View source for Fran Drescher

{{Short description|American actress and writer (born 1957)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Fran Drescher
| image               = Fran Drescher 2018.jpg
| caption             = Drescher in 2018
| office              = 3rd [[SAG-AFTRA#Leadership history|National President of SAG–AFTRA]]
| term_start          = October 15, 2021
| term_end            = September 12, 2025
| predecessor         = [[Gabrielle Carteris]]
| successor           = [[Sean Astin]] 
| birth_name          = Francine Joy Drescher
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1957|9|30}}
| birth_place         = [[New York City]], U.S.
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actress|writer|trade unionist}}
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{Marriage|[[Peter Marc Jacobson]]|1978|1999|reason=div}}
| partner             = [[Shiva Ayyadurai]] (2014–2016)
| education           = [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College, CUNY]] (no degree)
| signature           = Fran Drescher signature.svg
| signature_alt       = Fran Drescher
}}
'''Francine Joy Drescher''' (born September 30, 1957) is an American actress, writer and former [[trade union]] leader. She played [[Fran Fine]] in the television sitcom ''[[The Nanny]]'' (1993–1999), which she created and produced with her then-husband [[Peter Marc Jacobson]].

Drescher made her screen debut with a small role in the 1977 film ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' and later appeared in ''[[American Hot Wax]]'' (1978) and [[Wes Craven]]'s horror film ''[[Stranger in Our House]]'' (1978). In the 1980s, she worked as a comedic actress in the films ''[[Gorp (film)|Gorp]]'' (1980), ''[[The Hollywood Knights]]'' (1980), ''[[Doctor Detroit]]'' (1983), ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'' (1984), and ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'' (1989), and made guest appearances on several television series.

In 1993, she achieved wider fame as Fran Fine in her own sitcom vehicle ''The Nanny'', for which she was nominated for two [[Emmy Award]]s and two [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Television Series]] during the show's run. In the 2000s, Drescher starred in the sitcoms ''[[Living with Fran]]'' and ''[[Happily Divorced]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fran-drescher-comedy-happily-divorced-613711 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | first=Lesley | last=Goldberg | title=Fran Drescher Comedy 'Happily Divorced' Canceled at TV Land | date=August 23, 2013 | access-date=August 24, 2013 | archive-date=April 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411125529/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fran-drescher-comedy-happily-divorced-613711 | url-status=live}}</ref> From 2012 to 2022, she starred in the animated [[Hotel Transylvania|''Hotel Transylvania'' film series]]. In 2014, Drescher made her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in ''[[Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Beane musical)|Cinderella]]'' as stepmother Madame.<ref name=thr>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Fran-Drescher-to-Make-Broadway-Debut-as-Madame-in-CINDERELLA-in-February-Harriet-Harris-to-Depart-on-23-20131209 |title=Fran Drescher to Make Broadway Debut as 'Madame' in CINDERELLA in February; Harriet Harris to Depart on 2/3 |last=Rosky |first=Nicole |date=December 9, 2013 |website=Broadway World |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123407/http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Fran-Drescher-to-Make-Broadway-Debut-as-Madame-in-CINDERELLA-in-February-Harriet-Harris-to-Depart-on-23-20131209 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, she starred in the [[NBC]] sitcom ''[[Indebted]]''.

The national members of trade union [[SAG-AFTRA]], representing actors and other media professionals, elected Drescher as president, and she took office on October 15, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maddaus|first=Gene|title=Fran Drescher Elected President of SAG-AFTRA, Rival Joely Fisher Wins Secretary-Treasurer|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/fran-drescher-president-sag-aftra-joely-fisher-1235054675/|date=September 2, 2021|access-date=September 3, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903033307/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/fran-drescher-president-sag-aftra-joely-fisher-1235054675/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=president>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-elect-fran-drescher-president-union-and-joely-fisher-secretary-treasurer|title=SAG-AFTRA Members Elect Fran Drescher President of Union and Joely Fisher as Secretary-Treasurer|date=September 2, 2021|access-date=September 3, 2021|website=sagaftra.org|archive-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903053512/https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-elect-fran-drescher-president-union-and-joely-fisher-secretary-treasurer|url-status=live}}</ref> Drescher led the union during the five-month [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike|actors' strike]] that began on July 14, 2023, partially overlapping with the [[2023 Writers Guild of America strike|writers' strike]] that had begun in May of that year.<ref name=":0" />

==Early life and education==
Francine Joy Drescher was born on September 30, 1957, in [[Queens]], a [[borough of New York City]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/53121%7C0/fran-drescher#biography|title=Fran Drescher|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=May 5, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505191913/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/53121%7C0/Fran-Drescher/biography.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Firestone|first=David|title=For Queens, a Place in the Sun; Hollywood Is Suddenly Zooming In, With a Vengeance|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/18/nyregion/for-queens-a-place-in-the-sun-hollywood-is-suddenly-zooming-in-with-a-vengeance.html|access-date=May 26, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 18, 1994|quote=Ms. Drescher, who actually comes from Kew Gardens Hills, may be the most deliberately colorful of the lot, but she is hardly alone in celebrating the showbiz ascendancy of her native land.|archive-date=May 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526104218/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/18/nyregion/for-queens-a-place-in-the-sun-hollywood-is-suddenly-zooming-in-with-a-vengeance.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the younger daughter of Sylvia Drescher (born 1934), a bridal consultant, and Morty Drescher (1929–2024), a naval systems analyst. Her family is [[Jewish]], from [[Southeast Europe|Southeast]] and Central Europe. Her maternal great-grandmother Yetta was born in [[Focșani]], [[Romania]], and emigrated to the United States,<ref name=evz>{{cite news |url=http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/dadaca-fran-eu-sunt-din-romania--822765.html |title=Dădaca Fran: "Eu sunt din România!" |newspaper=[[Evenimentul Zilei]] |date=October 1, 2008 |language=ro |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305204623/http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/dadaca-fran-eu-sunt-din-romania--822765.html |archive-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref> while her father's family came from [[Poland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journal.aarpinternational.org/a/b/2009/01/5961d017-c416-4a08-8796-3ba078c165c0|title=Raising Global Awareness of Women's Health Issues|author=Fran Drescher|access-date=July 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722152131/http://journal.aarpinternational.org/a/b/2009/01/5961d017-c416-4a08-8796-3ba078c165c0|archive-date=July 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> She has an older sister, Nadine.<ref name=somefamily /> Drescher was a first runner-up for "Miss New York Teenager" in 1973.<ref>{{cite book|last=Drescher|first=Fran|title=Enter Whining|date=1996|publisher=Regan Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-039155-3|page=9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JScKgD09giYC|edition=1|access-date=May 26, 2014|archive-date=July 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713201241/https://books.google.com/books?id=JScKgD09giYC|url-status=live}}</ref>

She attended Flushing's Parsons Junior High School, which later dissolved,<ref name=biography.com /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/two-schools-to-replace-parsons-junior-high/article_1aab392b-4ba6-5707-968a-379f964c321e.html|title=Two Schools To Replace Parsons Junior High|date=May 31, 2007|access-date=May 5, 2019| first=Liz |last=Rhoades|work=Queens Chronicle|location=Queens, New York City|archive-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190505193639/https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/two-schools-to-replace-parsons-junior-high/article_1aab392b-4ba6-5707-968a-379f964c321e.html| url-status=live}}</ref> and then [[Hillcrest High School (Queens)|Hillcrest High School]] in [[Jamaica, Queens]]. There she met her future husband, [[Peter Marc Jacobson]], whom she married in 1978, at age 21. They divorced in 1999.<ref>{{cite news|last=Meisler|first=Andy|title=Television; Mary Poppins She's Not|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/arts/television-mary-poppins-she-s-not.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=May 26, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 18, 1994|quote=After she graduated from Hillcrest High School in Queens, where she met Mr. Jacobson, the two of them moved to Los Angeles and were married.|archive-date=May 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527224703/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/18/arts/television-mary-poppins-she-s-not.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref> Drescher graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1975;<ref name=biography.com>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/fran-drescher-392440|title=Fran Drescher|website= [[Biography.com]]|publisher=[[A&E Networks]]|archive-date=November 28, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111128211942/http://www.biography.com/people/fran-drescher-392440|url-status=dead|quote = While attending Parsons Junior High, Drescher realized she was interested in acting. At Hillcrest High School (where she shared several classes with comedian and fellow student Ray Romano), Drescher joined the drama club. There she met and began dating classmate Peter Marc Jacobson... After graduating in 1975...}}</ref> one of her classmates was comedian [[Ray Romano]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gliatto |first1=Tom |last2=Tomashoff |first2=Craig |title=Home Truths |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20142516,00.html |access-date=May 26, 2014 |newspaper=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=October 14, 1996 |quote=While a student at Hillcrest High (where The Nanny's Fran Drescher was a classmate), he performed in a comedy troupe at church. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528005204/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20142516,00.html |archive-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref> Drescher's character [[Fran Fine]] from ''[[The Nanny]]'' and Romano's character [[Ray Barone]] from ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]'' met at a 20th high school reunion on an episode of ''The Nanny''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0657352/ |title=The Nanny (1993–1999) : The Reunion Show |publisher=IMDb |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015174324/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0657352/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Drescher and Jacobson attended [[Queens College, City University of New York]], but dropped out in their first year because "all the acting classes were filled." They then enrolled in [[cosmetology]] school.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Suzanne|first1=Gerber|title=The fear Fran Drescher had to face|magazine=[[Redbook]]|date=January 1996|volume=186|issue=3|page=60|issn=0034-2106}}</ref>

==Career==

===Early career===
Drescher's first break was a small role as dancer Connie in the movie ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' (1977), in which she delivered the line "So, are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?" to [[John Travolta]]'s character. A year later, she began to gain attention in films such as ''[[American Hot Wax]]'' (1978) and ''[[Stranger in Our House|Summer of Fear]]'' (1978). She also took on a rare dramatic role in the 1981 [[Miloš Forman]] film ''[[Ragtime (film)|Ragtime]]''. During the 1980s, Drescher found success as a [[character actress]] with roles in films such as ''[[Gorp (film)|Gorp]]'' (1980), ''[[The Hollywood Knights]]'' (1980), ''[[Doctor Detroit]]'' (1983), ''[[The Big Picture (1989 film)|The Big Picture]]'' (1989), ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'' (1989), ''[[Cadillac Man]]'' (1990), and memorably in ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'' (1984) as publicist Bobbi Flekman. She also made an appearance in a second-season episode of ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'' in 1985 as an interior decorator. She also had an appearance on ''[[Night Court]]'' as a woman with dissociative identity disorder who flips from a prude to a sexually minded woman and ends up in a hotel with Assistant District Attorney [[Dan Fielding]]. In 1990, Drescher appeared on ''[[ALF (TV series)|ALF]]'' as Roxanne, the wife of grown-up Brian, who had no clue she was a mob boss, in the episode "Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades". In 1991, Drescher co-starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom ''[[Princesses (TV series)|Princesses]]''. In the early-to-mid 1990s, she voiced "Peggy" from ''The P Pals'' on [[PBS]] (the woman with the flower on her hat).

===''The Nanny'' and film roles===
[[File:Fran Drescher mirror.jpg|thumb|upright|Drescher in 1996]]
Drescher and Jacobson created their own television show, ''[[The Nanny]]'', in 1993. The show aired on [[CBS]] from 1993 to 1999, and Drescher became an instant star. In this sitcom, she played a woman named Fran Fine who casually became the nanny of Margaret ("Maggie") (played by [[Nicholle Tom]]), Brighton ("B") (played by [[Benjamin Salisbury]]), and Grace ("Gracie") Sheffield (played by [[Madeline Zima]]); with her wit and her charm, she endeared herself to their widower father: stuffy, composed, proper British gentleman and Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield ([[Charles Shaughnessy]]). She reprised her ''This is Spinal Tap'' character of Bobbi Flekman, a look-alike for her Fran Fine character, in season 5, episode 3, of ''The Nanny''. Drescher appeared in ''[[Jack (1996 film)|Jack]]'' (1996), directed by [[Francis Ford Coppola]], ''[[The Beautician and the Beast]]'' (1997) (for which she was also executive producer) and ''[[Picking Up the Pieces (film)|Picking Up the Pieces]]'' (2000) co-starring [[Woody Allen]]. She was also the voice of "Pearl" in ''[[Shark Bait (2006 film)|Shark Bait]]'' (2006).

In 2025, she reprised her ''Spinal Tap'' role of Bobbi Flekman in ''[[Spinal Tap II: The End Continues]]'';<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fran-drescher-sag-president-better-shape-spinal-tap-ii-1236367262/|title=Fran Drescher Is 'Ready to Do Other Things' After Four Years as SAG President, Says Union 'Is in Fantastic Shape, Far Better Than When I Showed Up'|work = Hollywood Reporter | first = Kirsten | last = Chuba | date=September 10, 2025|accessdate=September 11, 2025}}</ref> prior to this, Flekman had also made an appearance on a 1997 episode of ''The Nanny''.<ref>''The Nanny'', Season 5, episode 3, The Bobbie Fleckman Story</ref>

She will appear in ''[[Marty Supreme]] (2025)'', directed by [[Josh Safdie]] as the mother of [[Timothée Chalamet]]'s character, "Marty Mauser".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shanfeld |first=Ethan |date=2024-10-04 |title=Fran Drescher to Play Timothée Chalamet's Mom in A24's 'Marty Supreme' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/marty-supreme-fran-drescher-timothee-chalamet-mom-1236166813/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Return to television===
In the 2000s, Drescher made a return to television both with leading and guest roles. In 2003, Drescher appeared in episodes of the short-lived sitcom ''[[Good Morning, Miami]]'' as Roberta Diaz. In 2005, she returned with the sitcom ''[[Living with Fran]]'', in which she played Fran Reeves, a middle-aged mother of two living with Riley Martin ([[Ryan McPartlin]]), a man half her age and not much older than her son. Former ''Nanny'' costar Charles Shaughnessy appeared as her philandering ex-husband, Ted. ''Living with Fran'' was cancelled on May 17, 2006, after two seasons.

In 2006, Drescher guest-starred in an episode of ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]''; the episode, "The War at Home", aired on US television on November 14, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/law-and-order-criminal-intent/the-war-at-home/episode/913601/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;7 |title=Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Season 6, Episode 8: The War at Home |website=TV.com |date=November 14, 2006 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=May 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517061928/http://www.tv.com/law-and-order-criminal-intent/the-war-at-home/episode/913601/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She also appeared in an episode of ''[[Entourage (U.S. TV series)|Entourage]]'' and, in the same year, gave her voice to the role of a female [[golem]] in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]". In 2007, Drescher appeared in the US version of the Australian improvisational comedy series ''[[Thank God You're Here (U.S. TV series)|Thank God You're Here]]''. In 2008, Drescher announced that she was developing a new sitcom entitled ''The New Thirty'', also starring [[Rosie O'Donnell]]. A series about two old high school friends coping with midlife crises, Drescher described the premature plot of the show as "kind of ''[[Sex and the City]]'' but we ain't getting any! It'll probably be more like ''[[The Odd Couple (1970 TV series)|The Odd Couple]]''."<ref name="tnt">{{cite web |first=Julie |last=Gordon |url=http://www.newsday.com/buzz-rosie-o-donnell-fran-drescher-combine-for-tv-s-whiniest-sitcom-1.880364 |title=BUZZ: Rosie O'Donnell, Fran Drescher combine for TV's whiniest sitcom? |work=[[Newsday]] |date=May 22, 2008 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=October 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013071040/http://www.newsday.com/buzz-rosie-o-donnell-fran-drescher-combine-for-tv-s-whiniest-sitcom-1.880364 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was never produced.<ref name="tnt"/>

In 2010, Drescher returned to television with her own daytime talk show, ''[[The Fran Drescher Tawk Show]]''. While the program debuted to strong ratings, it ended its three-week test run to moderate success, resulting in its shelving.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paige |last=Albiniak |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/460398-Audiences_Still_Love_The_Nanny_.php |title=Audiences Still Love ''The Nanny'' |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=November 29, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005000351/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/460398-Audiences_Still_Love_The_Nanny_.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Paige |last=Albiniak |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/461400-Syndies_Flat_as_Holiday_Season_Revs_Up.php |title=Syndies Flat as Holiday Season Revs Up |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=December 21, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2011 |archive-date=April 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403123207/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/461400-Syndies_Flat_as_Holiday_Season_Revs_Up.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, the sitcom ''[[Happily Divorced]]'', created by Drescher and her ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, was picked up by [[TV Land]] for a ten-episode order. It premiered there June 15, 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/fran-drescher-talks-being-happily-divorced-from-gay-ex-husband/2011/06/14/AGJ4lhUH_blog.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 14, 2011 |title=Fran Drescher talks being 'Happily Divorced' from gay ex-husband |author=Sarah Anne Hughes |access-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-date=October 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004192039/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/fran-drescher-talks-being-happily-divorced-from-gay-ex-husband/2011/06/14/AGJ4lhUH_blog.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The show was renewed in July 2011 for a second season of 12 episodes, which aired in spring 2012. On May 1, 2012, TV Land extended the second season and picked up 12 additional episodes, taking the second season total to 24. The back-order of season two debuted later in 2012. ''Happily Divorced'' was cancelled in August 2013.

To promote ''Happily Divorced'', Drescher performed the weddings of three gay couples in New York City using the minister's license she received from the [[Universal Life Church]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themonastery.org/blog/2012/03/ulc-minister-fran-drescher-to-officiate-gay-wedding/ |title=ULC Minister Fran Drescher to Officiate Gay Wedding – Universal Life Church Monastery Blog |website=Themonastery.org |date=March 5, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=July 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703074155/http://www.themonastery.org/blog/2012/03/ulc-minister-fran-drescher-to-officiate-gay-wedding/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Drescher hand-picked the three couples, all of whom were entrants into "Fran Drescher's 'Love Is Love' Gay Marriage Contest" on Facebook, based on the stories the couples submitted about how they met, why their relationship illustrated that "love is love" and why they wanted to be married by her.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fran-drescher-to-marry-three-gay-couples-in-new-york-city-on-tuesday-march-6-139320183.html;title;7 |title=Fran Drescher to Marry Three Gay Couples in New York City on... – NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – |access-date=July 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415223357/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fran-drescher-to-marry-three-gay-couples-in-new-york-city-on-tuesday-march-6-139320183.html |archive-date=April 15, 2012 }}</ref>

===Broadway===
Drescher made her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut on February 4, 2014, in the revival of [[Richard Rodgers|Rodgers]] and [[Oscar Hammerstein II|Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (2013 Broadway production)|Cinderella]]''.<ref name=thr /> She replaced [[Harriet Sansom Harris|Harriet Harris]] as stepmother Madame for a 10-week engagement. She reprised the role during the North American tour's engagement in [[Los Angeles]], lasting from March through April 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Fran-Drescher-to-Reprise-Role-in-CINDERELLA-at-the-Ahmanson-This-Month-20150309 |title=Fran Drescher to Reprise Role in CINDERELLA at the Ahmanson This Month |website=Broadway World |date=March 9, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=April 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423050535/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Fran-Drescher-to-Reprise-Role-in-CINDERELLA-at-the-Ahmanson-This-Month-20150309 |url-status=live }}</ref> Drescher's previous stage performances include an [[off-Broadway]] production of [[Nora Ephron]]'s ''[[Love, Loss, and What I Wore]]'', and ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' at the [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts|Lincoln Center]] with the [[New York Philharmonic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2014/02/fran_drescher_makes_broadway_d.html |title=Fran Drescher makes Broadway debut in 'Cinderella' |website=The Star-Ledger |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070618/http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2014/02/fran_drescher_makes_broadway_d.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 8, 2020, it was announced that Drescher and Jacobson were writing the book for a musical adaptation of ''[[The Nanny]]''. [[Rachel Bloom]] and [[Adam Schlesinger]] of ''[[Crazy Ex-Girlfriend]]'' were brought on to compose the songs prior to Schlesinger's death in April 2020, while Marc Bruni (''[[Beautiful: The Carole King Musical]]'') was slated to direct. Drescher will not portray the title role, as she joked that if she did "We'd have to change the title to ''The Granny''."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/fran-drescher-working-on-the-nanny-musical-rachel-bloom-and-adam-schlesinger-to-pen-score|title=Fran Drescher Working on ''The Nanny'' Musical; Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger to Pen Score|first=Dan|last=Meyer|work=Playbill|date=January 8, 2020|access-date=January 8, 2020|archive-date=January 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109003308/http://www.playbill.com/article/fran-drescher-working-on-the-nanny-musical-rachel-bloom-and-adam-schlesinger-to-pen-score|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Trade union leader ===
In 2021, Drescher began her campaign to become president of the
''Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists'' ([[SAG-AFTRA]]) union, citing both her entertainment and [[#Politics|political background]]. Her candidacy came from the "Unite for Strength" faction, and she ran against actor [[Matthew Modine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/tom-hanks-endorses-fran-drescher-for-president-of-sag-aftra-1234810275/|title=Tom Hanks Endorses Fran Drescher For President Of SAG-AFTRA|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=August 5, 2021|last=Robb|first=David|access-date=August 8, 2021|archive-date=August 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808010324/https://deadline.com/2021/08/tom-hanks-endorses-fran-drescher-for-president-of-sag-aftra-1234810275/|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 2, 2021, SAG-AFTRA announced that Drescher had won the election.<ref name=president/> On July 13, 2023, after SAG-AFTRA members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike action a week prior,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-06-05/sag-aftra-strike-hollywood-labor-amptp-strike-authorization |title=SAG-AFTRA members approve strike authorization by overwhelming margin |date=June 5, 2023 |last=Sakoui |first=Anousha |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705030759/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-06-05/sag-aftra-strike-hollywood-labor-amptp-strike-authorization |url-status=live }}</ref> Drescher announced the [[2023 SAG-AFTRA strike|SAG-AFTRA strike]] was to begin at midnight the following day, running alongside the concurrent ''Writers Guild of America'' strike ([[2023 Writers Guild of America strike|WGA strike]]) that began just over two months prior.<ref name=":0">PBS News Hour, July 13, 2023 'Screen Actors Guild president Fran Drescher announces unanimous vote to go on strike' https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/screen-actors-guild-to-vote-on-strike-after-contract-deadline-passes-without-a-deal {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716072219/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/screen-actors-guild-to-vote-on-strike-after-contract-deadline-passes-without-a-deal |date=July 16, 2023 }}</ref> The strike ended with a tentative deal between the union and the [[Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]] which was approved by the SAG-AFTRA board.  Drescher was elected to a second two-year term as SAG-AFTRA president in August 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sagaftra.org/about/governance/2023-sag-aftra-elections | title=2023 SAG-AFTRA Elections }}</ref>
On July 25, 2024, ten months after SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to authorize another strike against the video game industry, Drescher stated that SAG-AFTRA would begin a [[2024 SAG-AFTRA video game strike|strike]] against major video game publishers, with the strike then going into effect the following day at 12:01 am.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-who-work-video-games-go-strike|title=A.I. Protections Remain the Sticking Point|publisher=SAG-AFTRA|date=July 25, 2024|accessdate=July 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-calls-strike-against-major-video-game-studios-1235957116/|title=SAG-AFTRA Calls Strike Against Major Video Game Studios|first=Erik|last=Hayden|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 25, 2024|accessdate=July 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/sag-aftra-video-game-strike-actors-union-1236085195/|title=SAG-AFTRA Calls Strike Against Major Video Game Publishers|first=Jennifer|last=Maas|publisher=Variety|date=July 25, 2024|accessdate=July 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/video-game-voice-actor-members-sag-aftra-go-strike-over-lack-ai-protections-union/KJROSWJI75BG5AKQEXPK3K25DE/|title=Video game voice actor members of SAG-AFTRA go on strike over lack of AI protections for union|publisher=WSB-TV|date=July 26, 2024|accessdate=July 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/what-the-sag-aftra-video-game-actors-strike-means-for-gamers|title=What the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Actors Strike Means for Gamers|first=Rebekah|last=Valentine|publisher=IGN|date=July 26, 2024|accessdate=July 26, 2024}}</ref> On July 9, 2025, the strike ended after SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify a tentative agreement which more performer safety measures, which was a specific concern for motion capture video game performers, motion capture actors having medics available during high-risk jobs, compounded increases in performer pay at a rate of 15.17% upon ratification and additional 3% increases in November 2025, November 2026 and November 2027 with 95.04% approval.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-approve-2025-video-game-agreement |title=SAG-AFTRA Members Approve 2025 Video Game Agreement |publisher=SAG-AFTRA |date=July 9, 2025 |accessdate=July 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2025/07/sag-aftra-video-game-agreement-approved-strike-1236453741/|title=SAG-AFTRA Overwhelmingly Approves Video Game Agreement, Marking Official End To Nearly Yearlong Strike|first=Natalie|last=Oganesyan|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 9, 2025|accessdate=July 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/industry-video-game-actors-pass-agreement-with-studios-ai-security-2025-07-10/|title=Industry video game actors pass agreement with studios for AI security|first=Danielle|last=Broadway|publisher=Reuters|date=July 9, 2025|accessdate=July 10, 2025}}</ref>

On August 8, 2025, it was revealed that Drescher, after leading two successful strikes, would not seek re-election to another term as SAG-AFTRA president, with [[Sean Astin]], a member of Drescher's 2023 political slate and negotiating committee, and Chuck Slavin, a SAG-AFTRA New England Local board member, each vying to replace her.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fran-drescher-not-running-sag-aftra-president-1236312550/|title=Fran Drescher Won't Run for SAG-AFTRA President As Candidates Line Up for Race|first=Katie|last=Kilkenny|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 8, 2025|accessdate=August 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-08-11/sag-aftra-fran-drescher-presidential-election-sean-astin-chuck-slavin|title=What's next for SAG-AFTRA as Fran Drescher declines to seek reelection|first=Wendy|last=Lee|publisher=Los Angeles|date=August 11, 2025|accessdate=August 19, 2025}}</ref> During this race, Drescher would endorse Astin to succeed her.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://mynewsla.com/hollywood/2025/09/11/voters-to-determine-fran-dreschers-successor-at-helm-of-actors-guild-2/|title=Actor Sean Astin Faces Off SAG Board Memeber Chuck Slavin in Union Presidential Election|publisher=mynewsla.com|date=September 11, 2025|accessdate=September 12, 2025}}</ref> Both Astin and his secretary-treasurer running mate [[Michelle Hurd]] would be elected to their respective positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-members-elect-sean-astin-president-and-michelle-hurd-secretary-treasurer|title=2025 Election|publisher=SAG-AFTRA|date=September 12, 2025|accessdate=September 14, 2025}}</ref>

On August 13, 2025, a month before the election to determine Drescher's successor as SAG-AFTRA president concluded, it was announced that SAG-AFTRA members were able to settle a lawsuit against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan for negligence which was related to a [[cyberattack]] that resulted in a [[data breach]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cho |first=Winston |date=2025-08-13 |title=SAG-AFTRA Members Settle Lawsuit Against Union Health Plan Over Data Breach |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-members-settle-lawsuit-health-plan-1236344273/ |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Fran Drescher met [[Peter Marc Jacobson]] when she was 15.<ref>{{cite AV media| date=March 6, 2012| title=Happily Divorced: Season 1| medium=DVD| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdBF8uyi0Hw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/PdBF8uyi0Hw| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live| access-date=April 5, 2021| quote=YouTube title:Extended Interview with Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The two were high school sweethearts and married at 21.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/fran-drescher-says-gay-exhusband-and-a-friend-with-benefits-keep-her-happy-im-not-dating-214602149.html |title=Fran Drescher Says Gay Ex-Husband and 'Friend with Benefits' Keep Her Happy: 'I'm Not Dating' |last=Shewfelt |first=Raechal |date=January 23, 2020 |website=Yahoo!Life |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416182854/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/fran-drescher-says-gay-exhusband-and-a-friend-with-benefits-keep-her-happy-im-not-dating-214602149.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 1985, two armed men broke into Drescher and Jacobson's Los Angeles apartment. While one ransacked their home, Drescher and a female friend were raped by the other robber at gunpoint. Jacobson was also attacked, tied up, and forced to witness the entire ordeal. It took Drescher many years to recover, and it took her even longer to tell her story to the press. She was paraphrased as saying in an interview with [[Larry King]] that although it was a traumatic experience, she found ways to turn it into something positive. In her book ''Cancer Schmancer'', the actress writes: "My whole life has been about changing negatives into positives." According to Drescher, her rapist, who was on parole at the time of the crime, was returned to prison and given two life sentences.<ref name=FranCNN>{{cite news|title= LARRY KING LIVE Interview with Fran Drescher|url= http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/06/lkl.00.html|date= May 6, 2002|publisher= CNN|access-date= July 23, 2009|archive-date= October 15, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181015115851/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/06/lkl.00.html|url-status= live}}</ref>

After separating in 1996, Drescher and Jacobson divorced in 1999. They had no children. Drescher has worked to support LGBT rights issues after [[Peter Marc Jacobson#Personal life|her former husband came out]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fran-dreschers-ex-husband-peter-marc-jacobson-is-gay-shows-support/ |title=Fran Drescher's Ex-Husband Peter Marc Jacobson Is Gay, Shows Support |last=Thomas |first=Devon |date=June 3, 2010 |website=CBSNews Entertainment |access-date=September 2, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605070342/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20006739-10391698.html |archive-date=June 5, 2010}}</ref> Drescher has stated that the primary reason for the divorce was her need to change directions in life. Drescher and Jacobson remain friends and business partners. She has stated that "we choose to be in each other's lives in any capacity. Our love is unique, rare, and unconditional, unless he's being annoying."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guyspy.com/modern-family-peter-marc-jacobson-success-sexuality-and-being-love-fran-drescher |title=Modern Family: Peter Marc Jacobson on Success, Sexuality, and Being in Love with Fran Drescher |last=Toussaint |first=David |date=June 1, 2011 |website=GuySpy |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507140646/https://www.guyspy.com/modern-family-peter-marc-jacobson-success-sexuality-and-being-love-fran-drescher/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/fran-drescher-dating-divorce/story?id=14021905&page=2 |title=Fran Drescher on Dating After Divorce |last=Fitzharris |first=Dustin |date=July 7, 2011 |website=ABC News |access-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422122000/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/fran-drescher-dating-divorce/story?id=14021905&page=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 7, 2014, Drescher and [[Shiva Ayyadurai]] participated in a ceremony at Drescher's beach house. Both tweeted that they had married and the event was widely reported as such.<ref name=LATimesMarriage>{{cite news|last1=Saad|first1=Nardine|title=Fran Drescher of 'The Nanny' marries Shiva Ayyadurai|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-fran-drescher-married-wedding-shiva-ayyadurai-20140908-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 8, 2014|access-date=February 19, 2016|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307190244/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-fran-drescher-married-wedding-shiva-ayyadurai-20140908-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.people.com/article/fran-drescher-marries-shiva-ayyadura|title = Fran Drescher Marries Shiva Ayyadurai|last = Gabrielle|first = Olya|date = September 9, 2014|work = People|access-date = February 19, 2016|archive-date = June 15, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160615051911/http://www.people.com/article/fran-drescher-marries-shiva-ayyadura|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Fran Drescher Marries Boyfriend Shiva Ayyadurai, aka the Inventor of Email?!|url = http://www.eonline.com/news/576704/fran-drescher-marries-boyfriend-shiva-ayyadurai-aka-the-inventor-of-email|access-date = July 8, 2015|date = September 7, 2014|publisher = E!|last = Vulpo|first = Mike|archive-date = May 29, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200529192834/https://www.eonline.com/news/576704/fran-drescher-marries-boyfriend-shiva-ayyadurai-aka-the-inventor-of-email|url-status = live}}</ref> Ayyadurai later said it was not "a formal wedding or marriage," but a celebration of their "friendship in a spiritual ceremony with close friends and her family."<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview with Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, The Inventor of Email and Systems Scientist |url=http://tamilnadu.com/entertainment/personalities/interview-with-dr-v-a-shiva-ayyadurai-the-inventor-of-email-and-systems-scientist.html |website=Tamil Nadu |date=November 25, 2014 |last=Kumar |first=Vipin |access-date=February 19, 2016 |archive-date=August 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816035503/http://tamilnadu.com// |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = About Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai – V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, Inventor of Email|url = http://vashiva.com/about-va-shiva-ayyadurai/|access-date = July 9, 2015|website = VA Shiva|publisher = V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai|archive-date = June 17, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200617165837/https://vashiva.com/about-va-shiva-ayyadurai/|url-status = live}}</ref> The couple separated two years later.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://komonews.com/news/entertainment/actress-fran-drescher-splits-from-husband|title=Actress Fran Drescher splits from husband|date=September 4, 2016|work=[[KOMO-TV|Komonews.com]]|agency=World Entertainment News Network|access-date=October 5, 2016|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802133540/http://komonews.com/error|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ6hrMPh81L/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BJ6hrMPh81L |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Instagram photo by Fran Drescher • Sep 4, 2016 at 12:49&nbsp;am UTC|last=Drescher|first=Fran|date=September 4, 2016|website=Instagram|access-date=October 1, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In March 2024, Drescher's father died at the age of 94.<ref name=somefamily>{{cite news|url=https://people.com/fran-drescher-mourns-death-of-father-morty-8623615|title=Fran Drescher Says Her 'Tears Come Often' as She Continues to Mourn Death of Her Father Morty|first=Julia|last=Moore|publisher=People|date=April 2, 2024|accessdate=May 23, 2024}}</ref>

===Cancer===
[[File:Fran Drescher, dancer against cancer press conference 2010 (2).jpg|250px|thumb|Drescher at a press conference for the Austrian charity Dancer Against Cancer, 2010]]
After two years of symptoms and misdiagnoses by eight doctors, Drescher was admitted to Los Angeles's [[Cedars Sinai Hospital]] on June 21, 2000, after doctors diagnosed her with [[uterine cancer]]. She had to undergo an immediate radical [[hysterectomy]] to treat the disease. Drescher was declared cancer-free and no post-operative treatment was ordered. Drescher wrote about her experiences in her second book, ''Cancer Schmancer''.<ref name=FranCNN/> Her purpose for this book was to raise consciousness for people "to become more aware of the early warning signs of cancer, and to empower themselves". Drescher says, "I was going to learn what I needed to learn, ask questions, become partners with my doctor instead of having some kind of parent/child relationship."

===Cancer Schmancer Movement===
On June 21, 2007, the seventh anniversary of her operation, Drescher launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women's cancers be diagnosed while in Stage 1, the most curable stage. She celebrated her tenth year of wellness on June 21, 2010. Drescher says:
{{cquote|We need to take control of our bodies, become greater partners with our physicians and galvanize as one to let our legislators know that the collective female vote is louder and more powerful than that of the richest corporate lobbyists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cancerschmancer.org/ |title=Welcome |publisher=Cancer Schmancer |access-date=2016-11-07 |archive-date=February 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215224856/http://www.cancerschmancer.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

She says her goal is to live in a time when women's mortality rates drop as their healthcare improves and early [[Cancer screening|cancer detection]] increases. Her efforts as an outspoken healthcare advocate in [[Washington, D.C.]], helped get unanimous passage for {{USBill|109|hr|1245}} (also known as [[Johanna's Law]]) and she is acknowledged in the [[Congressional Record]].

===Politics===
[[File:AmeriDrescher.jpg|thumb|left|Drescher and [[Goli Ameri]] in 2008]]
In September 2008, Drescher, a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], was appointed as a U.S. diplomat by [[George W. Bush]] administration's [[Assistant Secretary of State]] [[Goli Ameri]]. Her official title was Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women's Health Issues. In traveling throughout the world, she supported U.S. public diplomacy efforts, including working with health organizations and women's groups to raise awareness of women's health issues, cancer awareness and detection, and patient empowerment and advocacy. Her first trip was in late September and included stops in [[Serbia]], [[Hungary]], as well as her ancestral Romania and Poland.<ref name="evz"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hungary.usembassy.gov/event_10092008.html|title=U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy Fran Drescher Raises Awareness of Women's Cancer During Visit to Budapest|access-date=May 16, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016072313/http://hungary.usembassy.gov/event_10092008.html|archive-date=October 16, 2011}}</ref>

In 2008, Drescher supported Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. She attended a Super Democrat rally for Clinton. Drescher said that she had been considering a run for the United States Senate in 2008 to succeed [[Hillary Clinton]], but ultimately decided against it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/ap/national/main4658877.shtml |title='Nanny' state? Drescher eyes Clinton's Senate seat |access-date=January 7, 2009 |work=Yahoo News |date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211000840/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/ap/national/main4658877.shtml |archive-date=December 11, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2008/12/09/fran-drescher-looks-to-graduate-from-nanny-to-us-senate/ |title=Fran Drescher looks to graduate from "Nanny" to U.S. Senate |author=Alex Dobuzinskis |access-date=January 7, 2009 |agency=Reuters Blogs |date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725225333/http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2008/12/09/fran-drescher-looks-to-graduate-from-nanny-to-us-senate/ |archive-date=July 25, 2012 }}</ref> She endorsed [[Barack Obama]] for re-election in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/395745 |title=Fran Drescher on Working with Obama |publisher=Hulu.com |access-date=October 30, 2012 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025205259/http://www.hulu.com/watch/395745 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, she said in an interview she was explicitly [[anti-capitalist]] and was happy to see the [[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]] gaining some traction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/fran-drescher-how-to-be-more-fabulously-radical-in-2017.html |title=How to Be More Fabulously Radical in 2017, According to Fran Drescher |date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=June 8, 2017 |archive-date=June 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610073551/http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/fran-drescher-how-to-be-more-fabulously-radical-in-2017.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, Drescher attended a fundraiser gala for [[Friends of the Israel Defense Forces|Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces]] (FIDF), which raised $60 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sippell |first=Margeaux |date=2018-11-02 |title=Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala Raises Record $60 Million for Soldiers |url=https://variety.com/2018/scene/news/friends-of-the-israel-defense-forces-gala-pharrell-williams-1203018108/ |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Drescher received the [[COVID-19 vaccine]] but opposes [[Vaccination policy|vaccine mandate]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maddaus |first=Gene |date=February 9, 2023 |title=SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher on Contract Talks, the Case Against Alec Baldwin and Her Views on COVID Vaccines |url=https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/fran-drescher-sag-aftra-contract-talks-alec-baldwin-vaccines-1235517073/ |access-date=June 16, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514062122/https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/fran-drescher-sag-aftra-contract-talks-alec-baldwin-vaccines-1235517073/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Charity===
In April 2014, Drescher presented at [[Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS]] Easter Bonnet Competition with [[Bryan Cranston]], [[Idina Menzel]] and [[Denzel Washington]], after raising donations at her Broadway show [[Cinderella (2013 Broadway production)|''Cinderella'']].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queerty.com/photos-james-franco-idina-menzel-and-fran-drescher-get-into-the-easter-bonnet-competition-20140428 |title=PHOTOS: James Franco, Idina Menzel, and Fran Drescher Get Into the Easter Bonnet Competition / Queerty |website=Queerty.com |date=April 28, 2014 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021183416/http://www.queerty.com/photos-james-franco-idina-menzel-and-fran-drescher-get-into-the-easter-bonnet-competition-20140428 |url-status=live }}</ref> Drescher became an ordained minister with the [[Universal Life Church Monastery]] so that she could legally officiate LGBT wedding ceremonies.<ref>{{cite news |author=Linda Maxmarch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/fashion/weddings/fran-drescher-strives-to-wed-gay-couples.html |title=Fran Drescher Strives to Wed Gay Couples |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 9, 2012 |access-date=November 7, 2016 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701032027/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/fashion/weddings/fran-drescher-strives-to-wed-gay-couples.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Awards==
[[Image:Life Ball 2009 (opening) Bill Clinton, Fran Drescher and Elke Winkens.jpg|thumb|[[Elke Winkens]], Fran Drescher and [[Bill Clinton]] at the [[Life Ball]], 2009]]
Drescher has been the recipient of the [[John Wayne]] Institute's Woman of Achievement Award, the Gilda Award, the City of Hope Woman of the Year Award, the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem|Hebrew University]] Humanitarian Award, and the [[Albert Einstein College of Medicine]]'s Spirit of Achievement Award. In 2006, she was honored with the [[City of Hope National Medical Center|City of Hope]] Spirit of Life Award, which was presented to her by Hillary Clinton. On April 10, 2010, she was guest of honor at the "Dancer against Cancer" charity ball held at the [[Hofburg Palace|Imperial Palace]], [[Vienna, Austria]], where she received the first "My Aid Award" for her achievements in support of cancer prevention and rehabilitation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://madonna.oe24.at/Society/So-war-der-Dancer-Against-Cancer-Ball/1284900 |title=So war der 'Dancer Against Cancer'-Ball |date=April 12, 2010 |access-date=April 13, 2010 |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711190037/http://madonna.oe24.at/Society/So-war-der-Dancer-Against-Cancer-Ball/1284900 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, Drescher was awarded the LifeSaver Award by ELEM/Youth in Distress.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elem.org/news/lifesaver-award/ |title=Lifesaver Award |website=ELEM |access-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805001606/https://elem.org/news/lifesaver-award/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CSoneDWMtjG/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CSoneDWMtjG |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Congrats to our groundbreaking Founder & Visionary... |date=August 16, 2021 |website=Instagram |access-date=August 28, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{Pending films key}}

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Film work by Fran Drescher
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Film
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1977
!scope="row"|''[[Saturday Night Fever]]''
| Connie
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1978
!scope="row"|''[[American Hot Wax]]''
| Sheryl
| 
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Stranger in Our House]]''
| Carolyn Baker
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1980
!scope="row"|''[[The Hollywood Knights]]''
| Sally
|
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Gorp (film)|Gorp]]''
| Evie 
| 
|-
| 1981
!scope="row"|''[[Ragtime (film)|Ragtime]]''
| Mameh
| 
|-
| 1983
!scope="row"|''[[Doctor Detroit]]''
| Karen Blittstein
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1984
!scope="row"|''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]''
| Bobbi Flekman
|
|-
!scope="row"|''P.O.P.''
| Maggie Newton
|
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Rosebud Beach Hotel]]''
| Linda
|
|-
| 1988
!scope="row"|''Rock 'n' Roll Mom''
| Jody Levin
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1989
!scope="row"|''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]''
| Pamela Finklestein
|
|-
!scope="row"|''Love and Betrayal''
| Germaine
|
|-
!scope="row"| [[The Big Picture (1989 film)|''The Big Picture'']]
| Polo Habel
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1990
!scope="row"|''Wedding Band''
| Veronica
|
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Cadillac Man]]''
| Joy Munchack
|
|-
!scope="row"|''Hurricane Sam''
| Rene Gianelli
|
|-
| 1991
!scope="row"|''[[We're Talking Serious Money]]''
| Valerie
|
|-
| 1993
!scope="row"|''[[Without Warning: Terror in the Towers]]''
| Rosemarie Russo
| Television Movie
|-
| 1994
!scope="row"|''[[Car 54, Where Are You? (film)|Car 54, Where Are You?]]''
| Velma Valour
| 
|-
| 1996
!scope="row"|''[[Jack (1996 film)|Jack]]''
| Dolores "D.D." Durante
| 
|-
| 1997
!scope="row"|''[[The Beautician and the Beast]]''
| Joy Miller
| Nominated – [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress]]
|-
| 1998
!scope="row"|''The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale''
| The Heralding Horn
| (voice)
|-
| rowspan=2|2000
!scope="row"|''[[Picking Up the Pieces (film)|Picking Up the Pieces]]''
| Sister Frida
| 
|-
!scope="row"|''Kid Quick''
| Kerry
| 
|-
| 2003
!scope="row"|''[[Beautiful Girl (film)|Beautiful Girl]]''
| Amanda Wasserman
| 
|-
| 2005
!scope="row"|''[[Santa's Slay]]''
| Virginia Mason
| 
|-
| 2006
!scope="row"|''[[Shark Bait (2006 film)|Shark Bait]]''
| Pearl (voice)
| 
|-
| 2011
!scope="row"|''Mindwash: The Jake Sessions'' 
| Madame LaRue
| 
|-
| 2012
!scope="row"|''[[Hotel Transylvania (film)|Hotel Transylvania]]''
| [[Bride of Frankenstein (character)|Eunice]] (voice)
| 
|-
| rowspan=2|2013
!scope="row"|''[[Skum Rocks!]]''
| rowspan=2|Herself
|
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Brave Miss World]]''
|
|-
| 2015
!scope="row"|''[[Hotel Transylvania 2]]''
| Eunice (voice) 
| Cameo
|-
| rowspan=2|2018
!scope="row"|''[[The Creatress]]''
| Carrie Robards
|
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation]]''
| Eunice (voice)
| 
|-
| 2019
!scope="row"|''[[After Class (film)|After Class]]''
| Diane
|
|-
| 2022
!scope="row"|''[[Hotel Transylvania: Transformania]]''
| Eunice (voice)
| 
|-
| rowspan=2|2025
! scope="row"|''[[Spinal Tap II: The End Continues]]''
| Bobbi Flekman
|
|-
! scope="row" {{Pending film|[[Marty Supreme]]}}
| Marty's mother
| Post-production
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Television work by Fran Drescher
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1978
!scope="row"|''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
| Concert Goer
| Episode: "Steve Martin/Van Morrison"
|-
| 1982
!scope="row"|''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|Fame]]''
| Rhonda
| Episode: "Metamorphosis"
|-
| 1983
!scope="row"|''[[9 to 5 (TV series)|9 to 5]]''
| Tapioca
| Episode: "The Oldest Profession"
|-
| rowspan=2|1985
!scope="row"|''[[Silver Spoons]]''
| Annie
| Episode: "Marry Me, Marry Me: Part 2"
|-
!scope="row"|''[[227 (TV series)|227]]''
| Mrs. Baker
| Episode: "The Refrigerator"
|-
| 1985, 1986
!scope="row"|''[[Who's the Boss?]]''
| Carol Patrice, Joyce Columbus 
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan=2|1986 
!scope="row"|''[[Night Court]]''
| Miriam Brody
| Episode: "Author, Author"
|-
!scope="row"|''Charmed Lives''
| Joyce Columbus
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1987
!scope="row"|''Rosie''
| Vicki Low
| Episode: "Valentine of Life"
|-
| rowspan=2|1990
!scope="row"|''[[ALF (TV series)|ALF]]''
| Roxanne
| Episode: "Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"
|-
!scope="row"|''[[WIOU (TV series)|WIOU]]''
| Jo Finc
| Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| rowspan=2|1991
!scope="row"|''[[Princesses (TV series)|Princesses]]''
| Melissa Kirshner
| 8 episodes
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]''
| Kathleen
| Episode: "The Second Greatest Story Ever Told"
|-
| 1992 
!scope="row"|''[[Civil Wars (TV series)|Civil Wars]]''
| Norma Baker
| Episode: "A Bus Named Desire"
|-
| 1993–1999
!scope="row"|''[[The Nanny]]''
| [[List of The Nanny characters#Fran Fine|Fran Fine]]
| Lead role, 146 episodes plus special <br>Nominated – [[American Comedy Awards|American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series]]<br>Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy]] {{small|(1996–1997)}}<br>Nominated – [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series]] {{small|(1996–1997)}}<br>Nominated – [[Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy]]
|-
| 1995
!scope="row"|''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]''
| Herself
| Episode: Girlie Show
|-
| rowspan=2|2003
!scope="row"|''[[Good Morning, Miami]]''
| Roberta Diaz
| 3 episodes
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Restaurant (American TV series)|The Restaurant]]''
| Herself
| 1 episode
|-
| 2004
!scope="row"|''[[Strong Medicine]]''
| Irene Slater
| Episode: "Cinderella in Scrubs"
|-
| 2005–2006
!scope="row"|''[[Living with Fran]]''
| [[Living with Fran#Cast|Fran Reeves]]
| Lead role, 26 episodes
|-
| 2005
!scope="row"|''[[What I Like About You (TV series)|What I Like About You]]''
| [[Living with Fran#Cast|Fran Reeves]]
| Episode: "Girls Gone Wild"
|-
| rowspan=2|2006
!scope="row"|''[[The Simpsons]]''
| The Female Golem
| Episode: "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]"
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]''
| Elaine Dockerty
| Episode: "[[The War at Home (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)|The War at Home]]"
|-
| rowspan=2|2007
!scope="row"|''[[Thank God You're Here (American TV series)|Thank God You're Here]]''
| Herself/Ms. Bumblebee
|-
!scope="row"|''[[SeeMore's Playhouse]]''
| Herself
|-
| rowspan=2|2008
!scope="row"|''[[Live from Lincoln Center]]'' 
| Morgan Le Fay
| Episode: "Camelot"
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Entourage (American TV series)|Entourage]]''
| Mrs. Levine
| Episode: "The All Out Fall Out"
|-
| rowspan=2|2010
!scope="row"|''[[Glenn Martin, DDS]]''
| Arlene Stein
| Episode: "Dad News Bears"
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Fran Drescher Show]]''
| Host
| 16 episodes and also executive producer
|-
| 2011–2013
!scope="row"|''[[Happily Divorced]]''
| Fran Lovett
| Lead role, 34 episodes and also executive producer
|-
| 2015
!scope="row"|''[[Hell's Kitchen (American TV series)|Hell's Kitchen]]''
| Herself
| Episode: "8 Chefs Compete Again"
|-
| 2017
!scope="row"|''[[Broad City]]''
| Beverly Baumgarten
| Episode: "Florida"
|-
| 2018
!scope="row"|''[[Alone Together (TV series)|Alone Together]]''
| Mary
| Episode: "Mom"
|-
| 2019
!scope="row"|''[[Welcome to the Wayne]]''
| Barbara Wasserman (voice)
| Episode: "Welcome to the Wassermans" 
|-
| rowspan=2|2020
!scope="row"|''[[Indebted (TV series)|Indebted]]''
| Debbie
| Main role, 12 episodes
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Christmas Setup]]''
| Kate
| TV movie
|-
| 2022
!scope="row"|''[[Mr. Mayor]]''
| Angelica Masters
| Episode: "Trampage"
|-
|2023
!scope="row"|''[[V.C. Andrews' Dawn|Secrets of the Morning]]''
|Agnes Morris
|Television film
|}

===Theater===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Theater work by Fran Drescher
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title 
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col"| Venue
|-
|2006
! scope="row"|''[[Some Girl(s)]]''
| Lindsay
| [[Lucille Lortel Theatre]]
|-
| 2008
!scope="row"|''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]''
| [[Morgan le Fay]]
| [[David Geffen Hall|Avery Fisher Hall]]
|-
|2010
!scope="row"|''[[Love, Loss, and What I Wore]]''
| Performer
| [[Westside Theatre]]
|-
| 2014
!scope="row" rowspan="2" |''[[Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Beane musical)|Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella]]''
| rowspan="2" |Madame
| [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]]
|-
|2015
|[[Ahmanson Theatre]]
|}

===Books===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Publisher
!scope="col"| ISBN
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1996
!scope="row"|''Enter Whining''
| Regan Books
| {{ISBN|0060391553}}
| rowspan=2|Memoir
|-
| 2002
!scope="row"|''Cancer Schmancer''
| Grand Central Publishing
| {{ISBN|0759527695}}
|-
| 2011
!scope="row"|''Being Wendy''
| Grosset & Dunlap
| {{ISBN|0448456885}}
| with Amy Blay
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.cancerschmancer.org/ Cancer Schmancer Movement website]
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IOBDB name}}
* {{Emmys person|fran-drescher}}
* {{C-SPAN|51815}}
* [http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/21/actress_and_cancer_survivor_fran_drescher Fran Drescher Speaks Out in Support of New Bill Seeking Stricter Cosmetics Rules] – video by ''[[Democracy Now!]]''

{{Fran Drescher}}
{{SAG Presidents}}
{{2023 Hollywood labor disputes}}
{{Razzie Redeemer Award}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drescher, Fran}}
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