The news has left the theater community, TV fans, and former co-stars heartbroken over the loss of a true force in American acting.

Unforgettable portrayal

Elizabeth Franz wasn’t just a performer, she was a powerhouse.

Among colleagues, she was sometimes referred to as “America’s Judi Dench” — and that’s no small compliment.

Theatergoers in New York first took notice of Franz in the Off-Broadway production of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, where she portrayed a sharp-tongued Catholic nun with fierce convictions.

Franz originated the role herself, and in the process she earned an Obie Award, along with the friendship of several real-life nuns who initially arrived to protest but ended up staying to chat.

”We ran for two years off-Broadway, but made so little money – it was $42 a week, I remember. I