
1976 Visions JennyEpisode: "The War Widow"
1978 The Rockford Files Leslie CallahanEpisode: "The Prisoner of Rosemont Hall"
1979 Real Life Jeanette Yeager
1981 Honky Tonk Freeway Claire Calo
1982 Tex Mrs. Johnson
1984 Footloose Ethel McCormack
1984 Gremlins Lynn Peltzer [4]
1985 The Rape of Richard Beck Caroline BeckTV movie
1985 Back to the Future Stella Baines
1986 Murder in Three Acts Miss Milray
1986 Stand by Me Mrs. Lachance
1988 It Takes Two Joyce Rogers
1990 The Lookalike Dr. StamosTV movie [4]
1996 Scream Mrs. Riley [4]
1998 Patch Adams Judy
1999 True Crime Mrs. Lowenstein
2018 Ideal Home Doris
2019 Dreamland Teller
2020 The Comeback Trail Marge (Old Actress)
2022 End of the Road Val

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances McDormand</span> American actress and producer

Frances Louise McDormand is an American actress and producer. In a career spanning over four decades, she has gained acclaim for her roles in small-budget independent films. McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". Additionally, she has received three BAFTAs and two Golden Globe Awards. McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura San Giacomo</span> American actress

Laura San Giacomo is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (1990), Crazy Cora in the film Quigley Down Under (1990), Nadine Cross in The Stand (1994), and Maya Gallo on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). A BAFTA and two-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she played the regular role of Rhetta Rodriguez on the drama Saving Grace (2007–2010), and the recurring role of Dr. Grace Confalone on the drama NCIS (2016–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Irving</span> American actress and singer

Amy Davis Irving is an American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Mullally</span> American actress (born 1958)

Megan Mullally is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving four Golden Globe Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Schenkkan</span> American dramatist (born 1953)

Robert Frederic Schenkkan Jr. is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 for his play The Kentucky Cycle and his play All the Way earned the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play. He has three Emmy nominations and one WGA Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheryl Lee</span> German-born American actress

Sheryl Lee is a German-American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson on the 1990 television series Twin Peaks and in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. After completing Twin Peaks, she returned to theater, appearing in the title role of Salome on Broadway opposite Al Pacino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Duffy</span> American actress (born 1951)

Julia Margaret Duffy is an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arye Gross</span> American actor (born 1960)

Arye Gross is an American actor, who has appeared on a variety of television shows in numerous roles, most notably Adam Greene in the ABC sitcom Ellen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Sternhagen</span> American actress (1930–2023)

Frances Hussey Sternhagen was an American actress. She was known as a character actress who appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on television for over six decades. Sternhagen received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award and a Saturn Award, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenne Headly</span> American actress (1955–2017)

Glenne Aimee Headly was an American actress. She was widely known for her roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dick Tracy, and Mr. Holland's Opus. Headly received a Theatre World Award and four Joseph Jefferson Awards and was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusta Dabney</span> American actress (1918–2008)

Augusta Keith Dabney was an American actress known for her roles on many soap operas, such as the wealthy but kindly matriarch Isabelle Alden on the daytime series Loving. She played the role from 1983 to 1987, from 1988 to 1991, and again from 1994 to 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Getz</span> American actor

John William Getz is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films.

Leland Palmer is an American actress, dancer, and singer who has appeared on stage, in motion pictures, and on television. She appeared on Broadway in Bajour (1964), A Joyful Noise (1966) Hello, Dolly!, Applause, and Pippin (1972). Palmer received two Tony Award nominations: in 1967 for featured actress in a musical, and in 1973 for actress in a musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Holtz (actor)</span> American Jewish dialect vaudeville comedian and singer-actor

Louis Holtz was an American vaudevillian, comic actor, and theatrical producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Smith</span> American actress

Lois Arlene Smith is an American character actress whose career spans eight decades. She made her film debut in the 1955 drama film East of Eden, and later played supporting roles in a number of movies, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), Resurrection (1980), Fatal Attraction (1987), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Falling Down (1993), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), Twister (1996), Minority Report (2002), The Nice Guys (2016), Lady Bird (2017), and The French Dispatch (2021).

Joan Croydon was an American stage actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirjana Joković</span> Serbian actress

Mirjana Joković is a Serbian film and stage actress, best known for her role as Natalija Zovkov in Emir Kusturica's Underground (1995). She currently is Director of Performance for Acting and an acting teacher in the Theater Faculty of the California Institute of the Arts near Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Foster</span> American actress

Frances Helen Foster was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition to being an actress, Foster was also an award–winning stage director and a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company. Moreover, in 1955, she became the first African American to appear in a nationally broadcast television commercial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve McVeagh</span> American actress (1919–1997)

Eva Elizabeth "Eve" McVeagh was an American actress of film, television, stage, and radio. Her career spanned 52 years from her first stage role through her last stage appearance. Her roles included leading and supporting parts as well as smaller character roles in which she proved a gifted character actress.

Charles Weldon was an American actor, director, educator, singer, and songwriter. He was the artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company for thirteen years. He was the co-founder of the Alumni of this company, and directed many of their productions. During his career he worked with Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Alfre Woodard, Muhammad Ali, and Oscar Brown Jr.

References

  1. "Frances Lee McCain Pics". Frances Lee McCain Photo Gallery – 2019 – Magazine Pictorials. Movie Stills. Event Photos. Red Carpet Pictures. AllStarPics.Net. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  2. "Frances Lee McCain '66 dishes about theatrical success". Ripon College . January 1, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  3. Berson, Misha (September 16, 1990). "LMTC Brings Back '70s Flop Play No "Lemon' After All: Frances Lee McCain returns to lead revived Wilson work". San Francisco Chronicle . p. 22.
  4. 1 2 3 Young, R. G. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. Hal Leonard. ISBN   978-1-55783-269-6.