We hate to make you feel old, so you might want to sit down for this. Here we go: the hit sitcom The Nanny debuted over 30 years ago. It was a series that quickly stole our hearts, and we instantly fell in love with the talented cast. Now that all this time has passed in the blink of an eye, we started asking ourselves what all these fine actors have been up to since The Nanny ended.
Curious about that yourself? Fortunately, you don’t have to discover the answers on your own. We went out and pounded the digital pavement until we learned what all your fave celebs from the show have been up to lately. Ready for some major surprises? Keep reading to discover where the cast of The Nanny is now!
Fran Drescher (Fran Fine)
Fran Drescher was the star of The Nanny, playing a character who tried to sell cosmetics to a rich bachelor (Maxwell Sheffield). He thinks she has shown up to apply to be a nanny and ends up giving her the job, transforming the high-strung fashionista into a brand-new career field.
After The Nanny ended, Drescher went on to star in a sitcom called Happily Divorced, which was loosely based on her life, including a tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband. Arguably, though, her biggest Hollywood contributions occurred behind the scenes, as she serves as the president of the SAG-AFTRA union. This isn’t exactly an easy gig as she presided over the union during the recent historic strike.
Charles Shaughnessy (Maxwell Sheffield)
For most female viewers, the real secret sauce of The Nanny was Charles Shaughnessy’s Maxwell Sheffield character. After all, his widowed Broadway producer self would be quite the catch even if he didn’t have a posh accent. Fortunately for the actor, the sheer popularity of his character and The Nanny in general helped open many exciting doors.
For example, after his iconic show ended, Shaughnessy starred in Modern Family, Days of Our Lives, Mad Men, Masters of Sex, and more. Most recently, he has been starring as Victor Cassadine in General Hospital. As you can tell, this isn’t just a charming actor…he’s one of the hardest-working actors in the business!
Daniel Davis (Niles)
Some of the more surreal comedy in The Nanny came from the interactions that Maxwell Sheffield had with Niles, the character played by Daniel Davis. Because Niles’ dad was also a butler for Sheffield’s family, he and Max have known each other their entire lives. That means that the two sometimes bicker and come across more like siblings rather than employer and employee.
What did the faithful butler do once the show ended? After The Nanny wrapped, Daniel Davis focused mostly on a career in television. Over time, he has appeared in episodes of shows such as The Blacklist, Frasier, Gotham, and more. And while the actor always delights, his appearances often leave us longing for more of that trademark Niles humor.
Lauren Lane (C.C. Babcock)
What do sitcoms have in common with superhero media? Simple: there always has to be a killer bad guy. And in The Nanny, that character was C.C. Bacock, played to girlboss perfection by Lauren Lane. As someone with a huge crush on Max, she was more than just an annoying antagonist…she was also a rival for Maxwell Sheffield’s affection.
Interestingly, Lane dropped out of Hollywood altogether shortly after The Nanny wrapped its last episode. Aside from an appearance in the 2001 movie The Cutting Room and an appearance in the 2004 The Nanny Reunion: A Nosh To Remember, she has not starred in any movies or TV shows. Instead, she uses her prodigious talents to train the next generation of actors, teaching as a full-time lecturer at Texas State University.
Benjamin Salisbury (Brighton Sheffield)
We always get a kick out of it when an actor exits Hollywood to do something completely different. Benjamin Salisbury is the perfect example: on The Nanny, he played Brighton Sheffield, Max’s son who initially cops an attitude with Fran. The two of them eventually bonded, giving Salisbury a chance to leave his indelible mark on the world of acting. Once the show ended, though, he only appeared in a few minor roles before pivoting to a completely different career.
These days, Salisbury works for Universal Studios Hollywood. And he’s not some minor employee…he’s actually the Vice President of Operations! He may no longer be a big-time actor, but as far as we’re concerned, Salisbury’s still very much in the entertainment business.
Madeline Zima (Gracie Sheffield)
On The Nanny, Madeline Zima played Gracie Sheffield, Maxwell’s youngest daughter. At first, she has a contentious relationship with Fran Drescher’s character. Over time, though, they form a real bond, with Gracie even trying to play matchmaker and hook her dad up with the nanny.
Zima took the world by surprise when she appeared, all grown-up, alongside David Duchovny in the hit show Californication. She went on to appear in a number of other high-profile projects, including Heroes and the Twin Peaks revival. Unfortunately for fans of her character on The Nanny, Madeline Zima has nothing but bad things to say about her time on the show. In 2013, she told The TV Page that those making the show “They treated me more like a prop than like a human being.”