Florence Stanley

Florence Stanley (July 1, 1924 – October 3, 2003) was an American actress of stage, film, and television.

Early life and career
Florence Stanley was born as Florence Schwartz in Chicago, the daughter of Hanna (née Weil) and Jack Schwartz.[1] She began a long career on stage, film and TV starting in the 1940s. Her earliest theatrical performances include The Importance of Being Earnest with the Touring Players, Bury The Dead at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre, and Machinal.

During the 1950s, Stanley appeared in numerous live TV shows, and gave an acclaimed performance as Clytemnestra in the New York Shakespeare Festival's 1964 production of Electra, opposite Lee Grant, who played the title role. Stanley began her long career on Broadway as Maureen Stapleton's understudy in a 1965 revival of The Glass Menagerie.

In 1966, she took over the role of Yente in Broadway's Fiddler On The Roof from Bea Arthur, leaving in 1971 (after more than 2,000 performances) to open in Neil Simon's The Prisoner of Second Avenue, directed by Mike Nichols. In 1972 she went on to tap dance in the Broadway production of The Secret Affairs Of Mildred Wild, and in 1981 went back to work for Neil Simon in the Broadway production of Fools.

Film roles
Her film roles began in 1967 with Up the Down Staircase starring Sandy Dennis. In 1973, she was asked by director Mike Nichols to play a small role in his film The Day of the Dolphin starring George C. Scott. She recreated her role in the film version of The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), and was again cast by Nichols for The Fortune (1975), starring Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Stockard Channing. She went on to appear in the television series Joe and Sonsfor CBS in 1975; that same year Barney Miller producer Danny Arnold cast Stanley as Bernice Fish, the wife of Detective Fish (played by Abe Vigoda). Vigoda's and Stanley's characters were spun off in 1977 - Fish. She also appeared in the 1994 film Trapped in Paradise starring Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitzand Dana Carvey. Stanley played Edna "Ma" Firpo in the movie.

Later roles
She starred as Margaret Wilbur, a family court judge who assigned custody of a twelve-year-old girl to two former boyfriends of the girl's late mother on the TV series My Two Dads, and directed three episodes of the series. She made two guest appearances on the TV series Night Court: an uncredited one in the season 4 episode "Murder" in which she plays a woman who cheerfully confesses to her husband's murder but may be hiding something, and another, credited, role in the season 6 episode "The Game Show" where she played Judge Wilbur. She later played Dr. Amanda Riskin on Nurses, provided the voice for Grandma Ethyl Phillips on Dinosaurs and made guest appearances on such television series as Mad About You (which reunited her with her former My Two Dads co-star, Paul Reiser), Malcolm in the Middle, Mr. Belvedere and Cybill. Later film roles include Trouble Bound (1993), The Odd Couple II and Bulworth (both in 1998) and Down With Love (2003). Stanley also played Thelma Griffin on Family Guy, but was replaced by Phyllis Diller after her death.

In 2001, she provided the voice of Wilhelmina Packard in Disney's 41st animated feature film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, for which she was nominated for anAnnie Award for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production, and the direct-to-video sequel, Atlantis: Milo's Return, in 2003.

Death
On October 3, 2003, Stanley died of complications from a stroke at age 79. Her interment was at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography
2003 Law & Order II: Double or Nothing (Video Game) Judge Emily Greenwood (voice)

2003 Down with Love Dry Cleaner's Wife

2003 Atlantis: Milo's Return (Video) Packard (voice)

2002 Law & Order: Dead on the Money (Video Game) Judge Emily Greenwood (voice)

2002 House of Mouse (TV Series) Mrs. Packard

- Dining Goofy (2002) ... Mrs. Packard (voice)

2002 Dharma & Greg (TV Series) Rose Hoffman

- The Parent Trap (2002) ... Rose Hoffman

2001 According to Spencer Grandma

2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Video Game) Mrs. Packard (voice)

2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Mrs. Packard (voice)

2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Trial by Fire (Video Game) Packard (voice)

2001 NYPD Blue (TV Series) Mrs. Simons

- Lost Time (2001) ... Mrs. Simons

2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Search for the Journal (Video Game) Packard (voice)

2001 Malcolm in the Middle (TV Series) Mrs. Griffin

- Old Mrs. Old (2001) ... Mrs. Griffin

2000 The Brainiacs.com Grandma Tyler

1999 Family Guy (TV Series) Mrs. Griffin

- Holy Crap (1999) ... Mrs. Griffin (voice)

1999 Oh Baby (TV Series) Sales clerk / Beverly

- Birth: Part 1 (1999) ... Sales clerk

- Baby Shower (1999) ... Beverly

1998 Carson's Vertical Suburbia (TV Movie) Lydia

1998 Fantasy Island (TV Series)

- Let Go (1998)

1998 The Simple Life (TV Series) Muriel Lipschitz

- The Luke & Sara Show (1998) ... Muriel Lipschitz

- The Fly-Fishing Show (1998) ... Muriel Lipschitz

- Sara's Ex (1998) ... Muriel Lipschitz

- The Other Mother (1998) ... Muriel Lipschitz

- The Church Supper (1998) ... Muriel Lipschitz

Show all 7 episodes

1996-1998 Cybill (TV Series) Ruth Woodbine / Ruth

- Dream Date (1998) ... Ruth Woodbine

- From Boca, with Love (1997) ... Ruth

- When You're Hot, You're Hot (1996) ... Ruth Woodbine

1998 Bulworth Dobish

1998 The Odd Couple II Hattie

1997 Mad About You (TV Series) Miriam Sass

- Moody Blues (1997) ... Miriam Sass

- Citizen Buchman (1997) ... Miriam Sass

1997 Culture (Short) Fay

1995 A Goofy Movie Waitress (voice)

1994 Trapped in Paradise Edna 'Ma' Firpo

1991-1994 Dinosaurs (TV Series) Grandma Ethyl Phillips / Ethyl / Ethyl Phillips

- Scent of a Reptile (1994) ... Grandma Ethyl Phillips (voice)

- Changing Nature (1994) ... Grandma Ethyl Phillips (voice)

- The Terrible Twos (1994) ... Ethyl (voice)

- Driving Miss Ethyl (1994) ... Grandma Ethyl Phillips (voice)

- The Clip Show II (1993) ... Grandma Ethyl Phillips (voice)

Show all 33 episodes

1993 Trouble Bound Grandma Martucci

1992 Civil Wars (TV Series) Mrs. Levinson

- The Triumph of DeVille (1992) ... Mrs. Levinson

1991-1992 Nurses (TV Series) Dr. Amanda Riskin

- The Ex-Factor (1992) ... Dr. Amanda Riskin

- Rude Awakenings (1992) ... Dr. Amanda Riskin

- Moon Over Miami (1992) ... Dr. Amanda Riskin

- Catch a Fallen Star (1992) ... Dr. Amanda Riskin

- Eat Something (1992) ... Dr. Amanda Riskin

Show all 12 episodes

1990 Married People (TV Series) Evelyn

- Live and Let Go (1990) ... Evelyn

1990 A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder (TV Movie) Cynthia Corman

1987-1990 My Two Dads (TV Series) Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

- See You in September? (1990) ... Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

- When You Wish... (1990) ... Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

- Kind of a Drag (1990) ... Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

- You Only Surprise the Ones You Love (1990) ... Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

- To Thine Own Elf Be True (1990) ... Judge Margaret W. Wilbur

Show all 60 episodes

1987-1989 Night Court (TV Series) Judge Wilbur / Mrs. Rothman

- The Game Show (1989) ... Judge Wilbur

- Murder (1987) ... Mrs. Rothman

1988 Maybe Baby (TV Movie) Ebba

1987 Invisible Thread (TV Movie) Receptionist

1987 CBS Summer Playhouse (TV Series) Adele

- Mickey and Nora (1987) ... Adele

1987 Mr. Belvedere (TV Series) Julia Cartwright

- The Auction (1987) ... Julia Cartwright

1987 Outrageous Fortune Ticket Agent

1981 Park Place (TV Series) Mrs. Rothman

- Revenge (1981) ... Mrs. Rothman

1977-1978 Fish (TV Series) Bernice Fish

- Chief Fish (1978) ... Bernice Fish

- For the Love of Mike (1978) ... Bernice Fish

- A Pinch of Class (1978) ... Bernice Fish

- Fire and Ice (1978) ... Bernice Fish

- Sweet Sixteen (1978) ... Bernice Fish

Show all 35 episodes

1975-1977 Barney Miller (TV Series) Bernice Fish

- Good-Bye, Mr. Fish: Part 2 (1977) ... Bernice Fish

- Group Home (1977) ... Bernice Fish

- Abduction (1977) ... Bernice Fish

- The Recluse (1976) ... Bernice Fish

- Hair (1975) ... Bernice Fish

Show all 6 episodes

1975-1976 Joe and Sons (TV Series) Josephine Molonaire

- Jimmy Flynn's Wake (1976) ... Josephine Molonaire

- Thou Shalt Steal (1976) ... Josephine Molonaire

- Nick's Problem (1975) ... Josephine Molonaire

- Pot Luck (1975) ... Josephine Molonaire

- Clothes Don't Necessarily Make the Man (1975) ... Josephine Molonaire

Show all 14 episodes

1975 The Fortune Mrs. Gould

1975 The Prisoner of Second Avenue Pearl

1974 Harry O (TV Series) Edith

- Coinage of the Realm (1974) ... Edith

1974 Sonny Boy (TV Movie) Marjorie Walker

1973 The Day of the Dolphin Women's Club

1966-1969 Dark Shadows (TV Series) Sobbing Josette / Sobbing Woman

- Episode #1.666 (1969) ... Sobbing Josette (voice, uncredited)

- Episode #1.516 (1968) ... Sobbing Josette (voice, uncredited)

- Episode #1.515 (1968) ... Sobbing Josette (voice, uncredited)

- Episode #1.361 (1967) ... Sobbing Woman (voice, uncredited)

- Episode #1.98 (1966) ... Sobbing Woman (voice, uncredited)

Show all 6 episodes

1967 Christmas in the Marketplace (TV Movie) Sarah / Elizabeth / Roman Matron

1967 Up the Down Staircase Ella Friedenberg

1965 For the People (TV Series) Mrs. Marco

- Dangerous to the Public Peace and Safety (1965) ... Mrs. Marco

1964-1965 The Doctors and the Nurses (TV Series) Mrs. Reynolds / Mrs. Gorman

- A Dangerous Silence (1965) ... Mrs. Reynolds

- The Roamer (1964) ... Mrs. Gorman

1963 East Side/West Side (TV Series) Mrs. Pozo

- I Before E Except After C (1963) ... Mrs. Pozo

1961 The Power and the Glory (TV Movie)

1961 The Defenders (TV Series) Mrs. Roth

- The Young Lovers (1961) ... Mrs. Roth

1961 Armstrong Circle Theatre (TV Series)

- Medicine Man (1961)

1959 The DuPont Show of the Month (TV Series) Mrs. Perez

- Body and Soul (1959) ... Mrs. Perez

- The Human Comedy (1959)

1955-1956 Goodyear Playhouse (TV Series) Younger Woman

- Conspiracy of Hearts (1956)

- The Catered Affair (1955) ... Younger Woman

1954 Look Up and Live (TV Series) Grandmother

- A Letter to Charlie ... Grandmother

1951 Lights Out (TV Series)

- The Witness (1951)

1950 Studio One in Hollywood (TV Series) The Widow

- The Taming of the Shrew (1950) ... The Widow