Frances Bay

Acting

Frances Bay

Born 1919-01-23 · Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada

Frances Evelyn Bay (née Goffman; January 23, 1919 – September 15, 2011) was a Canadian-American character actress known for playing a variety of quirky elderly women on film and television. In a career that spanned 35 years, she acted in a variety of roles both in film and television. After initial success in radio and stage plays, she became "The Girlfriend to the Canadian Forces" on CBC Radio during World War II, boosting troops' spirits. Marriage and a move to the U.S. led to a hiatus, during which she studied acting with Uta Hagen in New York. Returning to acting at 60, Bay featured in Foul Play and gained recognition in various TV shows like Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and films such as The Wedding Planner and Twins. Her versatile career spanned over 50 films and numerous TV series, earning her awards and nominations. Notably, she appeared in the final episodes of sitcoms Seinfeld, Who’s the Boss?, and Happy Days. Bay was inducted in Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008.

Acting credits

Blue Velvet poster
7.6

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

Blue Velvet

1986

The Karate Kid poster
7.2

New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

The Karate Kid

1984

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me poster
7.4

In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

1992

Happy Gilmore poster
6.7

Failed hockey player-turned-golf whiz Happy Gilmore — whose unconventional approach and antics on the green courts the ire of rival Shooter McGavin — is determined to win a PGA tournament so he can save his granny's house with the prize money. Meanwhile, an attractive tour publicist tries to soften Happy's image.

Happy Gilmore

1996

In the Mouth of Madness poster
7.2

An insurance investigator visits a small town while looking into the strange disappearance of a popular horror novelist. He soon finds that the impact of the author’s books is far more than inspirational.

In the Mouth of Madness

1995

The Karate Kid Part III poster
5.9

Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.

The Karate Kid Part III

1989

Twins poster
6.1

Julius and Vincent Benedict are the results of an experiment that would allow for the perfect child. Julius was planned and grows to athletic proportions. Vincent is an accident and is somewhat smaller in stature. Vincent is placed in an orphanage while Julius is taken to a south seas island and raised by philosophers. Vincent becomes the ultimate low life and is about to be killed by loan sharks.

Twins

1988

Wild at Heart poster
7.0

Young lovers Sailor and Lula hit the road to start a new life together away from the wrath of Lula’s deranged, disapproving mother, who has hired a team of hitmen to cut the lovers’ surreal honeymoon short.

Wild at Heart

1990

The Wedding Planner poster
5.9

San Francisco's premiere wedding planner, Mary Fiore is rescued from an accident by the man of her dreams, pediatrician Steve Edison, only to find he is the fiancé of her latest client. As Mary continues making their wedding arrangements, she and Steve are put into a string of uncomfortable situations that force them to face their mutual attraction.

The Wedding Planner

2001

The Grifters poster
6.5

A small-time conman has his loyalties torn between his estranged mother and his new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

The Grifters

1990

Inspector Gadget poster
4.5

John Brown is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda, a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named "Inspector Gadget" by the press, John -- along with his niece, Penny, and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.

Inspector Gadget

1999

Foul Play poster
6.3

A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.

Foul Play

1978

Arachnophobia poster
6.5

A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It's up to a couple of doctors with the help of an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight legged freaks.

Arachnophobia

1990

Critters 3 poster
5.3

As fanged, furious furballs viciously invade an L.A. apartment building and sink their teeth into the low-rent tenants, Josh leads the battle to beat back the conniving critters and save the planet.

Critters 3

1991

The Pit and the Pendulum poster
5.8

Set during the height of Spanish Inquisition. The beautiful and kind-hearted Maria is arrested as a witch when she inadvertently cries out in horror at the public whipping of a child. As Maria’s husband Antonio tries to save her, Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, determines to punish Maria with torture for the desire she inflames in him. Loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe's classic short story.

The Pit and the Pendulum

1991

Stranger Than Fiction poster
5.9

Nothing is as it seems when four friends agree to cover up a killing. When they begin to doubt who among them is telling the truth, they find that life can be stranger than fiction.

Stranger Than Fiction

2000

Edmond poster
6.0

Seemingly mild-mannered businessman Edmond Burke visits a fortuneteller and hears a remark that spurs him to leave his wife abruptly and seek what is missing from his life. Encounters with strangers and unsavory people weaken the barriers encompassing his long-suppressed rage, until Edmond explodes in violence.

Edmond

2006

Single White Female poster
6.3

Having recently split from her fiancé, Allison Jones welcomes new roommate Hedra Carlson. The young women quickly form a bond, but soon Allison begins to notice not all’s well with her new tenant.

Single White Female

1992

Changing Habits poster
2.6

An aspiring artist runs from men as a result of an early life problem that has left her relationship with her father strained. She decides to move into a convent where troubled women receive cheap lodging in exchange for work. She finds a dirty area in the basement where she paints a mural that deals with all of her psychological problems. While some find it gaudy, others such as the mother superior realizes its potential to save the convent which is to be closed. During all this the artist starts a relationship with a man who owns an art supply shop where she shop-lifts her supplies. Written by John Sacksteder

Changing Habits

1997

Private School poster
5.7

Private-school student Christine loves Jim. But her classmate, Jordan, is also vying for Jim's attention and trying to end his relationship with Christine. Meanwhile, Jim's friend Bubba embarks on a series of sexual escapades, including dressing up as a woman to access the girls' locker room. Despite Jim and Christine's efforts to spend some time alone, various shenanigans and schemes interfere.

Private School

1983

Finder's Fee poster
6.2

Friends Tepper, Quigley, Fishman, and Bolan get together for a weekly poker night with two simple rules: Everyone contributes a lottery ticket to the pot, and no one checks the numbers until the game ends. But this particular, stormy night is different: Tepper plans to propose to his girlfriend, and just before the weekly game, he finds a wallet outside his apartment with a winning lottery ticket worth $6 million. Tepper calls the wallet's owner, Avery, to come collect what's his, but keeps the winning ticket for himself...only for Avery to show up and ask to play a hand.

Finder's Fee

2001

Big Top Pee-wee poster
5.0

Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever.

Big Top Pee-wee

1988

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces poster
7.2

A feature-length compilation of deleted and alternate takes from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, assembled by David Lynch to continue the story of the final week of Laura Palmer’s life.

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces

2014

Ring Around the Rosie poster
4.4

While spending time at her grandparent's secluded summerhouse to clean up the place after her grandmother's death, a young woman is plagued by horrible visions and dreams of tragic past events.

Ring Around the Rosie

2006