Fran Drescher

Francine Joy Drescher is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former trade union leader. Born on September 30, 1957, she is best known for portraying Fran Fine in the television sitcom The Nanny, a series she co-created and produced alongside her then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson. During her career, she has performed across film, television, stage, and voice work, and served as the president of the trade union SAG-AFTRA.

Drescher was raised in Queens, New York City, by her mother, Sylvia, a bridal consultant, and her father, Morty, a naval systems analyst. She grew up in a Jewish family alongside her older sister, Nadine. In 1973, she was first runner-up for Miss New York Teenager. She attended Parsons Junior High School and Hillcrest High School, graduating in 1975. She subsequently enrolled at Queens College, City University of New York, but dropped out during her first year to attend cosmetology school with Jacobson, whom she married in 1978. The couple later divorced in 1999.

Drescher made her feature film debut with a small role as Connie in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. She subsequently appeared in movies such as American Hot Wax, Summer of Fear, and Ragtime. Throughout the 1980s, she built a career as a comedic character actress in films including Gorp, The Hollywood Knights, Doctor Detroit, This Is Spinal Tap, UHF, The Big Picture, and Cadillac Man. She also made guest appearances on television series such as Who's the Boss?, Night Court, and ALF, and co-starred in the 1991 sitcom Princesses.

In 1993, Drescher achieved widespread popularity starring as Fran Fine in CBS's The Nanny. Her work on the show earned her nominations for two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Television Series over its run from 1993 to 1999. During this period, she appeared in films including Jack, The Beautician and the Beast—which she executive produced—and Picking Up the Pieces. She later lent her voice to animated projects, including Shark Bait and the Hotel Transylvania film series from 2012 to 2022.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Drescher returned to television starring in the sitcoms Living with Fran, Happily Divorced, and Indebted, as well as hosting The Fran Drescher Tawk Show in 2010. She made her Broadway debut in 2014 as stepmother Madame in Cinderella. She also partnered with Jacobson to write the book for a stage musical adaptation of The Nanny.

Drescher was elected president of SAG-AFTRA in September 2021 and assumed office on October 15, 2021. She led the union through a five-month actors' strike starting in July 2023 and was re-elected to a second term that August. In July 2024, she led a strike against major video game publishers, which concluded in July 2025 following a ratified agreement. In August 2025, she declined to seek another term as union president and endorsed Sean Astin as her successor.

In her personal life, Drescher survived an armed home invasion in 1985. In June 2000, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent a radical hysterectomy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, later writing about her experience in her book Cancer Schmancer. In 2014, she participated in a spiritual marriage ceremony with Shiva Ayyadurai, from whom she separated two years later.