Frances Bay

Frances Bay's diminutive stature and doddering appearance certainly have her typecast. But the actress's tireless work ethic kept her incredibly active since she first appeared on screen in 1978 -- at the tender age of 60. Her bit part as the elderly Mrs. Russel in the comedic mystery "Foul Play," starring Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, led to more bit parts as the old woman in everything from the legendary TV comedy series "The Jeffersons" to the big-screen classic coming-of-age story "The Karate Kid." She is probably most identifiable for her role in the 1996 comedy "Happy Gilmore," in which former hockey player (Adam Sandler) takes up professional golf to rescue the house owned by his grandmother (played by Bay) from seizure by the IRS. Devotees of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld," however, will always remember her as Mrs. Choate, the woman Jerry refers to as an "old bag" as he steals her marble rye. She returned in two more episodes, including the series' conclusion, but this wasn't her first show finale; she had previously appeared in the closing acts of both "Happy Days" and "Who's the Boss?" Bay's own finale came in 2011 when, at the age of 92, she passed away from complications caused by pneumonia, just shortly after completing her finale role, Aunt Ginny on the family sitcom "The Middle."