See index for CTFT sketch: Born in 1943, in St. Louis, MO; died of heart failure, September 23, 1998, in Beverly Hills, CA. Actress and author. Mary Frann was best known during her acting career as the wife of Bob Newhart inthe show Newhart, which featured the couple running a New England bed-and-breakfast establishment. Frann established an interest in acting and entertainment early, working as a child model and doing local TV commercials when she was still in high school. Frann studied acting at Northwestern University. She worked as a weather reporter, a host on a morning news show, and madeguest appearances on TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O. In 1974 Frann played a steady role in a daytime TV show for the next five years. Frann actedon Newhart between 1982-1990 and her role was characterized by a sweetand loving persona. She purposefully took a more flamboyant role after Newhart ended, playing a sultry girlfriend in the TV miniseries Jackie Collin's Lucky/Chances. Though Frann served as a "straightman" among the show's many eccentric characters, Bob Newhart called her "the glue that held everything together."
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES
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