Fran Drescher

Blessed with one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment, Fran Drescher rose to fame by being her authentic self, in the most literal sense: her crowning achievement was a sitcom in which she played a Jewish beautician from Queens. In real life, Drescher was a Jewish beautician from Queens. In the ensuing years, Drescher has revealed deeper sides of her personality, advocating for gay rights, sharing her past as a survivor of rape, and turning a battle with uterine cancer into a rallying cry for better healthcare for women. Not bad for a Jewish beautician from Queens. Born in Flushing, Queens, Drescher fell in love with performing at an early age. However, when all the acting classes at Queens College were filled, she instead applied to cosmetology school. In 1978, she married Peter Marc Jacobson, a producer/writer/director/actor, and the pair moved to L.A. Drescher's first onscreen appearance was a cameo as a dancer in "Saturday Night Fever" (1978). Throughout the eighties, Drescher made a number of appearances in film and television, most notably a scene-stealing turn as publicist Bobbi Flekman in "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984). Her big break came in 1993 when she and Jacobson created a sitcom that catapulted her to superstardom. "The Nanny" (CBS, 1993-99) starred Drescher as Fran Fine, a gaudy Queens beautician who cons her way into becoming caregiver to the three children of a stuffy, widowed Broadway producer. With her massive hairdos, high-pitched nasal voice, and infectious goat-like laugh, "The Nanny" made Drescher into a household name overnight. Over six seasons, she was nominated for a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and an American Comedy Award. She also got the opportunity to work with big name directors like Francis Ford Coppola on "Jack" (1996), and Woody Allen on "Picking Up the Pieces" (2000). After "The Nanny" ended in 1999, Drescher found herself at a crossroads: she and Jacobson divorced that year, though they would continue to be close friends and business partners. She was also dealing with unspecified health issues, and after months of examinations by doctors, she was finally diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000, which required an immediate radical hysterectomy. Drescher later wrote a book, Cancer Schmancer (2002), about her experiences, and in 2007 founded the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit to raise awareness about women's health. Now cancer-free, Drescher returned to television, first with a new sitcom, "Living with Fran" (The CW, 2005-06), and then with her own daytime talk show, "The Fran Drescher Show" (FOX, 2010). Unsurprisingly, her biggest success came when she reunited with her ex-husband and "Nanny" co-creator, Peter Marc Jacobson, who since splitting with Drescher had come out as gay. "Happily Divorced" (TV Land, 2011-13) starred Drescher as a florist who is best friends with her gay ex-husband, played by John Michael Higgins. The show was well-received by critics and lasted for three seasons. On the big screen, Drescher voiced Eunice for four different iterations of the "Hotel Transylvania" (2012) franchise. Drescher was next seen starring in Dan Levy's network sitcom "Indebted" (NBC, 2020-).