Bonnie Franklin
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Gail Franklin is an American
actress, best known for her starring role in the television series One Day at a Time
.
, the daughter of Claire (née Hersch) and Samuel Benjamin Franklin, an investment banker. Her parents were both immigrants, her father from Russia
and her mother from Romania
. Her family moved to Beverly Hills
when she was 13 years old, and she graduated from Beverly Hills High School
in 1961. She attended Smith College
, performing in an Amherst College
production of Good News
as a freshman. Later, she moved back to California to attend UCLA.
She was married to playwright Ronald Sossi from 1967 to 1970 and to film producer Marvin Minoff
from 1980 until his death in November 2009. Minoff had been the executive producer
of a television movie
called Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger, which starred Franklin as Margaret Sanger
, before the couple wed in 1980. Franklin and Minoff remained together for 29 years, until Minoff's death on November 11, 2009.
Franklin has no children. Franklin has identified her religion as Jewish.
In 2004, Franklin spoke to a crowd of hundreds of thousands of marchers at the March for Women's Lives
in Washington DC.
. As a small child, she later appeared in a non credited role in the Alfred Hitchcock
film The Wrong Man
. In the 1960s she portrays a teenage feature character in "You're the Judge", a short educational film about baking sponsored by Proctor & Gamble featuring the use of Crisco
. She debuted on Broadway
in 1970 in the musical Applause
, earning a Tony Award
nomination. She appeared at the Paper Mill Playhouse
in Millburn, NJ, in "George M!
" and in "[A Thousand Clowns]]."
She is best known for her portrayal of divorced mother Ann Romano on the television situation comedy
One Day at a Time
(1975–1984).
Franklin has been a guest star on several television series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
("The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" from 1965). She also played a semi-regular role in the ABC
series Gidget
. She directed several episodes of the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge
.
In 1988, she appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa., and at the Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pa., in the title role of "Annie Get Your Gun
."
In 1988, she appeared with Tony Musante
at the Westside Arts Theatre in Manhattan in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" by Terrence McNally.
(March 1999) Performing in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
at the Public Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
(July 1998) Appears in Double Act with Keir Dullea
, at the American Stage Festival, Milford, NH.
(March 1998) Performing the role of Gloria in Grace and Glorie at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, NY
(July 1997) Appears in Grace & Glorie as Gloria, Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine
, USA. (through 19 July); Cape Cod Playhouse, Dennis, Massachusetts
, USA. (21 July to 3 August).
In 1997, she appeared at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
(September 1999) Appears in For the Price of a Cup of Coffee as Leering Death in Schneider, Minnesota.
In 2005, she appeared with Bruce Weitz at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, in the comedy "2 Across."
(August-September 2011) Appears as Ouiser in "Steel Magnolias" at the Rubicon Theater in Ventura, Calif.
Franklin has appeared in nearly a dozen staged readings with Classic and Contemporary American Playwrights (CCAP) in the Los Angeles area for the last several years. During the 2006-2007 season, she appeared in Lillian Hellman
's Toys in the Attic
. More recently, she appeared in Neil Simon
's Broadway Bound
at the Pico Playhouse in January 2008. CCAP is devoted to reviving seldom seen works and presenting them to student audiences, to create a new audience for theatre.
Currently, Franklin has stated, the CCAP outreach program works with teachers at North Hollywood, Cleveland and King Drew Medical Magnet high schools. Working with the teachers in the English department, CCAP chooses works that will be incorporated into the curriculum and, before the presentation, gives a workshop at the school. Franklin's sister, Judy Bush, commented, "The teachers make all the difference." She mentioned that she is currently working with the Pasadena Arts Council in finding a local school to include.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, best known for her starring role in the television series One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
.
Personal life
Franklin was born in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, the daughter of Claire (née Hersch) and Samuel Benjamin Franklin, an investment banker. Her parents were both immigrants, her father from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and her mother from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Her family moved to Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
when she was 13 years old, and she graduated from Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
in 1961. She attended Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, performing in an Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
production of Good News
Good News (musical)
Good News is a musical with a book by Laurence Schwab and B.G. DeSylva, lyrics by DeSylva and Lew Brown, and music by Ray Henderson.The show opened on Broadway in 1927, the same year as Show Boat, but its plot was decidedly old-fashioned in comparison to Show Boats somewhat tragic and daring...
as a freshman. Later, she moved back to California to attend UCLA.
She was married to playwright Ronald Sossi from 1967 to 1970 and to film producer Marvin Minoff
Marvin Minoff
Marvin Minoff was an American film and television producer best known for producing The Nixon Interviews between British journalist David Frost and former U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1977...
from 1980 until his death in November 2009. Minoff had been the executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
called Portrait of a Rebel: The Remarkable Mrs. Sanger, which starred Franklin as Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Higgins Sanger was an American sex educator, nurse, and birth control activist. Sanger coined the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established Planned Parenthood...
, before the couple wed in 1980. Franklin and Minoff remained together for 29 years, until Minoff's death on November 11, 2009.
Franklin has no children. Franklin has identified her religion as Jewish.
In 2004, Franklin spoke to a crowd of hundreds of thousands of marchers at the March for Women's Lives
March for Women's Lives
The March for Women's Lives was a demonstration for reproductive rights and women's rights, held April 25, 2004 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. The National Park Service no longer makes official estimates of attendance after the Million Man March controversy in 1994, so official estimates...
in Washington DC.
Career
Franklin first appeared on television at age 9 in The Colgate Comedy HourThe Colgate Comedy Hour
The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show stars many notable comedians and entertainers of the era, including Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fred Allen, Donald O'Connor, Bud Abbott and Lou...
. As a small child, she later appeared in a non credited role in the Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film The Wrong Man
The Wrong Man
The Wrong Man is a 1956 film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film is based on a true story of an innocent man charged for a crime he did not commit...
. In the 1960s she portrays a teenage feature character in "You're the Judge", a short educational film about baking sponsored by Proctor & Gamble featuring the use of Crisco
Crisco
Crisco is a brand of shortening produced by the J. M. Smucker Co. popular in the United States. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil...
. She debuted on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1970 in the musical Applause
Applause (musical)
Applause is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Lauren Bacall won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical....
, earning a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination. She appeared at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
in Millburn, NJ, in "George M!
George M!
George M! is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Francine Pascal. Music and lyrics were, of course, by George M...
" and in "[A Thousand Clowns]]."
She is best known for her portrayal of divorced mother Ann Romano on the television situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
(1975–1984).
Franklin has been a guest star on several television series, including The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
("The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" from 1965). She also played a semi-regular role in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Gidget
Gidget (TV series)
Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966...
. She directed several episodes of the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge is an American sitcom series which starred Scott Baio as Charles, a 19-year-old student at the fictional Copeland College in New Jersey, who worked as a live-in babysitter in exchange for room and board...
.
In 1988, she appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa., and at the Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pa., in the title role of "Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun may refer to:*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1946 musical play*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1950 film version of the 1946 musical*Annie Get Your Gun , 1946, with Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton...
."
In 1988, she appeared with Tony Musante
Tony Musante
Anthony Peter Musante is an American actor.Musante was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Natalie Anne , a school teacher, and Anthony Peter Musante, an accountant. He attended Oberlin College and Northwestern University.Musante has acted in numerous feature films, in the United States...
at the Westside Arts Theatre in Manhattan in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" by Terrence McNally.
(March 1999) Performing in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider...
at the Public Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
(July 1998) Appears in Double Act with Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea
Keir Dullea is an American actor best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman, whom he portrayed in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and in 1984's 2010: The Year We Make Contact...
, at the American Stage Festival, Milford, NH.
(March 1998) Performing the role of Gloria in Grace and Glorie at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, NY
(July 1997) Appears in Grace & Glorie as Gloria, Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine
Ogunquit, Maine
Ogunquit is a town in York County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census its population was 1,226. The popularity of the town as a summer resort is epitomized by its motto, "Beautiful Place by the Sea."...
, USA. (through 19 July); Cape Cod Playhouse, Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; located near the center of Cape Cod. The population was 14,207 at the 2010 census.The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office...
, USA. (21 July to 3 August).
In 1997, she appeared at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
(September 1999) Appears in For the Price of a Cup of Coffee as Leering Death in Schneider, Minnesota.
In 2005, she appeared with Bruce Weitz at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, in the comedy "2 Across."
(August-September 2011) Appears as Ouiser in "Steel Magnolias" at the Rubicon Theater in Ventura, Calif.
Franklin has appeared in nearly a dozen staged readings with Classic and Contemporary American Playwrights (CCAP) in the Los Angeles area for the last several years. During the 2006-2007 season, she appeared in Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
's Toys in the Attic
Toys in the Attic (play)
-Plot:Set in New Orleans following the Great Depression, it focuses on the Berniers sisters, two middle-aged spinsters who have sacrificed their own ambitions to look after their ne'er-do-well younger brother Julian, whose grandiose dreams repeatedly lead to financial disasters...
. More recently, she appeared in Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's Broadway Bound
Broadway Bound
Broadway Bound is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It is the last chapter in his Eugene trilogy, following Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues....
at the Pico Playhouse in January 2008. CCAP is devoted to reviving seldom seen works and presenting them to student audiences, to create a new audience for theatre.
Currently, Franklin has stated, the CCAP outreach program works with teachers at North Hollywood, Cleveland and King Drew Medical Magnet high schools. Working with the teachers in the English department, CCAP chooses works that will be incorporated into the curriculum and, before the presentation, gives a workshop at the school. Franklin's sister, Judy Bush, commented, "The teachers make all the difference." She mentioned that she is currently working with the Pasadena Arts Council in finding a local school to include.