Fran Bennett
Known for: Acting
Fran Bennett (August 14, 1937, in Malvern, Arkansas; † September 12, 2021, in Los Angeles, California) was an American actress known for her work in theater and television. She appeared in series such as Beauty and the Beast, Little House on the Prairie, Dallas, Falcon Crest, L.A. Law, ER, Boston Legal, and Scandal. Bennett had recurring roles in General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful and appeared in films like Promises in the Dark (1979), How I Got into College (1989), New Nightmare (1994), Foxfire (1996), and Jessabelle (2014). In addition to her acting career, she was the head of the acting program at the California Institute of the Arts from 1996 to 2003 and was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2005. She passed away at the age of 84.
Filmography
Series
NCIS
Mary Elaine Smith
2003
Series
Crossing Jordan
Judge
2001
Series
ER
Phyllis
1994
Series
ER
Michelle
1994
Series
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Fleet Admiral Shanthi
1987
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Detective MacKenzie
1984
Series
Falcon Crest
Nurse
1981
Series
Melrose Place
Dr. Miller
1992
Series
Boston Legal
Judge Diane Avent
2004
Series
Knots Landing
Bev Tolner
1979
Series
Knots Landing
Dr. Faulkner
1979
Series
Knots Landing
Kimya Haman
1979
Series
Chicago Hope
Andrea Porter
1994
Series
Chicago Hope
Odelia Wilkes
1994
Series
Arli$$
Amelia Halimon
1996
Series
Scandal
Louis
2012
Series
Community
Nana
2009
Series
Quantum Leap
Ada Simpson
1989
Series
Quantum Leap
Marie Billings
1989
Series
Numb3rs
Estelle Brown
2005
Series
L.A. Law
Judge Hillary Miller Johnson
1986
Series
Early Edition
Judge A. Harding Joseph
1996
Series
Simon & Simon
Wanda Tale
1981
Series
St. Elsewhere
Nurse Julie Attucks
1982
Series
Matlock
Betty Harding
1986
Series
The Fosters
Iris
2013
Series
ALF
Mrs. Watson
1986
Series
Tour of Duty
Mrs. Johnson
1987
Series
The Twilight Zone
UN Chairman (segment "A Small Talent for War")
1985
Series
Cagney & Lacey
1982
Series
Highway to Heaven
Flora
1984
Series
Jake and the Fatman
Thornton
1987
Series
Jake and the Fatman
Judge (uncredited)
1987
Series
Providence
Chairwoman
1999
Series
Sunset Beach
1997
Series
Lou Grant
Sarah
1977
Series
Lou Grant
Chaney
1977
Series
Remington Steele
Coroner
1982
Series
Matt Houston
Lucille
1982
Series
ABC Afterschool Special
Nurse Etting
1972
Series
Boomtown
Beatrice Rahming
2002
Film
8MM
Nun
1999
Series
A Year in the Life
Mrs. Caldwell
1987
Series
The Book of Daniel
Lorraine
2006
Series
Capital News
1990
Film
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Dr. Christine Heffner
1994
Series
Mancuso, F.B.I.
1989
Series
Nasty Boys
1990
Series
Shadow Chasers
Dr. Frolov
1985
Film
Jessabelle
Mrs. Davis
2014
Film
Foxfire
Judge Holifield
1996
Series
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
Series
Nightingales
Head Nurse Lenore Ritt
1989
Film
The Next Best Thing
Judge Tracey Bennett
2000
Film
The Doctor
Admissions Secretary
1991
Film
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
Self
2010
Film
The Manor
Ruth
2021
Film
Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
Judge Donna Andrews
1994
Film
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
Mother Jefferson
2019
Film
Once in a Lifetime
Dr. Liz Wells
1994
Film
The Morning After
Airline Clerk
1986
Film
The Violation of Sarah McDavid
Ms. Merriam
1981
Film
Nightingales
Nurse Ritt
1988
Film
How I Got Into College
Mrs. Cook
1989
Film
Majority Rule
Jane
1992
Film
Roots: The Gift
May
1988
Film
The Sky is Falling
Mrs. Quinn
2001
Film
Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter
Miss Deal
1984
Film
Grave Misconduct
Mrs. Crutch
2008
Film
Romantic Comedy
Doctor #1
1983
Film
Breaking the Silence
Judge Virginia Richards
1992
Film
Between Two Women
Night Nurse
1986
Film
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1984
Film
My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?
Nurse Etting
1989
The Knife and Gun Club
Nurse Mary Falk
1990
Film
Friendships, Secrets and Lies
Clarissa
1979