Beloved stage and screen star Elizabeth Franz dead at 84

Elizabeth Franz — the Tony Award–winning actress beloved by theater fans and known to millions of TV viewers for her role as Mia on Gilmore Girls — has died at 84.

Cancer treatment

Elizabeth’s husband, Christopher Pelham, confirms to that his wife passed away at home in Woodbury, Connecticut, after battling cancer and suffering a severe reaction to her treatment.

The news has left the theater community, TV fans, and former co-stars heartbroken over the loss of a true force in American acting

Unforgettable portrayal

Elizabeth Franz wasn’t just a performer, she was a powerhouse.

Among colleagues, she was sometimes referred to as “America’s ” — and that’s no small compliment.

Theatergoers in New York first took notice of Franz in the Off-Broadway production of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, where she portrayed a sharp-tongued Catholic nun with fierce convictions.

Franz originated the role herself, and in the process she earned an Obie Award, along with the friendship of several real-life nuns who initially arrived to protest but ended up staying to chat

Her unforgettable portrayal of Linda Loman in the 1999 Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, alongside Brian Dennehy, earned her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Critics praised her emotional depth, calling her performance one of the most moving interpretations of the character ever seen.

Even Arthur Miller himself applauded her work, saying she “discovered… the powerful protectiveness [in Linda] which comes out as fury,” something he felt had been “washed out” in previous performances.

She later brought the role to television in Showtime’s 2000 adaptation, earning an Emmy nomination.

Franz’s career spanned six decades across stage, film, and television:

On Broadway, she starred in classics like:
– Brighton Beach Memoirs
– Morning’s at Seven
– The Cherry Orchard
– The Miracle Worker
– Uncle Vanya
… and many more.

On screen, she appeared in major films such as:
– Jacknife (with Robert De Niro)
– Sabrina (with Harrison Ford)
– Christmas with the Kranks (with Jamie Lee Curtis)

And TV fans will remember her from:
– Gilmore Girls (as inn owner Mia)
– Grey’s Anatomy
– Law & Order
– Law & Order: SVU
– Homeland
– Judging Amy
– Cold Case