When The Nanny first hit the air in 1993, fans were instantly enamored with its star, Fran Drescher. She played Fran Fine, "the flashy girl from Flushing" with an unforgettable laugh and wardrobe. Drescher's performance was particularly funny set against her employers, the blue blooded Sheffield family, British Broadway producer and patriarch Maxwell Sheffield and his three children, Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie.
As the entertainment site Fandom points out, the TV family was initially envisioned with just two children. Maggie was later written in "to contrast the brazen and flashy Fran." The character was memorably played by Nicholle Tom, who was just 15 years old when she landed the role and 21 when the show wrapped, six seasons later. Today, Tom is 43 years old and she's barely changed, even decades later. Read on to see the beloved actress now!
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She comes from a family of actors.
JB Lacroix/ WireImage via Getty ImagesTom got her on-screen start at the age of 12, first appearing in Jim Henson Presents Mother Goose Stories in 1990. Despite her early start, the actress wasn't the first in the family to pursue Hollywood dreams: Both of her siblings have had busy television careers as soap opera stars.
Her twin brother, David Tom, is best known for his role as Billy Abbott on The Young and the Restless. Her older sister, Heather Tom, is a five-time Emmy award winning actress, best known for playing Katie Logan on The Bold and the Beautiful and Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless. She has also appeared on Lucifer, Unforgettable, and the HGTV show Renovation Unscripted.
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You may remember Tom from these other films.
Tibrina Hobson/Getty ImagesBesides her famous role on The Nanny, Tom is best remembered for starring as Ryce Newton in the Beethoven movies. In the late '90s, she also voiced the role of Supergirl in the DC Animated Universe.
In 2006, Tom starred in the Independent Film Channel (IFC) comedy The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman. She has since appeared in one-off episodes of Burn Notice, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Masters of Sex, Gotham, and more.
She's been keeping busy during the pandemic.
Albert L. Ortega/Getty ImagesThroughout the COVID pandemic, Tom has kept busy with DIY projects in her backyard—a process she's shared via her YouTube channel in a funny, five-episode series she calls Corona Construction with Nicholle Tom. With her best friend and E! News correspondent Robbie Laughlin by her side, the actress attempts to build a back patio while cracking jokes to the camera. By the last episode, the yard is still in disarray, but the pair—and Tom's followers—have had a great time.
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There’s been talk of a reboot of The Nanny.
Jennifer Lourie/Getty ImagesFans of The Nanny will be thrilled to hear that the show may soon return in two separate formats: as a Broadway musical and as a rebooted show. Drescher shared in a 2020 interview for Entertainment Weekly that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom is currently writing the music for the stage musical, and once that show is launched, Drescher will "contractually" be able to move ahead with the reboot.
In the meantime, rumors have swirled about Cardi B's possible involvement in the reboot, though she doesn't seem to be formally signed on to the project. "I know that Cardi B loves The Nanny and she's got the style, and she's funny," Drescher said. "I think she'd be great."
While details of the reboot are still largely under wraps, the cast appears ready. The actress Lauren Lane, who co-starred on the show as the prim and proper C.C. Babcock, recently posted a picture of herself, Tom, and Charles Shaughnessy (Mr. Sheffield) and captioned it "Nanny reboot at Mel's Diner!" With any luck, we'll be seeing more of these actors soon as the reboot takes shape.
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