Fran Carlon

Fran Carlon (August 15, 1913 – October 4, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned radio, stage, and screen. Born in Indianapolis and raised in Chicago, she pursued formal theatrical training at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and subsequently at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Carlon's stage career began with a touring production of Uncle Tom's Cabin, in which she played Little Eva. Her Broadway debut came with Play, Genius, Play, a production that closed after four performances. She went on to appear in Men of Distinction in 1953 and Sunrise at Campobello. Her film work brought her to Hollywood, where she appeared alongside Douglas Montgomery, Loretta Young, and the Ritz Brothers.

Radio represented a significant portion of Carlon's professional life. She entered the medium through commercial work on Amos 'n' Andy and went on to accumulate an extensive list of serial roles. These included Martha in This Changing World, the reporter Lorelei Heilbron in Big Town, sister Sue in Big Sister, Rhoda Brent in Blackstone, the Magic Detective, and Irene in Our Gal Sunday. She carried lead roles in Joan and Kermit, Kitty Keene, Mary Marlin, and Joyce Jordan, M.D. Additional radio credits included Mary Noble, Backstage Wife; Lora Lawton; Ma Perkins; The Chicago Theater of the Air; Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons; and Theatre Five.

On television, Carlon played Ada in the series The Hamptons, Julia Blake on As the World Turns, and Portia Blake on Portia Faces Life.

In her personal life, Carlon was married to Casey Allen, a radio actor and announcer. The couple had two children, a daughter named Kerry and a son named Kim. Carlon died of cancer in Manhattan, New York, in 1993 at the age of 80.