Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1941, Franz grew up in a working-class family — her father worked in a tire factory; her mother battled mental illness.
Franz once shared that her mother would disappear for months at a time.
“He was in great pain,” she recalled.
One day, her mother looked out the window and saw him in the garden. He suddenly threw down his rake in what looked like pure rage, then collapsed.
It was a stroke, and he never fully recovered. Losing his job at the tire factory had broken his spirit.
Her parents’ struggles made Franz realize that acting was a refuge, a place where she could finally express the emotions she had been forced to bottle up while growing up. She discovered her passion early and eventually went on to graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
She married twice — first to actor Edward Binns, who died in 1990, and later to Christopher Pelham, who remained by her side until the end.
She is survived by Pelham and her brother, Joe.
Whether you knew her from Broadway or saw her as the kind, nurturing Mia on Gilmore Girls, Elizabeth Franz had a way of making every role feel honest and deeply human.
Her legacy lives on in the performances that earned her awards, the roles that touched fans, and the stories she helped bring to life.
Rest in peace to a legend of stage and screen.
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