Franz died on November 4 after a battle with cancer, her husband, Christopher Pelham, told The New York Times. He confirmed her death was caused by the illness and a “severe reaction” to her treatment.
Franz was 84.
The actress began her stage career in 1967, according to Broadway World. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Linda Loman in the 50th-anniversary production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Franz also appeared in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and performed in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors and Dickens’ Great Expectations. Franz received Tony Award nominations for her roles in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983) and Paul Osborn’s Morning’s at Seven (2002).
Her other notable Broadway credits include The Cherry Orchard, The Octette Bridge Club, The Cemetery Club, Getting Married, Uncle Vanya, and The Miracle Worker.
Beyond her prolific stage career, Franz also became a familiar face on TV and in film.
Per IMDb, her film credits include Jacknife (1989) with Robert De Niro, Sabrina (1995) alongside Harrison Ford, and Christmas with the Kranks (2004) with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen.
On television, Franz is best remembered as Mia Bass in Gilmore Girls, the wise proprietor of the Independence Inn. She served as a motherly mentor to Lorelai (Lauren Graham) as Lorelai settled into Stars Hollow.
She also guest-starred on popular shows like Law & Order: SVU, Homeland, and Grey’s Anatomy.
Franz is survived by her brother, Joe, and her second husband, Pelham.
Her first husband was the prolific character actor Edward Binns (12 Angry Men, North by Northwest, Fail Safe). They often performed onstage together and were married from 1983 until his death in 1990 at 74.