Fran Drescher has come a long way since playing the “flashy girl from Flushing” on The Nanny.
Drescher scored her breakout role in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever as supporting character Connie, who had a brief interaction with leading man John Travolta. While her performance was brief, Drescher soon landed starring roles in the likes of American Hot Wax, The Hollywood Knights, Ragtime and This Is Spinal Tap.
After conquering the big screen, Drescher and then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson co-created CBS’ The Nanny. The six-season sitcom followed Drescher as the titular nanny, named Fran Fine, after she started a new career in childcare following a bad breakup.
“It doesn’t matter what you look like or what you speak like, it’s what’s in your heart that counts. And I think that that message is probably more important today than ever,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2022 of The Nanny’s core messages and continued fan following. “And to treat kids respectfully and honor them as human beings and not talk down to them is important. To be tolerant of those who don’t happen to be like you is a daily practice. To make kindness and compassion your compass is really also a daily practice and the reason why we are on this earth.”
The Nanny ultimately wrapped in 1999, nearly 20 years before Drescher ran to become the president of the SAG-AFTRA union. Drescher proved victorious in September 2021 and has since fought for equality in the industry, especially during the July 2023 actor’s strike.
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Scroll below to see Drescher’s life in photos through the years: