---
name: "Frances Bay"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/frances-bay"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "23 January 1919"
died: "15 September 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 83
updated: "2026-09-16T21:20:15.149005+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Frances Bay

Actor. Born 23 January 1919 in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. Died 15 September 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 23 January 1919, Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
- **Died:** 15 September 2011
- **Active:** 1984–1990
- **Also known as:** Frances Evelyn Bay , Frances Evelyn Goffman

## Biography

Frances Bay (also credited as Frances Evelyn Bay and Frances Evelyn Goffman) was a Canadian-American character actress. She began her career in radio in the 1930s and became known as 'The Girlfriend to the Canadian Forces' on CBC Radio during the Second World War. After a hiatus following her marriage, she studied acting with Uta Hagen in New York and returned to performing in her late fifties.

Bay made her screen debut in the 1978 film *Foul Play* and went on to appear in more than fifty films and numerous television series. She is noted for roles including Mrs Milo in *The Karate Kid* (1984), Aunt Barbara in *Blue Velvet* (1986), Mother Superior in *Twins* (1988), Mrs Tremond in *Twin Peaks* (1990) and its 1992 prequel, and Grandma in *Happy Gilmore* (1996). She also appeared in the final episodes of the sitcoms *Happy Days*, *Who's the Boss?* and *Seinfeld*.

Bay won a Gemini Award for her guest role in *Road to Avonlea* and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008. She continued working into her nineties.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, canadaswalkoffame.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *The Grifters* (1990), Fi1m 84, as Arizona Motel Clerk — [page](https://film.one/film/the-grifters.md)
- *Twin Peaks* (1990), Fi1m 86, as Mrs. Tremond — [page](https://film.one/tv/twin-peaks.md)
- *Wild at Heart* (1990), Fi1m 78, as Madam — [page](https://film.one/film/wild-at-heart.md)
- *Blue Velvet* (1986), Fi1m 88, as Aunt Barbara — [page](https://film.one/film/blue-velvet.md)
- *The Karate Kid* (1984), Fi1m 81, as Lady with Dog — [page](https://film.one/film/the-karate-kid.md)

## Also known for

- *Happy Gilmore* (1996), Grandma
- *Twins* (1988), Mother Superior
- *Charmed* (1998), Old Phoebe
- *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me* (1992), Mrs. Tremond (Chalfont)
- *In the Mouth of Madness* (1995), Mrs. Pickman
- *The Karate Kid Part III* (1989), Mrs. Milo
- *The Wedding Planner* (2001), Dottie
- *Arachnophobia* (1990), Evelyn Metcalf

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/frances-bay