Fran Bascom

January 18, 1927 - June 2, 2013
Fran Bascom, long time casting director, passed away on Sunday, June 2nd, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA following an apparent heart attack. She was 86. Fran was a native of Buffalo, New York, born to Italian parents. The family moved to California in the early fifties where she found employment in the secretarial pool at Universal International, in addition to working at various times for Joan Crawford and John Gavin. Although she was best known for her work in television, Fran's first love was the theatre. Locals often spotted her around the Los Angeles theatre scene-no venue was too small-always in search of new talent. She enjoyed new projects that challenged the conventional and often lent her expertise in support of small theater. She was on the board of directors at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena where she cast numerous plays including Scaredycats and Earnest in Love. She cast her first television show in 1976 (Isis), followed by Lou Grant and eventually Designing Women, and other shows too numerous to mention. For many years, she cast Days of Our Lives. For her work across a number of projects, Fran received a total of 14 CSA nominations. Her recent feature work included The Genesis Code (2010), Admissions (2011), and The Last Ride (2012). Fran was preceded in death by her husband, Ray Bascom and her daughter Cheryl Bascom. She is survived by her sister Lisa Green, her nephew Mark Green and his wife Terisa, and great niece Romina Green.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 14th, 10 am, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 10800 Moorpark St., North Hollywood, CA 91602-2206. In lieu of flowers, please donate to an animal rescue charity of your choice.