Renée Taylor (born March 19, 1933) is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing Fran Drescher’s outspoken mother, Sylvia Fine, on the TV series The Nanny.

Taylor was born Renée Wechsler in The Bronx, New York City. During 1992-1994, she played the stereotypically-overbearing “Jewish mother” of the lead character on the HBO series Dream On. Beginning in the fall of 1993, she began playing the stereotypically-overbearing “Jewish mother” of the lead character on The Nanny. Thus she was playing both roles for a season, and the two characterizations were virtually identical.

She has also had a voice cameo in the recent Warner Brothers cartoon Superman as a spectator to Superman’s discussion with a visiting alien princess of the essence of marriage and relationships, ending the scene with a delightful, “What planet is he from?”

She has been married to actor Joseph Bologna since 1965, and is the mother of actor Gabriel Bologna. Taylor and Bologna co-wrote the Broadway hit comedy Lovers and Other Strangers, and received Oscar nominations for writing the 1970 film adaptation. In 1971, the couple co-wrote and starred in the film Made for Each Other. Their screenplay received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy. Joseph Bologna also made an appearance on The Nanny as an egocentric actor named Allan Beck, who tormented Maxwell Sheffield. In May 2009, she guest starred as Ted Mosby's neighbor, Mrs. Matsen on How I Met Your Mother.

Taylor played Eva Braun in the 1968 version of The Producers.

References

1. Renee Taylor Biography (1935?-)

External links