Frances Bay, Prolific Character Actress Known for Roles on Dozens of Series, Including a Memorable Episode of Seinfeld
In a 1996 episode of Seinfeld, Bay battled Jerry for a loaf of marble rye bread.
Frances Bay, a diminutive character actress whose career spanned more than 40 years, died September 15, 2011, in Tarzana, California. She was 92.
According to news reports, the cause was complications of pneumonia.
Bay worked widely in television beginning in the 1970s, with credits that included Happy Days (as Fonzie’s granmother), The Jeffersons, The Dukes of Hazzard, Who’s the Boss?, Matlock, The X Files, Murder, She Wrote, ER, Hannah Montana and Grey’s Anatomy.
She was also a series regular on The Hughleys and The Middle, but she is remembered by many for a 1996 episode of Seinfeld in which she and Jerry grapple over the last loaf of marble rye bread at a Manhattan bakery.
Also prolific in feature films, Bay appeared in such features as Happy Gilmore, Blue Velvet and Single White Female.
There are no immediate survivors.