Fran Brill

Fran Brill (born September 30, 1946) is an American retired actress and puppeteer, best known for her roles on Sesame Street, as well as playing Sally Hayes in the Hal Ashby film Being There (1979), Dana Mardukas in the Martin Brest film Midnight Run (1988) and Lily Marvin in the Frank Oz film What About Bob? (1991). Life and career Brill was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and is a native of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joe Brill. Her father was a physician. She is a graduate of Boston University College of Fine Arts. Her early experience in acting came when she was 15 and performed in summer stock theater. She began her career in theater, making her Broadway debut portraying a student leader in Red, White and Maddox (1969). Her other theatrical roles include leads at the Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theater Club, Playwrights Horizons and many regional theaters including the Long Wharf, Yale Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, the Mark Taper Forum and the Actors Theatre of Louisville. She has been nominated twice for a Drama Desk Award, for What Every Woman Knows (1976) and for Knuckle (1981), respectively. From 1974-1975, Brill played Fran Bachman on NBC's daytime drama How to Survive a Marriage. Her character struggled with sudden widowhood, and Brill received many condolence letters. Brill was also featured in episodes of The Guiding Light, All My Children, The Edge of Night, Lip Service and Kate and Allie.