COMMENTARY | The sad news that actress Frances Bay passed away at the age of 92 Thursday was released over the weekend. If you don’t know Bay by her name, you probably know her face. She played several lovable and hilarious grandmother characters over the last four decades, including Adam Sandler’s grandmother in the film “Happy Gilmore.”
What makes Bay’s story a little different is she didn’t even start acting until she was in her mid-50s, and wasn’t really recognized until 1978, when she was almost 60 years old. Her first noted part was a small role in the Chevy Chase/Goldie Hawn film “Foul Play.” Bay’s first television role was as the grandmother of Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, on “Happy Days.” Winkler wrote Bay a letter calling her his virtual grandmother, as he lost his own grandma in the Holocaust.
Bay was an exceptional woman, and actress, and an inspiration to those who are afraid to take on new careers later in life. She is a great example of “it’s never too late” to follow your passion. Here are several other famous people who were fearless in following their hearts after reaching middle age.
Peg Phillips
While you may not recognize her name, Phillips, who would have turned 93 Tuesday, played Ruth-Anne Miller on the television series “Northern Exposure.” She was the quirky and lovable woman who ran the only grocery store in town. Phillips did not start acting until she was in her late 60s, but she played the role of Ruth-Anne for five years. Her character was supposed to be intermittent, but she was so well-liked that she became a permanent fixture on the show.
Phillips said she knew she wanted to act since she was 4 years old, but instead worked most of her life as a bookkeeper and accountant. This strong woman survived not only Pearl Harbor but a bout of polio, and also raised four children. In the 1980s she went back to school, enrolling in drama classes at the University of Washington in Seattle, and not long after she was cast on the successful series.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Although Wilder passed away over 50 years ago, she is still a household name. She is the author of the famed “Little House” series of books, based on her childhood during our country’s pioneer days. Her books have been loved for generations, and were made into the popular television series “Little House on the Prairie,” which ran in the 1970s.
Did you know Wilder did not start writing until she was 65 years old? She is one of many inspirational women who found their true passion and followed her heart late in life. If she had not, the world would surely have missed one of the greatest pioneering stories ever told.