Sally Ann Francis

SAG-AFTRA actress, a thespian for more than 30 years, an independent film actress for more than 13 years, voiceovers, producer and WGA screenwriter. For resume, please go to: http://www.sallyannfrancis.com Animated actress of ... more

SAG-AFTRA actress, a thespian for more than 30 years, an independent film actress for more than 13 years, voiceovers, producer and WGA screenwriter. For resume, please go to: http://www.sallyannfrancis.com

Animated actress of stage and screen, Sally Ann Francis has appeared in independent feature films, theater productions, independent shorts, television commercials, industrials, music videos and web series. She has also done voiceover work for radio and an animated feature film called The Lucky Dragon, as well as being a former print and ramp model in her teens and early twenties. Sally is best known for her unusual expressions and a sometimes quirky demeanor. However, she also brings intensity to her dramatic roles through her past-life experiences. Born in Riverside, California, and raised primarily in Santa Rosa, California, Sally has been involved in theatrical productions since age six. Her first appearance on stage was in a musical coincidentally titled Her Name is Sal, which she played the backend of a dancing mule. "That was tough and funny,” said Sally, “because I could not see anything. I relied upon my partner, counting steps on stage while remembering my dance moves.” Afterward, she appeared in one of her sister’s school performances as a backup dancer. She was an avid drama student in elementary school, as well as in junior high school and high school. She appeared in several theatrical productions to include a stint with American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco, followed by Shakespeare on the Round, various local theater companies, college theater companies, Mystery Mansion Dinner Theater and Alternative Theatre Company, while also working in radio.
Ms. Francis went on hiatus from acting while she worked in the business sector, traveled the world and lived overseas, and also while serving in the military. However, she continued her support with the Arts and, when possible, performed in local theater productions. When she finished her degree in mass communications, she wrote, edited and did page layout for one of the largest and oldest newspapers in North Carolina, as well as working as a correspondent while in college. She made the decision to move back to the west coast in 2001 and made her home in Phoenix, Arizona. She continued with freelance work for magazines and newspapers. Following her move to Arizona, she continued her training and studied with several reputable acting coaches and began doing independent film work in 2001. Sally says, “Training is necessary to keep my skills honed. An actor/actress needs to be a finely tuned instrument.”
Sally has had a variety of roles to include playing a lawyer, a housewife, a mother, a hit woman, a sexy cougar, a compulsive waitress, a harassed student, a Southern woman, a Russian spy, a neurotic business woman, a detective, the President of the United States, an elderly and feisty retiree in The Sunshine Girls (which she starred in, produced and wrote), a Klingon in a spoof web series of "Star Trek" called Star Trek, The Lara Series, an alcoholic in Driver of the Dead, actor John McCook’s date in Cathedral Canyon, voiceovers for two animals in an animated feature film called The Lucky Dragon (as well as other character voices for radio and film work), a kooky bus passenger in Conception, a quirky secretary in the web series The Stand-Up Guy, a distraught wife who poisons her family in 3 Minutes and several other character roles. She has also worked as a spokesperson for a website, in television commercials and on radio. She is currently working with IMDb to get some of her films that have not been screened at major film festivals on that site.
Sally won second place for Best Actress in Phoenix for the A3F Almost Famous Film Challenge in association with MyStudio.com in 2009, as well as winning awards at International Modeling and Talent Association (I.M.T.A.) in Los Angeles for Sitcom, Soap Opera and Ready for My Close-up competitions. She also has competed in and won awards for speech tournaments in California and has been recognized for charitable work with children, disabled veterans, domestic violence survivors, Habitat for Humanity, homeless shelters, substance abuse and animal rescue. Keep watch for her new production company, Back Alley Sally Productions, which will employ senior actors/actresses and people with disabilities, which she likes to call “people with special abilities,” coming soon to the Internet and theaters.
Sally says, “Acting is a gift if you love it, appreciate it and nurture it. It is an organic feeling that runs through your veins and flows out of you like a caged animal that wants to be set free. If you are doing it for fame, then it is sometimes a long haul for most without much gratification. But, if you really love it, you will get to experience a multitude of personalities and have the opportunity to make others laugh and cry. What a feeling!”