Lauren Lane is most famous for her role on the iconic ’90s sitcom “The Nanny.” She plays C.C. Babcock, a wealthy socialite, was the business partner of Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield. Throughout the show, C.C. often competes with the nanny, played by Fran Drescher, for Maxwell’s affections. C.C. is often the subject of many jokes in the series and is quite mean-spirited, although fans of the series are sympathetic towards the supporting characters.
“The Nanny” is Lane’s third major Hollywood role, (via IMDb). Lane told the Chicago Tribune that she got her big break when a representative from NBC offered her a development deal while she was working on a production at the American Conservatory Theater. “I owed this acting school $65,000, so, yeah, I accepted that deal,” she recalls. “And the first thing they gave me was to replace the female lead in a detective movie called ‘Hunter,’ starring Fred Dryer.”
After joining “Hunter,” Lane went on to take on a recurring role on “L.A. Law” as a news anchor, before booking “The Nanny.” Although the success of the series seemed like it would give the actress a long career in Hollywood, Lane disappeared after the season finale.
Lauren Lane is afraid she won’t get the role of a woman over 40 in Hollywood
When reflecting on stepping away from the spotlight after “The Nanny,” Lauren Lane told the Chicago Tribune that she felt her age would be an issue. She said, “I’m a single mother. I’m 40 years old. And I’m in a town that doesn’t like women over 40. This is the void in my head, ‘I don’t think what will happen to because I’m so recognizable from this long-running show.’” Lane knew that if she stayed in Hollywood, she would internalize many of Tinsletown’s negative feelings toward older women. She moved to Texas, where she became an associate professor at Texas State in the theater and dance department.
Lane also added that despite the many forces working against her, she would not leave Hollywood if she knew there was a guarantee that she would continue to get solid roles. “To be honest with you, if I knew, just try and you’d get a ‘Women in Design’ award or you’d get a movie, I would have stayed,” she explained. “But it wasn’t what I foresaw and I didn’t think I could fight all those forces. So I didn’t. I left. It was a really worthwhile decision.” afraid. I won’t say I regret it.”
As of writing, Lane is still acting in theater and is scheduled to perform in the “Block Association Project” that will be featured in the upcoming internationally renowned Humana Festival.
