The beloved ’90s sitcom The Nanny has become a pop culture cult classic with its likeable cast and hilarious script. The stars of the popular sitcom brought to life the enigmatic Sheffield family, whose stiff but posh lifestyle is shaken up by a makeup salesgirl-turned-nanny from Flushing, Queens, played by the illustrious producer and creator of the show, Fran Drescher. The show saw a six-year run premiering in 1993, and followed the quirky family’s hilarious day-to-day lives as the Sheffields’ world gets turned upside down.
The show ran for six seasons, ending in 1999, and it received multiple Emmy nominations throughout its course, including Drescher’s nomination for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her character, Fran Fine. Since its end, the cast of the show has gone on to have various careers on-screen and off, though sadly, Ann Morgan Guilbert, who played Fran’s grandmother Yetta, passed away after a decades-long career in Hollywood in 2016. Some members of the cast have gone on to major roles, while others have moved on from their acting days. Here are the stars you might not recognize from The Nanny today.
Fran Drescher’s life after The Nanny has had ups and downs
Fran Drescher took the ’90s era by storm with her iconic nasally voice and eccentric personality. Largely known for her comedy, Drescher became a powerhouse in the world of sitcoms when she played the colorful Nanny Fine from Flushing who stumbled into the lives of the Sheffields.
Since The Nanny, the comedy queen has had a consistent run of sitcoms, though most of them short-lived. She has starred in a range of sitcoms from Living with Fran in 2005, Happily Divorced in 2011, and Indebted in 2020, the last of which was canceled after one season. Though Drescher’s professional and personal lives has had ups and downs, from a divorce to a battle with uterine cancer, she has continued to thrive on and off camera. In an interview with Today, she explained her new venture as a standup comedian, saying, “What I like about it is that I’m not dependent on anyone. I can just write my act and show up anywhere.”
The Nanny’s Charles Shaughnessy went on to play Prince Charles
Maxwell Sheffield was the handsome theater producer with an accent that melted the hearts of viewers since the first episode of The Nanny premiered. Played by Charles Shaughnessy, the tense will-they, won’t-they romance between Fran Fine and himself was the heartbeat of the ’90s comedy classic. Though the show ended in 1999, Shaughnessy has kept busy since his days as playing Mr. Sheffield, with a myriad of roles, including stints as Saint John Powell in Mad Men, Christopher Plover in The Magicians, Shane Donovan in Days of Our Lives, and Victor Cassadine in General Hospital.
The London native has also found success playing a member of the royal family in the TV movie Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal in 2019. Shaughnessy spoke of his similar roles of Mr. Sheffield and Prince Charles, telling Sunrise, “Every actor has a kind of core personality trait.” He explained, “No matter how many characters you play…there’s going to be an element that’s the same.” He continued by recalling a line from the sitcom where Mr. Sheffield was described as a “stunned beast,” which Shaughnessy compared to his other role by saying, “I think Prince Charles stands there at times like a stunned beast.”
Daniel Davis, who played Niles, starred on Broadway
The Nanny found its dose of weekly witticisms from its sardonic butler, Niles. Daniel Davis brought the character life, donning a British accent despite being born and raised in Arkansas. His dynamic relationship with Mr. Sheffield’s work partner, C.C. Babcock, gave the show another layer of witty insults and comebacks keeping audiences on their toes for six seasons.
Since The Nanny, Davis has had minor roles in TV and movies, as well as gigs on stage. He’s enjoyed stints in The Blacklist, Gotham, and The Prestige to name a few. He also starred in the play Noises Off in 2016. Though Davis is a seasoned actor with a decades-long career, he is still best known for the punchy one-liners from The Nanny. In an interview with Broadway Showbiz, Davis spoke about the behind the scenes on the show, saying, “Most of my one-liners would come on the day we taped, after watching rehearsals all week they would come up with a zinger that would be the ‘blow’ for the scene.” He gave further insight, saying, “I always trusted them to give me a gem, especially when Ms. Babcock was involved.”
Lauren Lane turned to the stage after The Nanny
While not necessarily a fan favorite of The Nanny, C.C. Babcock held her own against the eccentrics of Fran Fine and the sharp tongue of Niles. Played by Lauren Lane, Babcock found herself in over-the-top situations, including a seasons-long battle with an unrequited crush on theater producer Mr. Sheffield. While Lane hasn’t appeared in anything as big as The Nanny since the show ended, she has certainly kept busy with a slew of other projects, appearing in shorts The Cutting Room in 2001 and Dress Code in 2019.
Lane found more success in the theater world, working closely with ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas, while simultaneously teaching at Texas State University. The comedy actress starred in August: Osage County and The Vagina Monologues before appearing in the award-winning comedy God of Carnage as Veronica Novak in 2011. In an interview with TheaterMania, Lane described her experience playing another unlikable character on stage, saying, “In the end, I don’t care if the audience doesn’t like her — it’s like C.C. in a way. Maybe not liking her is the goal.”
