Frances Robina Woods was born on January 25, 1884, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. She was the wife to Burt Mustin, an American character actor who she married in 1915. During their time together, the couple was not blessed with any children.
Career and Net Worth
Frances Robina’s fame was accredited to her husband. But despite that, little was known about what she was doing to earn a living. She was possibly depending on her husband, who was working as a salesman before venturing into acting, to meet her daily needs.
Most of Frances Robina’s wealth was attributed to her husband, who worked as a salesman and actor for over 25 years.
Her Husband
Frances Robina’s husband graduated from Pennsylvania Military College, having done civil engineering, which he practiced for a while before going into sales. As a salesman, he started by first selling Oakland Sensible Sixes, which he did by moving around. Burt then moved into selling luxury Franklins, Mercurys, and Lincolns up to World War II.
Besides working as a salesman, he had also started amateur acting and working for radio stations as an announcer. Frances Robina’s husband was also a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, an organization promoting and preserving barbershop music as an art. Burt appeared in stage productions, including Pittsburgh Opera and Detective Story.
Burt’s Acting Career
After working in several stage productions, Woods’ husband retired. While doing his last stage production, he met Director William Wyler, who told him to look for him if he wanted to pursue a screen career. Burt contacted him, and he was featured in the film Detective Story at the age of 67.
Given his acting debut, he had a breakthrough and went on to feature in several other shows. Frances’ husband’s physical qualities worked to his advantage in the acting industry; he was the most sought older man since he was bald, tall, and had a beaked nose. Thus he made appearances including The Sheepman, The FBI Story, All Fall Down, The Thrill of it All, and The Killers, among others.
On television, Frances Robina’s husband made his debut in 1951 when he appeared as Dave Lowery in The Adventures of Kit Carson. Other Tv shows he featured include Father Knows Best, State Trooper, Maverick, Cimarron City, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and many others.
Even though Frances Robina Woods’s husband started his professional career at 67, he went on to feature in more than 150 films and television shows. One of the last works of Burt Mustin, before he died, was his role in the sitcom Phyllis.
Besides acting, Burt Mustin was among the founders and served as the Pittsburgh chapter of the Lions Club president. A special tribute was accorded to character actors in 2000, and Frances’ husband was one of them.
Death
Frances Robina Woods died on August 18, 1969, aged 85 due to old age in Jamestown, New York, and she was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, California, New York. Her husband died seven years later, days before his 93rd birthday
