Frances Chaney
| Frances Chaney | |
|---|---|
Chaney in 1945
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| Born |
Fanya Lipetz July 23, 1915 Odessa, Ukraine |
| Died | November 23, 2004 New York City, New York |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | David Lardner (1941 - 1944, his death) Ring Lardner Jr. (1946 - 2000, his death) |
| Children | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
Frances Chaney (July 23, 1915 - November 23, 2004) was an actress on stage, on old-time radio and on television. She was perhaps best known, however, for being "ostracized as pro-communist along with her late blacklisted husband, Ring Lardner Jr."
The daughter of Leon Lipetz, Chaney was born Fanya Lipetz on July 23, 1915, in Odessa, Ukraine, but her family moved to Istanbul, and she began her education in an English school there. The family later moved to the United States, to the Bronx, New York City.
She attended Hunter College, but eventually dropped out to take a job at Macy's department store and gained an evening apprenticeship at Provincetown Playhouse in New York City. That led to her getting a scholarship at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, also in New York City, where she studied acting for two years. After finishing at the Neighborhood Playhouse School, she changed her name to Frances Chaney, thinking that producers might be more likely to hire her that way than if she used her Russian name.
Chaney co-starred in House in the Country, a serial on NBC-Blue (1941-1942). She also had the role of Malvena Topper on The Adventures of Topper and played the "Burma" character on Terry and the Pirates. Additionally, she frequently appeared on Gang Busters and Mr. District Attorney.
During World War II, Chaney was active in radio programs produced by the Armed Forces Radio Service. An article about her in the November 1945 issue of Radio Romances noted: "Busy as she was, Frances frequently gave up important roles -- high-paying roles -- in order to appear on the radio shows put on by the Armed Forces Radio Service. She worked steadily on the Assignment Home series, for instance, giving that preference over any other shows."
Chaney had "a recurring role that lasted 10 years on the soap opera The Edge of Night."
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