Frances Heflin

Mary Frances Heflin (September 20, 1920 – June 1, 1994) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Mona Kane Tyler on the soap opera All My Children (1970–1994).

Frances Heflin
Heflin in an undated publicity photo
Born
Mary Frances Heflin

(1920-09-20)September 20, 1920
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedJune 1, 1994(1994-06-01) (aged 73)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1941–1994
Spouses
Sidney Kaufman
​
​
(m. 1944; div. 1945)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1945; died 1990)​
    Children3; including Jonathan Kaplan
    Relatives

    Early life

    Heflin was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Fanny Bleecker (née Shippey) and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, a dentist. She had two older brothers, Martin and Van, an actor.[1][2] Through Martin, she was the aunt of actress Marta Heflin.[3]

    Career

    Heflin made her Broadway debut in her teens and was later featured in the original productions of The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), The World's Full of Girls (1943), I Remember Mama (1944), and the U.S. premiere of Bertolt Brecht's Galileo on July 30, 1947 in Los Angeles.

    Other Broadway credits included The Physicists, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Tempest, Sheppey, All in Favor, and The Walrus and the Carpenter.[4]

    She starred in London's West End, in John Gielgud's UK premiere of The Glass Menagerie as Laura opposite Helen Hayes.[5]

    A life member of The Actors Studio,[6] Heflin had varying roles on many television series in the 1950s and 1960s, including small roles on Kraft Television Theatre and The Patty Duke Show. But her most notable and enduring role was of Mona Kane Tyler, mother of Erica Kane, on the soap opera All My Children. She played the role from January 1970 until her death in June 1994.

    Personal life

    Heflin was briefly married to filmmaker Sidney Kaufman from 1944 to 1945, before marrying composer Sol Kaplan in 1945. They remained together until his death in 1990 and had three children: Jonathan Kaplan, a film director, and Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan, both actresses.[7][8]

    Death

    Heflin died of lung cancer on June 1, 1994 in New York City. She was 73 years old.[7][8]

    Filmography

    Film
    Year Title Role Notes
    1970 The Molly Maguires Mrs. Frazier
    1973 The Student Teachers Mrs. Updegrove
    1977 Mr. Billion Mrs. Apple Pie

    Television
    Year Title Role Notes
    1954 Kraft Television Theatre — Episode: "Blind Alley"
    1955, 1958 The United States Steel Hour Grace Ward / Emily 2 episodes
    1961 Tallahassee 7000 Jane Rogers Episode: "The Men from Tallahassee"
    1963 Naked City Josephine Hendon Episode: "Her Life in Moving Pictures"
    1964, 1965 The Patty Duke Show Cissy Lane / Miss Harvey 2 episodes
    1965 The Defenders Mrs. Kraft Episode: "Fires of the Mind"
    1970–1994 All My Children Mona Kane Tyler 465 episodes

    Radio appearances
    Year Program Notes
    1947 Cavalcade of America Episode: "The School for Men"[9]

    References
    1. Parker, John (1952). Who's who in the theatre: Volume 17, Part 1. Pitman. p. 762.
    2. "Obituary for Martin Heflin". The Daily Oklahoman. February 14, 1972.
    3. Vitello, Paul (September 26, 2013). "Marta Heflin, Actor, Dies at 68; Waif Seen in Altman Films". The New York Times.
    4. "Search for Frances Heflin". Playbill. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
    5. "The Glass Menagerie". Theatricalia. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
    6. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
    7. "Frances "Fra" Heflin Kaplan". The Oklahoman. June 4, 1994.
    8. "Frances Heflin; Stage, Film, TV Actress". Los Angeles Times. June 6, 1994.
    9. "Those Were the Days". Nostalgia Digest. 42 (2): 32. Spring 2016.
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