After a stint as a hairdresser, Drescher got her start in the acting industry at age twenty, when she landed a bit part in the movie Saturday Night Fever in 1977 starring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney. She then landed a major role the following year in American Hot Wax; however, it was her part in Rob Reiner's mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in 1984 that got Drescher noticed around Hollywood, and led to guest-starring roles on various television shows.
In the early 90s, Drescher and husband, Peter Marc Jacobson created the series for which Drescher would become best known. The Nanny aired on CBS in 1993, and featured Drescher in the role of nasal-voiced Fran Fine, the nanny from Queens with the larger-than-life personality and machine gun laugh. Until the show ended in 1999, Drescher also wrote and produced the show, racking up Emmy nominations in the process. Meanwhile, Drescher acted on the big screen as well; co-starring with Robin Williams in Francis Ford Coppola’s Jack in 1996 and The Beautician and the Beast in 1997, which she also produced with her husband.
In 1996, Drescher published her autobiography, Enter Whining. In the book, Drescher reveals that her signature voice used on The Nanny is actually her real voice, and that she often had to play it down while auditioning for film roles.
The end of the 90s marked a period of professional and personal endings for Drescher. Along with wrapping up The Nanny, Drescher also divorced from her husband. Two year later, Drescher’s beloved pet pooch, Chester, died at age nineteen. Chester has been succeeded by another dog – a chocolate Pomeranian named Esther, who lives with Drescher in New York.
In 2000, Drescher was diagnosed with having uterine cancer. Fortunately, it was caught in the early stages, and Drescher has not been required to undergo post-operative treatment. Drescher chronicled her experiences with cancer in characteristic cheekiness in her second book, Cancer Schmancer.
Drescher returned to television in 2005 with the sitcom Living with Fran, playing middle-age mother of two, Fran Reeves. The show was short-lived; however, and cancelled in May 2006 after two seasons.
YUDDY
