What Was Francine York's Net Worth?
Francine York was an American actress who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death. Francine York died on January 26, 2017, at the age of 78.
At 17, Francine won the Miss Evelth beauty contest and was a runner-up in the Miss Minnesota contest. She moved to San Francisco and got a job as a showgirl at "Moulin Rouge." York had over 120 acting credits to her name. She first appeared on an episode of the TV series "Rescue 8" in 1959. She also appeared in episodes of the TV series "Burke's Law," "Perry Mason," "Route 66," "77 Sunset Strip," "My Favorite Martian," "Batman," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "Lost in Space," "Green Acres," "It Takes A Thief," "The Wild Wild West," "Ironside," "I Dream of Jeannie," "Love American Style," "Bewitched," "Adam-12," "Mission: Impossible," "Columbo," "Matlock," "Kojak," "Las Vegas," and "The King of Queens." Francine starred in the movies "The Nutty Professor," "Tickle Me," "Cannon for Cordoba," "The Doll Squad," "Marilyn: Alive and Behind Bars," and "The Family Man." York was also a fitness and nutrition expert as well as a gourmet cook who had recipes published in national health magazines.
Early Life
Francine York was born on August 26, 1936, in Aurora, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Frank and Sophie Yerich. She enjoyed music and dancing as a child. At the age of 17, Francine was a runner-up in the Miss Minnesota contest. After high school, she attended Hamline University on a drama scholarship.
Career
York got a job as a showgirl at Bimbo's nightclub in San Francisco. The headliner at Bimbo's, Mary Meade French, took a liking to Francine and brought her to Hollywood to help her get signed with an agent. York began working as a showgirl at Frank Sennes' Moulin Rouge, a popular Hollywood nightclub on Sunset Blvd. She performed three shows a night, seven nights a week, for six months. She became fatigued from the nightly performances, which were often a bit chaotic and involved elephants and pigeons, and started taking acting classes with teacher Jeff Corey. Around this time, a theatrical producer cast her in a play called "Whisper in God's Ear" at the Circle Theatre. She was also cast in her first film around this time, "Secret Fire: Hollywood." The film was shot in 1960 but was not distributed until 1962.
York's big film break came when Jerry Lewis cast her in "It's Only Money." She played the character of a tantalizing sexpot and received a great deal of publicity for the role. Lewis then began hiring York for a number of his other films like "The Nutty Professor," "The Patsy," "The Disorderly Orderly," "The Family Jewels," and "Cracking Up." She also landed many other film roles throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Some of these include "Tickle Me," "Lost in Space," "Welcome Home, Soldier Boy," "Mission Impossible," "The Centerfold Girls," and "Half a House," among others. In 1987, she appeared in "The Underachievers." In 1999, Francine had a small role in "The Big Tease." One of her later film roles came in 2000 in "The Family Man," in which she played the role of Nicolas Cage's mother-in-law. Her final film role came in 2017 when she appeared in "Ten Violent Women: Part Two."
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York additionally had a successful television career. She portrayed Amanda Agnew on "It Takes a Thief." She also appeared as Wendy Wendkoski on "Slattery's People" and Kate Landis on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." In 1964, she appeared in an episode of "My Favorite Martian." In 1965, Francine played Lillie Langtry in an episode of the television anthology "Death Valley Days." Between 1964 and 1965, York was featured in five episodes of "Burke's Law." She also made two guest appearances on "Perry Mason" in 1965 and 1966.
In 1966, she appeared as Noble Niolani in an episode of "Lost in Space." She also guest-starred on "Green Acres" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." and appeared in two episodes of "Batman" as Lydia Limpit.
York's television career continued throughout the 1970s. She appeared in an episode of the popular show "Bewitched" in 1971 in which she played the character of a statue of the goddess Venus who comes to life. She also appeared in an episode of "Adam-12." In 1975, she played Sgt. Leftkowitz in an episode of "Columbo." In 1979, she appeared as Queen Medusa in three episodes of "Jason of Star Command." In March 1991, Francine made guest appearances on shows like "All My Children," "One Life to Live," and "Santa Barbara."
In addition to her acting career, York had other interests that she developed into professional pursuits. She worked as a fitness and nutrition expert and also a gourmet cook. She also developed a reputation for hosting lavish parties in Hollywood.
Personal Life and Death
York never married, but she was involved in a decade-long companionship with director Vincent Sherman until Sherman's death in 2006. While she had no children of her own, Francine did have three nieces and one nephew. On January 6, 2017, York died in Van Nuys, California, from cancer at the age of 80. At the time, she had been working on her autobiography. Following her death, a memorial celebration was held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
