Frances Lee McCain Biography

Fast Facts

• Ripon College presented her with an Honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts in 1988
• In 1984, she received the Ripon College Distinguished Alumni Award
• Earned her B․A․ in Philosophy from Ripon College, then returned to school later in life to complete her Master's degree in Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies
• Studied acting at London's Central School of Speech and Drama for three years
• In the 1980s, she played the mothers of main characters in such films as "Gremlins," "Footloose," "Back to the Future" and "Stand by Me․"
• In addition to joining the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, she appeared on Broadway in "Play it Again Sam" and originated the role of Carol in "Lemon Sky․"
• Her theater project based on oral histories of workers responsible for building and maintaining the Los Alamos National Laboratory received workshop readings at the Lensic Center for Performing Arts and the National Museum of the American Indian