Here is the biography of Francine York:
Francine York was born in Aurora, Minnesota to Frank and Sophie Yerich. When she was five, her family moved to Cleveland, where she began writing short stories and taking an interest in acting. At age nine, Francine made her theatrical debut in a production of Cinderella, playing Griselda. Initially upset she didn't get the starring role, Francine ended up stealing the show with her performance as the evil stepsister.
When Francine was 12, her family moved back to Aurora, where she continued to perform in class plays, as well as writing, producing, directing, and starring in a three-act play called "Keen Teens or Campus Quarantine". She worked as the feature editor of the school newspaper, Aurora Borealis, and won all of the school's declamation contests with her dramatic readings.
At age 17, Francine won the Miss Eveleth contest and became a runner-up in the Miss Minnesota contest, hosted by former Miss America BeBe Shopp. She moved to Minneapolis, got a job modeling sweaters for New York-based Jane Richards Sportswear, and began traveling throughout the United States. She ended up in San Francisco, where she began a modeling course at the House of Charm agency, which started her off on a successful modeling career.
Francine got a job as a showgirl at Bimbo's, a well-known San Francisco nightclub, where she met singer Mary Meade French, who brought her to Hollywood and got her signed with her first agent. Francine worked as a showgirl at Frank Sennes' Moulin Rouge, a popular nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and began studying with famed actor/teacher Jeff Corey.
Francine's first big break came when Jerry Lewis cast her in his film It's Only Money (1962),in which she played a tantalizing sexpot. This led to Lewis hiring her for five more of his films, including The Nutty Professor (1963),The Patsy (1964),The Disorderly Orderly (1964),The Family Jewels (1965),and Cracking Up (1983).
Francine also appeared in films such as Bedtime Story (1964),Tickle Me (1965),Cannon for Cordoba (1970),Curse of the Swamp Creature (1968),Mutiny in Outer Space (1964),Space Probe Taurus (1965),and The Doll Squad (1973). She played Nicolas Cage's mother-in-law in The Family Man (2000).
Francine has also had tremendous success in television, with appearances on Route 66, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, My Favorite Martian, Burke's Law, Perry Mason, Batman, Gomer Pyle: USMC, Lost in Space, It Takes a Thief, Green Acres, The Wild Wild West, Ironside, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, Mannix, Bewitched, Adam-12, Mission: Impossible, Kojak, Columbo, Matlock, The King of Queens, and Las Vegas, among many others.
While Francine was enjoying great success as a film and television actress, she was also making a name for herself as a fitness/nutrition expert and gourmet cook. She made many appearances on television demonstrating her culinary skills, and many of her recipes were published in national health magazines. Francine also became known as one of Hollywood's leading hostesses, cooking for such celebrities as Clint Eastwood, Rex Harrison, Vincent Price, Regis Philbin, Jean Stapleton, Neil Sedaka, James Arness, Glenn Ford, and Peter Ustinov.
Francine continued to act in films and on television until her death on January 6, 2017, at the age of 80, due to cancer.
