biography

Anne Francis Glamorous Anne Francis acted in more than 60 films and appeared in hundreds of hours of TV programming during her 60-year career. Born in Ossining, New York, on September 16, 1930, Francis began modeling as a child. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, she appeared on early experimental TV broadcasts originating in New York, and she did a lot of radio work during the 1940s. Her first credited film appearance came in the the MGM musical Summer Holiday (1948; with Mickey Rooney). The following year, Francis returned to television, appearing on the series Versatile Varieties during the 1949-1950 season as "Bonny Maid." With a couple more films under her belt, she entered into a contract with 20th Century-Fox; her first starring role for the studio was Elopement (1951; with Clifton Webb). Francis later signed with MGM.

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Photos of Anne Francis from the 1950s

By the mid 1950s, Anne Francis had established herself as a star in pictures. Some of her films from the era include Bad Day at Black Rock (1955; with Spencer Tracy), Blackboard Jungle (1955; with Glenn Ford), Battle Cry (1955; with Tab Hunter), and my personal favorite Forbidden Planet (1956; with Walter Pidgeon). Although her film career was going very well, by the late 1950s Francis left MGM and took a hiatus from film work, preferring television guest-starring roles instead. Girl of the Night (1960; with Lloyd Nolan) and The Crowded Sky (1961; with Rhonda Fleming) marked her brief return to movie screens. Following the events of her second marriage and birth of her daughter in the early 1960s, she wouldn't make another film until The Satan Bug (1965; with George Maharis and Dana Andrews). Francis then signed with Warner Bros., acting in the suspense thriller Brainstorm (1965; with Jeffrey Hunter). Also produced by Warner Bros., Anne Francis' detective series Honey West premiered during ABC's fall 1965 season. This half-hour show was spawned from a spring 1965 episode of Burke's Law, in which Francis portrayed sultry private eye Honey West.

the films of anne francis

Rogue Cop (1954)

Anne Francis and Robert Taylor

Francis casts a watchful eye on cop Robert Taylor in MGM's film noir entry Rogue Cop

The Scarlet Coat (1955)

Cornel Wilde and Anne Francis

From MGM's costume adventure The Scarlet Coat with Cornel Wilde

The Great American Pastime (1956)

Anne Francis and Tom Ewell

From the comedy The Great American Pastime. Francis portrays Betty Hallerton, whose husband Bruce (Tom Ewell) coaches a little league baseball team

Forbidden Planet (1956)

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From MGM's science fiction classic Forbidden Planet. LEFT: With Leslie Nielsen and Robby the Robot. CENTER: With Robby the Robot. RIGHT: Wardrobe test photo

The Hired Gun (1957)

Anne Francis and Rory Calhoun

From the western The Hired Gun with Rory Calhoun

Girl of the Night (1960)

Anne Francis

Francis portrays a prostitute in the Warner Bros. release Girl of the Night

Brainstorm (1965)

Jeffrey Hunter and Anne Francis

With Jeffrey Hunter in the Warner Bros. thriller Brainstorm

The Satan Bug (1965)

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From the United Artists science fiction thriller The Satan Bug. LEFT and CENTER: With George Maharis. RIGHT: With Dana Andrews

Honey West (1965-1966 ABC TV Series)

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Francis as the title character in ABC's Honey West. This series also featured John Ericson

More Dead Than Alive (1969)

Clint Walker and Anne Francis

From the offbeat western More Dead Than Alive with Clint Walker

later years

In 1966, Francis was nominated for an Emmy (Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series) for her role in Honey West. Unfortunately, the show lasted only one season, and after 30 episodes, the series was shelved. Although the show's ratings were good, ABC cited high production costs as the reason for the show's demise.

From the late 1950s onward, Anne Francis concentrated most of her efforts on television, with great success. She appeared in hundreds of hours of TV programming throughout her career, acting in numerous TV series and making a number of TV movies. Francis retired in the late 1990s and settled into domestic life. Sadly, after a three-year struggle with cancer, Anne Francis passed away on January 2, 2011, at the age of 80. She was survived by her two daughters and a grandson.

filmography

FILM
Lover's Knot (1996) with Billy Campbell, Jennifer Grey, Tim Curry, Adam Baldwin, and Adam Ant
Have You Seen My Son? (1996) with Lisa Hartman
The Double 0 Kid (1993) with Brigitte Nielsen and Karen Black
Love Can Be Murder (1992) with Jaclyn Smith and Bruce Vilanch
Little Vegas (1990) with Catherine O'Hara and Jerry Stiller
My First Love (1988) with Beatrice Arthur, Joan Van Ark, and Julia Meade
Jake and the Fatman (1987) with William Conrad and Joe Penny
Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987) with Farrah Fawcett, Kevin McCarthy, and Burl Ives
Laguna Heat (1987) with Jason Robards and Harry Hamlin
A Masterpiece of Murder (1986) with Bob Hope, Don Ameche, Yvonne De Carlo, Stella Stevens, and Kevin McCarthy
Return (1985) with Frederic Forrest
The Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1984) with Angela Lansbury, Brian Keith, and Bert Convy
Mazes and Monsters (1982) with Tom Hanks, Lloyd Bochner, and Vera Miles
Detour to Terror (1980) with O.J. Simpson, Lorenzo Lamas, and Chris Noel
Beggarman, Thief (1979) with Jean Simmons, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Alex Cord, Andrew Stevens, and Glenn Ford
The Rebels (1979) with Andrew Stevens, Don Johnson, Doug McClure, Jim Backus, Richard Basehart, Joan Blondell, Macdonald Carey, Rory Calhoun, and Peter Graves
Born Again (1978) with Dean Jones, Dana Andrews, and Robert Clarke
Little Mo (1978) with Anne Baxter, Leslie Nielsen, and Martin Milner
The Young Runaways (1978) with Barbara Hale and John Lupton
Survival (1976) with Sheree North and Barry Sullivan
Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free (1976) with Don Meredith, Gloria DeHaven, and Chuck Connors
A Girl Named Sooner (1975) with Richard Crenna, Lee Remick, Cloris Leachman, and Don Murray
The Last Survivors (1975) with Martin Sheen, Diane Baker, and Christopher George
F.B.I. Story (1974) with Robert Foxworth and Chris Robinson
Cry Panic (1974) with John Forsythe and Ralph Meeker
Columbo: A Stitch in Crime (1973) with Peter Falk, Leonard Nimoy, Nita Talbot, and Aneta Corsaut
Pancho Villa (1973) with Clint Walker, Telly Savalas, and Chuck Connors
Columbo: Short Fuse (1972) with Peter Falk, Ida Lupino, and James Gregory
The Weekend Nun (1972) with Beverly Garland, Vic Morrow, Ann Sothern, and Lynn Borden
Haunts of the Very Rich (1972) with Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Robert Reed, Donna Mills, Ed Asner, Moses Gunn, and Michael Lembeck
Fireball Forward (1972) with Ricardo Montalban, Ben Gazzara, and Eddie Albert
Mongo's Back in Town (1971) with Telly Savalas, Sally Field, and Martin Sheen
The Forgotten Man (1971) with Dennis Weaver, Lois Nettleton, and Pamelyn Ferdin
Impasse(1970) with Burt Reynolds and Lyle Bettger
The Intruders (1970) with Don Murray, John Saxon, and Edmund O'Brien
Wild Women (1970) with Hugh O'Brian, Marie Windsor, and Marilyn Maxwell
Lost Flight (1969) with Lloyd Bridges, Ralph Meeker, Kasey Rogers, and Bobby Van
The Love God? (1969) with Don Knotts, Edmund O'Brien, and James Gregory
Hook, Line and Sinker (1969) with Jerry Lewis and Peter Lawford
More Dead Than Alive (1969) with Clint Walker, Vincent Price, Mike Henry, and Beverly Hills
Funny Girl (1968) with Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, and Gerald Mohr
Brainstorm (1965) with Jeffrey Hunter, Dana Andrews, and Viveca Lindfors
The Satan Bug (1965) with George Maharis, Dana Andrews, and Richard Basehart
The Crowded Sky (1961) with Dana Andrews, Troy Donahue, Rhonda Fleming, Patsy Kelly, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Girl of the Night (1960) with Lloyd Nolan
Don't Go Near the Water (1957) with Glenn Ford, Russ Tamblyn, Eva Gabor, and Jeff Richards
The Hired Gun (1957) with Rory Calhoun, Vince Edwards, and Chuck Connors
The Great American Pastime (1956) with Tom Ewell and Ann Miller
The Rack (1956) with Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon, and James Best
Forbidden Planet (1956) with Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, Jack Kelly, and Warren Stevens
The Scarlet Coat (1955) with Cornel Wilde, Michael Wilding, and George Sanders
Blackboard Jungle (1955) with Glenn Ford, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, and Rafael Campos
Battle Cry (1955) with Tab Hunter, Van Helfin, Mona Freeman, Dorothy Malone, Aldo Ray, William Campbell, and John Lupton
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) with Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, John Ericson, and Lee Marvin
The Rocket Man (1954) with Charles Coburn, John Agar, Beverly Garland, and Spring Byington
Rogue Cop (1954) with Robert Taylor, Steve Forrest, Janet Leigh, and Vince Edwards
Susan Slept Here (1954) with Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Alvy Moore, and Les Tremayne
A Lion is in the Streets (1953) with James Cagney, Barbara Hale, and Lon Chaney Jr.
Dreamboat (1952) with Ginger Rogers, Clifton Webb, and Jeffrey Hunter
Lydia Bailey (1952) with Dale Robertson and William Marshall
Elopement (1951) with Clifton Webb and William Lundigan
The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) with Lloyd Bridges and Parker Fennelly
So Young, So Bad (1950) with Paul Henreid and Rita Moreno
Summer Holiday (1948) with Gloria DeHaven, Mickey Rooney, and Agnes Moorehead

TELEVISION SERIES
Riptide, 1984-1986 TV series. Francis portrayed Mama Jo during the 1984-1985 season
Dallas, 1978-1991 CBS TV series. Francis portrayed Arliss Cooper during the 1981-1982 season
My Three Sons 1960-1972 CBS TV series. Francis portrayed Terri Dowling during the 1971-1972 season
Honey West, 1965-1966 ABC TV series. Francis portrayed Honey West. Also starring in this series was John Ericson
Versatile Varieties, 1949-1951 TV series. Francis appeared as "Bonny Maid" from 1949 through 1950

anne francis trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Anne Francis' 1956 sci-fi thriller Forbidden Planet

anne francis television appearances

Watch Anne Francis in a 1958 episode of Climax! titled Scream in Silence

anne francis film now showing

Watch Anne Francis' 1972 made-for-TV thriller Haunts of the Very Rich
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