Anne Francis (born September 16, 1930, in Ossining, New York) is an American actress, famous for her role in the science fiction film classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and as private detective Honey West in the television series Honey West (1965-1966).
For her role in Honey West, Francis won the Golden Globe award as best actress in a TV series, and she was nominated for an Emmy award for the same role.
Francis entered show business at a young age, working as a model at age 5, to help her family make ends meet during the Great Depression, and making her Broadway debut at age 11. Over her career, Ms. Francis appeared in scores of TV shows and several movies, including several appearances on The Twilight Zone, including the title character in "Jess-Belle", and most notably as Marsha White in the episode titled "The After Hours". In it, Francis is gradually revealed as a department store mannequin who has enjoyed a brief vacation among the living. Francis was a mainstay of 1970s television movies, and she returned to TV to portray "Mama Jo" for the 1984-86 TV-detective series Riptide.
In 1956, Anne appeared as Altaira in Forbidden Planet, a quite literate and well-produced "A" picture (based upon William Shakespeare's The Tempest), released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer, co-starring Walter Pidgeon and Leslie Nielsen. Playing the naive daughter of Pidgeon's brilliant but conflicted Dr. Morbius (the "Prospero" character from "The Tempest"), she added a touch of budding sexuality. Her character's love interest was a serious starship captain played by Leslie Nielsen. The role garnered her a generation of baby-boomer sci-fi fans.
In 1965, Francis turned to series television and was cast as "Private Eyeful" Honey West, a sexy private detective with a pet ocelot. The character was initially introduced on the popular TV series Burke's Law. Although the half-hour Honey West lasted only one season, the role added lustre to the actress' reputation. Anne is still widely recognized, as indicated in the lyrics of the song Science Fiction Double Feature from The Rocky Horror Show. During the 1980-81 television season, she had a recurring role as Arliss Cooper on Dallas.
Francis was married to Bamlet L. Price, Jr., from May 1952 to April 1955, and to Dr. Robert Abeloff from 1960-1964. Abeloff and Francis had one daughter. She did not remarry after divorcing Dr. Abeloff. As of March 2006, she lives in Santa Barbara, California.
In 1953, Anne's measurements were a trim 34-22-34 as a starlet. By 1965, in time for her Honey West role, she was a more well-rounded 36-24-36.
She is currently battling lung cancer, and documenting her progress on her web site.
Filmography
This Time for Keeps (1947)
Summer Holiday (1948)
Portrait of Jennie (1948)
So Young So Bad (1950)
The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)
Elopement (1951)
Lydia Bailey (1952)
Dreamboat (1952)
A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)
The Rocket Man (1954)
Susan Slept Here (1954)
Rogue Cop (1954)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Battle Cry (1955)
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
The Scarlet Coat (1955)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
The Rack (1956)
The Great American Pastime (1956)
The Hired Gun (1957)
Don't Go Near the Water (1957)
The Crowded Sky (1960)
Girl of the Night (1960)
The Satan Bug (1965)
Brainstorm (1965)
Funny Girl (1968)
More Dead Than Alive (1968)
Impasse (1969)
Hook, Line & Sinker (1969)
The Love God? (1969)
Pancho Villa (1972)
Survival (1976)
Born Again (1978)
Return (1986)
Little Vegas (1990)
The Double 0 Kid (1992)
Lover's Knot (1996)
External links
Anne Francis at the Internet Broadway Database
Anne Francis at the Internet Movie Database
Anne Francis official site
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Francis"
Categories: 1930 births | Living people | American film actors | American television actors | Hollywood Walk of Fame | People from Santa Barbara, California | People from Westchester County, New York | Four Star Television
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