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 passed away at the age of 84.

Filmography

• 2021The Manor — Ruth
• 2019Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" — Mother Jefferson
• 2014Jessabelle — Mrs. Davis
• The Fosters — Iris
• Scandal — Louis
• Community — Nana
• 2008Grave Misconduct — Mrs. Crutch
• The Book of Daniel — Lorraine
• Numb3rs — Estelle Brown
• Boston Legal — Judge Diane Avent
• NCIS — Mary Elaine Smith
• Boomtown — Beatrice Rahming
• Crossing Jordan — Judge
• 2001The Sky is Falling — Mrs. Quinn
• 2000The Next Best Thing — Judge Tracey Bennett
• 19998MM — Nun
• Providence — Chairwoman
• Sunset Beach
• Arli$$ — Amelia Halimon
• Early Edition — Judge A. Harding Joseph
• 1996Foxfire — Judge Holifield
• Chicago Hope — Andrea Porter, Odelia Wilkes
• ER — Phyllis, Michelle
• 1994Once in a Lifetime — Dr. Liz Wells
• 1994Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor — Judge Donna Andrews
• 1994Wes Craven's New Nightmare — Dr. Christine Heffner
• 1992Breaking the Silence — Judge Virginia Richards
• 1992Majority Rule — Jane
• Melrose Place — Dr. Miller
• 1991The Doctor — Admissions Secretary
• Capital News
• Nasty Boys
• 1990The Knife and Gun Club — Nurse Mary Falk
• 1989How I Got Into College — Mrs. Cook
• Mancuso, F.B.I.
• 1989My Dad Can't Be Crazy... Can He? — Nurse Etting
• Nightingales — Head Nurse Lenore Ritt
• Quantum Leap — Ada Simpson, Marie Billings
• 1988Nightingales — Nurse Ritt
• 1988Roots: The Gift — May
• A Year in the Life — Mrs. Caldwell
• Jake and the Fatman — Thornton, Judge (uncredited)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation — Fleet Admiral Shanthi
• Tour of Duty — Mrs. Johnson
• ALF — Mrs. Watson
• 1986Between Two Women — Night Nurse
• L.A. Law — Judge Hillary Miller Johnson
• Matlock — Betty Harding
• 1986The Morning After — Airline Clerk
• Shadow Chasers — Dr. Frolov
• The Twilight Zone — UN Chairman (segment "A Small Talent for War")
• 1984Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — Sookey
• 1984Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter — Miss Deal
• Highway to Heaven — Flora
• Murder, She Wrote — Detective MacKenzie
• 1983Romantic Comedy — Doctor #1
• American Playhouse — Sookey
• Cagney & Lacey
• Matt Houston — Lucille
• Remington Steele — Coroner
• St. Elsewhere — Nurse Julie Attucks
• Falcon Crest — Nurse
• Simon & Simon — Wanda Tale
• 1981The Violation of Sarah McDavid — Ms. Merriam
• 1979Friendships, Secrets and Lies — Clarissa
• Knots Landing — Bev Tolner, Kimya Haman, Dr. Faulkner
• Diff'rent Strokes
• Lou Grant — Sarah, Chaney
• ABC Afterschool Special — Nurse Etting

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 2010Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy — Self