Fran Bennett

Acting

Fran Bennett

Born — Died

1937-08-14 — 2021-09-12

Place of birth

Malvern, Arkansas, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

67 titles

Fran Bennett (August 14, 1937 – September 12, 2021) was an American actress, best 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 pa…

Known for

Film credits

2000s · 3 titles

1990s · 9 titles

8MM poster
6.5

A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.

8MM

1999

Wes Craven's New Nightmare poster
6.5

A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

1994

Foxfire poster
6.0

The story of five teenage girls who form an unlikely bond after beating up a teacher who has sexually harassed them. They build a solid friendship but their wild ways begin to get out of control.

Foxfire

1996

The Doctor poster
6.5

Jack McKee is a doctor with it all: he's successful, he's rich, and he has no problems.... until he is diagnosed with throat cancer. Now that he has seen medicine, hospitals, and doctors from a patient's perspective, he realises that there is more to being a doctor than surgery and prescriptions.

The Doctor

1991

Once in a Lifetime poster
5.0

After losing her husband and baby daughter to a fire, Daphne Fields raises her deaf son while beginning a writing career. Hollywood loves her scripts, but her heart remains with her son Andrew, under the care of Headmaster Matthew Dane at an eastern boarding school. Daphne finally seems to have rediscovered love in her leading man. But an accident leaves her hospitalized, contemplating her life, fate and her best chance for love.

Once in a Lifetime

1994

Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor poster
6.4

The alleged suicide of a gubernatorial candidate triggers a series of mysterious deaths leading to the governor's mansion, and "Wild" Bill McKenzie, a friend of Perry Mason, is on the case.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor

1994

No artwork available
4.3

Failed drama series pilot about events at a trauma center run by two doctors struggling to keep the Emergency Room open.

The Knife and Gun Club

1990

Majority Rule poster
6.0

A war heroine returns to the US to run for president and ends up facing enemies worse than those in the battle: corruption and the dangerous game of power.

Majority Rule

1992

Breaking the Silence poster
10.0

Drama about an attorney who defends a teenage boy accused of murdering his abusive father and must come to grips with his shameful secrets about his own mother.

Breaking the Silence

1992

1980s · 10 titles

The Morning After poster
6.0

Failed actress Alex Sternbergen wakes up hungover one morning in an apartment she does not recognize, unable to remember the previous evening -- and with a dead body in bed next to her. As she tries to piece together the events of the night, Alex cannot totally rely on friends or her estranged husband, Joaquin, for assistance. Only a single ally, loner ex-policeman Turner Kendall, can help her escape her predicament and find the true killer.

The Morning After

1986

Nightingales poster
NR

"Nightingales" are eight student nurses living off campus in Southern California in this stylish Aaron Spelling production that ultimately was developed into a short-lived series which aired on NBC at the beginning of 1989. Subsequently edited down to 90 minutes, the film later served as the premiere episode for the series, which was reworked to add Suzanne Pleshette and Barry Newman as stars.

Nightingales

1988

Romantic Comedy poster
5.2

Jason is in need of a collaborator to give him inspiration. Phoebe is a small-town English teacher with an urge to write. On the day Jason is being married, Jason and Phoebe meet and form a partnership.

Romantic Comedy

1983

How I Got Into College poster
6.0

High school senior Marlon Bowne is smitten with overachieving classmate Jessica Kailo. But, if he wants to have a shot with her, he'll have to find a way to get into Ramsey College, Jessica's top choice of schools. It won't be easy, since the college is highly selective and Marlon's grades are hardly impressive. That means the lovelorn teen will have to find a way to score high on the SATs and win over the college admissions committee.

How I Got Into College

1989

Roots: The Gift poster
7.3

On Christmas Eve 1770, a young African warrior, who three years prior had been captured and sold into slavery in America, leads a desperate group of runaway slaves as they attempt to reach freedom in the North.

Roots: The Gift

1988

The Violation of Sarah McDavid poster
4.5

Sarah McDavid, an idealistic young teacher, takes a job in a rough high school where she is eventually attacked and raped in her classroom after school hours and decides to buck the school system in an attempt to make schools safer for students and teachers alike, against the advice of the school's principal, Dr. Keys, who tries to gloss over the hazardous conditions and the incident itself to avoid bad publicity and decreased enrollment.

The Violation of Sarah McDavid

1981

Between Two Women poster
5.6

When shy school teacher Val and Harry, the son of an aged opera singer, get married, Val quickly discovers that Harry's mother, Barbara, is not very happy with their union. In fact, Barbara tries to separate the couple. But, when Barbara suffers a debilitating stroke, Val's compassion and empathy mend the rift between two women, giving Barbara the will to survive. But will Barbara learn to love her daughter-in-law?

Between Two Women

1986

Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter poster
4.5

TV movie biopic depicting the life, career, and family of comedian Ernie Kovacs.

Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter

1984

My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He? poster
8.0

Teenage boy is unable to deal with his schizophrenic father.

My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He?

1989

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof poster
5.7

An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

1984

Series credits

NCIS poster
7.6

From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has any connection to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.

NCIS

2003

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
8.4

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987

ER poster
7.8

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

ER

1994

ER poster
7.8

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

ER

1994

Murder, She Wrote poster
7.5

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

Murder, She Wrote

1984

Boston Legal poster
7.9

Alan Shore and Denny Crane lead a brigade of high-priced civil litigators in an upscale Boston law firm in a series focusing on the professional and personal lives of brilliant but often emotionally challenged attorneys. A spin-off of long-running series The Practice.

Boston Legal

2004

Community poster
8.0

Follow the lives of a group of students at what is possibly the world’s worst community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado.

Community

2009

Falcon Crest poster
5.6

Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the Californian wine industry. Jane Wyman starred as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, alongside Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew who returns to Falcon Crest following the death of his father. The series was set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley northeast of San Francisco.

Falcon Crest

1981

Melrose Place poster
5.9

Follow the lives of a group of young adults living in a brownstone apartment complex on Melrose Place, in Los Angeles, California.

Melrose Place

1992

Quantum Leap poster
8.0

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Quantum Leap

1989

Quantum Leap poster
8.0

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Quantum Leap

1989

Scandal poster
7.2

Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope and her team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients, but it becomes apparent that these "gladiators in suits," who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, have trouble fixing those closest at hand -- their own.

Scandal

2012

Chicago Hope poster
7.2

Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It ran on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charity hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Hope

1994

Chicago Hope poster
7.2

Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It ran on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charity hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Hope

1994

Numb3rs poster
7.0

Inspired by actual cases and experiences, Numb3rs depicts the confluence of police work and mathematics in solving crime as an FBI agent recruits his mathematical genius brother to help solve a wide range of challenging crimes in Los Angeles from a very different perspective.

Numb3rs

2005

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

Remington Steele poster
7.1

Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.

Remington Steele

1982

L.A. Law poster
7.0

The high-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, usually for high fees. However, office politics and romance often distract the legal staffers from matters in the courtroom.

L.A. Law

1986

Crossing Jordan poster
7.2

Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Crossing Jordan

2001

American Playhouse poster
6.6

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

American Playhouse

1982

Sunset Beach poster
6.1

Sunset Beach is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from January 6, 1997 to December 31, 1999. The show follows the loves and lives of the people living in the Orange County coastal area named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California. Although there is a town in California called Sunset Beach, the show's beach scenes were shot on nearby Seal Beach. The show was co-produced by NBC and Spelling Television. Sunset Beach won two Daytime Emmy Awards and was nominated another eleven times. The show also received twenty-two nominations for various other awards.

Sunset Beach

1997

St. Elsewhere poster
5.7

St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series starred Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels as teaching doctors at a lightly-regarded Boston hospital who gave interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions.

St. Elsewhere

1982

Matlock poster
7.0

Thrifty, folksy and cantankerous, Matlock charges a premium for his services but is worth every penny: This renowned attorney, always clothed in his trademark light-gray suit and driving his signature Ford Crown Victoria, has an uncanny knack for finding overlooked clues and exposing murderers in dramatic courtroom scenes.

Matlock

1986

The Fosters poster
7.5

Stef Foster, a dedicated police officer, and her partner Lena Adams, a school vice principal, have built a close-knit, loving family with Stef's biological son from a previous marriage, Brandon, and their adopted twins, Mariana and Jesus. Their lives are disrupted in unexpected ways when Lena meets Callie, a hardened teen with an abusive past who has spent her life in and out of foster homes. Lena and Stef welcome Callie and her brother, Jude, into their home thinking it's just for a few weeks, until a more permanent placement can be found. But life has something else in store for the Fosters.

The Fosters

2013

Simon & Simon poster
6.7

A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency.

Simon & Simon

1981

Highway to Heaven poster
7.4

A probationary angel is sent back to Earth to team up with an ex-cop and help people.

Highway to Heaven

1984

Arli$$ poster
6.9

A behind-the-scenes look at the glitzy, big-money world of professional sports following the eternally optimistic and endlessly resourceful L.A. sports agent Arliss Michaels whose Achilles' heel is his inability to say “no” to clients and employees.

Arli$$

1996

ALF poster
7.6

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

ALF

1986

The Twilight Zone poster
7.7

This 1980s revival of the classic sci-fi series features a similar style to the original anthology series. Each episode tells a tale (sometimes two or three) rooted in horror or suspense, often with a surprising twist at the end. Episodes usually feature elements of drama and comedy.

The Twilight Zone

1985

Lou Grant poster
7.4

The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.

Lou Grant

1977

Lou Grant poster
7.4

The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.

Lou Grant

1977

Early Edition poster
7.4

Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What will he do with tomorrow's news?

Early Edition

1996

Cagney & Lacey poster
7.0

Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of all time.

Cagney & Lacey

1982

Jake and the Fatman poster
6.2

Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.

Jake and the Fatman

1987

Jake and the Fatman poster
6.2

Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series.

Jake and the Fatman

1987

Providence poster
6.7

Providence is an American television drama series.

Providence

1999

Matt Houston poster
6.3

Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.

Matt Houston

1982

ABC Afterschool Special poster
6.5

Dramatically presented situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were either in animated form or presented as documentaries. Topics included illiteracy, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy.

ABC Afterschool Special

1972