On January 23, 1919, Frances Evelyn Bay was born. She was a character actor who was both Canadian and American. She had a range of parts in cinema and television during the course of her 35-year career. In 2008, Bay was honoured on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

If you are getting curious to know more about this beautiful woman, then you may find these 8 unknown facts interesting

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Frances Bay

1. Her Formative Years

Frances Evelyn Goffman was born in Mannville, Alberta, to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Ann and Max Goffman on January 23, 1919, and grew up in Dauphin, Manitoba. Her younger brother was Erving Goffman, a well-known sociologist.

2. Married In 1946

She married Charles Irwin Bay in 1946 and moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where she lived in the Constantia and Camps Bay neighbourhoods. At the time, she was studying with Uta Hagen. Josh, Charles and Frances Bay’s only son, was born. ^[1] 

3. Academic Qualification

Bay was struck by acting and resumed her studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she appeared in radio and stage productions and won Best Actress at the Dominion Drama Festival. 

4. Known As “The Girlfriend To The Canadian Force”

During World War II, she was renowned on CBC Radio as “The Girlfriend to the Canadian Forces” on the show Everybody’s Program. The troops praised Bay for keeping their spirits high. ^[2]

5. She Died On September 15, 2011

Frances Bay, the late actress who played Arthur Fonzarelli’s grandma on “Happy Days” to the woman who spars with Jerry Seinfeld over a loaf of marble rye, died on September 15, 2011, in Los Angeles. She was 92 years old. Marly Zaslow, a cousin, revealed her death was caused by pneumonia. ^[3]

6. Met With A Car Accident In 2002

In November 2002, the same year her husband, Charles, died, she was hit by a car and had part of her right leg severed. She quickly resumed performing in spite of this, most notably in a regular role on the sitcom “The Middle.” ^[4]

7. Began Her Career As A Radio Actress

She began her career as a radio actress, but after being married and giving birth to a son who died in his 20s, she took a long break from acting.

8. Sister Of Erving Goffman

She was the sister of eminent sociologist and author of “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life,” Erving Goffman, who was born in 1922. ^[5]