Nancy Frangione

Nancy Frangione (July 10, 1953 – August 18, 2023) was an American actress whose career spanned Broadway, daytime television, and primetime series. She was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where she graduated from Barnstable High School in 1971.

Frangione made her Broadway appearance in 1974, performing in Equus. Her transition to television began in 1977, when she took on the role of Tara Martin on the daytime drama All My Children, a part she held until 1979.

Her most prominent television role came on Another World, where she portrayed Cecile DePoulignac beginning in June 1981. The character, known for her scheming nature, earned Frangione the inaugural Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in 1984. She remained in the role through November 1984 and subsequently returned to the part on four separate occasions: in 1986, 1989, 1993, and again from October 1995 through June 1996. In 1985, she also appeared on One Life to Live, stepping in for Andrea Evans in the role of Tina Lord while Evans was ill.

Beyond daytime television, Frangione appeared in several primetime series, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Highway to Heaven, Matlock, and The Nanny, in which she played a character named Marsha, a cousin of Fran's.

In her personal life, Frangione was married to Christopher Rich, her co-star from Another World, from 1982 to 1996. Together they adopted a daughter named Mariel Rich. Frangione died on August 18, 2023, in Barnstable, Massachusetts, at the age of 70.