Missy Francis

Missy Francis
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Portrays:	Little Girl
Date of Birth:	December 12, 1972
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	52
Nationality:
Related Media
		@ BW Media
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IMDb profile

Melissa Ann Francis (born December 12, 1972), credited as Missy Francis during her childhood acting career, is an American actress, television journalist, and author best known for portraying Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on the NBC drama series Little House on the Prairie. In the realm of the Battlestar Galactica franchise, she appeared in two episodes of Galactica 1980 as a little girl in the three-part premiere "Galactica Discovers Earth".

Biography

Early life and career beginnings

Francis was born Vini Melissa Ann Francis in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a small businessman and homemaker. She grew up with her older sister Tiffany in a household where their mother devoted considerable attention to advancing both daughters' entertainment careers, though this upbringing proved complex and challenging.

Francis began her entertainment career at six months old when she appeared in a Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo commercial. By age eight, she had already established herself as a working child actress, appearing in nearly 100 television commercials.

Film and television

1978–1979

Francis made her television debut in the 1978 telefilm The Ghost of Flight 401. The following year, she made her theatrical film debut in Michael Schultz's comedy Scavenger Hunt (1979).

1980

In 1980, Francis appeared in two episodes of Galactica 1980, specifically "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II" and "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III", credited as Missy Francis. In these episodes, she portrayed an unnamed little girl who is rescued by Troy, Dillon, and Major John Stockwell when Nazi guards pursue her in 1944 Peenemünde, Germany, after the Warriors and Stockwell observe the loading of trains bound for Auschwitz. After Troy grabs her while Dillon shoots at the pursuing Nazi guard, they bring her to Smite's Buchhandlung, headquarters for a small German resistance group. When the Gestapo storm the bookstore, she is taken away with Smite and his resistance members, only to be later saved by Stockwell and journalist Jamie Hamilton.

That same year, Francis appeared in the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy in the season two episode "A Mommy for Mindy", playing the younger version of Mindy McConnell at age six. Francis later recalled this experience fondly, describing how she walked around the set with a one-eyed teddy bear and how Robin Williams intervened with the property manager to allow her to keep the toy, which she still has and her children now play with.

1979–1982: Joe's World and Little House on the Prairie

Between 1979 and 1980, Francis played Linda Wabash in 11 episodes of the NBC sitcom Joe's World.

In 1981, at age eight, Francis won what would become her most recognized role: Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on NBC's Little House on the Prairie. She played the character—an orphan adopted by the Ingalls family alongside her brother James, portrayed by Jason Bateman—for 21 episodes across the show's final two seasons (1981–1982). Francis later attributed winning the role in part to her ability to cry real tears on cue, which she achieved by imagining traumatic scenarios involving her pets rather than through traditional acting methods.

During her time on Little House on the Prairie, Francis worked closely with series creator and star Michael Landon, whose work ethic and business acumen left a lasting impression on the young actress. She later described Landon as combining qualities of "Santa Claus and a god-like figure," noting that he was among the first people in Hollywood to recognize the financial value of owning one's own production, as he "owned it, wrote it, created it, produced it, starred in it, directed it, everything." Francis credited Landon with instilling in the cast a sense of professionalism, responsibility, and respect for the collaborative nature of production that influenced her throughout her subsequent career.

Later acting work

Francis continued her acting career through the 1980s with appearances in several notable productions. In 1983, she played Paula Beckwith in the drama film Man, Woman and Child, starring alongside Martin Sheen and Blythe Danner. She appeared in the 1984 television movie Something About Amelia, which tackled the sensitive subject of incest and received critical acclaim.

In 1986, Francis starred as Sarah Bishop in the short-lived CBS family drama series Morningstar/Eveningstar. Her television guest appearances during this period included St. Elsewhere (1986), Hotel, A Year in the Life, ALF, and Hardball.

Francis's later film work included a role as young Cynthia in the 1988 horror thriller Bad Dreams. Her final acting role came in 2012 with a small part in Sacha Baron Cohen's satirical comedy The Dictator.

Education and transition to journalism

By age 18, Francis had grown uncertain about pursuing acting as a lifelong career. She made the decision to leave the entertainment industry behind and pursue higher education, attending Harvard University, where she graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. During her time at Harvard, she served as executive editor of the Harvard College Economist Magazine and captain of the Harvard Polo Team.

Francis chose Harvard in part because of its geographic distance from Los Angeles, seeking to establish independence from her complicated family situation. During college, she worked various jobs including as a waitress and twice served as an NBC News intern before graduating.

The transition from acting to journalism proved more challenging than Francis anticipated. Despite her extensive television experience, she found the skills required for broadcast journalism markedly different from those needed for scripted performance. She took a significant pay cut from her college job managing a tech team at $25 per hour to work in television news at $6.10 per hour, running teleprompter, cutting tapes, and working with antiquated equipment.

Francis faced considerable difficulties in her first on-air position, finding that looking into a camera for live television felt vastly different from acting. She described experiencing severe nervousness, feeling as though "a black abyss just sucked the air out of my body" when looking into the camera lens. This struggle culminated in being fired from her first on-air job by a new news director who gave her 30 minutes to pack her belongings and leave.

Despite this setback, Francis persevered, working her way through various local news circuits before eventually landing positions at major networks.

Journalism career

Francis began her journalism career with reporting positions at CNET and CNBC. At CNBC, she worked as an energy and financial reporter, covering issues related to oil pricing, energy sector corporations, and economic factors affecting energy pricing and consumption. During her tenure at CNBC, she served as an anchor on shows including Power Lunch, The Call, and On the Money, and co-hosted It's the Economy on MSNBC.

In 2005, Francis was hired to host CNBC's On the Money. Her reporting eventually attracted the attention of Fox News, where she encountered a different editorial philosophy. Francis has recounted that while at CNBC, she reported that the mathematics behind the Affordable Care Act didn't add up based on her economics background, and was subsequently called to account and told she was "disrespecting the office of the president" and instructed to cease such reporting.

In January 2012, Francis joined Fox Business Network as an anchor. At Fox, she received encouragement from the late Roger Ailes, who advised her to be authentic and take risks, telling her that audiences could detect insincerity. From 2012 to 2015, she hosted the series Money with Melissa Francis. In 2014, she became a recurring co-host of Fox News Channel's talk and news commentary program Outnumbered. In 2015, she began co-hosting After the Bell on Fox Business Network alongside Connell McShane. She also anchored Fox News Channel's Happening Now newscast and appeared regularly on programs including The Five and America's Newsroom.

In late October 2020, reports surfaced that Francis had been pushed out at Fox News. She had not appeared on the network since early in the month, and her contract had expired approximately a year earlier without renewal. Francis subsequently filed a pay discrimination lawsuit against Fox News, claiming she was underpaid compared to her male colleagues. In June 2022, Fox and Francis reached a settlement whereby the network paid her $15 million. Following her departure from Fox, Francis joined Newsmax.

Author

In November 2012, Francis published her memoir Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter (Weinstein Books/Grand Central Publishing), which detailed her experiences growing up with what she described as a "mercurial, domineering, but also devoted" mother who pushed her daughters into acting careers with methods Francis characterized as sometimes cruel and abusive. The book explored the differential impact of their mother's approach on Francis and her sister Tiffany, with Francis thriving under pressure while Tiffany struggled increasingly as their mother's attention focused primarily on Francis's success.

Francis was inspired to write the memoir in part by the publication of Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in 2011, which prompted Francis to share her own story as a cautionary counterpoint to "tiger parenting" approaches. Now a mother herself, Francis used the book to reflect on parenting philosophy and the consequences of relentlessly pushing children to succeed, noting that "the one size fits all, hard line approach to pushing children as hard as you can and demanding the very best doesn't fit them both."

The memoir received positive reviews from publications including Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Entertainment Weekly, with Kirkus describing it as "one of those intimate, heartbreaking, doubled-edged stories that is hard to read, impossible to put down." Author Jeannette Walls praised it as "touching and brave, heartbreaking and inspirational," while Francis's former Little House on the Prairie co-star Melissa Gilbert called the story "riveting" and "the perfect antidote for the 'Tiger Mom' syndrome."

In April 2017, Francis published her second book, Lessons from the Prairie: The Surprising Secrets to Happiness and Success from America's Favorite Show (Weinstein Books), which applied lessons from her time on Little House on the Prairie to contemporary challenges in work and life. The book particularly emphasized the work ethic and professionalism she learned from Michael Landon.

Personal life

Francis married Wray Thorn, a financier and asset manager, on May 29, 1999. Thorn, who also attended Harvard University where he earned an AB in Government, has worked in private equity and asset management, serving in senior positions at firms including Dubilier & Company, Fox Paine & Company, Marathon Asset Management, and Sightway Capital.

Francis and Thorn have three children: sons Thompson (born 2007) and Greyson (born April 26, 2010), and daughter Gemma (born 2015). The family resides in Manhattan, New York.

Francis has been diagnosed with Factor V Leiden, a hereditary blood clotting disorder that makes pregnancy dangerous and increases the risk of severe complications. After experiencing high-risk pregnancies with both her sons and receiving medical advice that having more children was extremely dangerous, Francis and Thorn had their daughter Gemma through surrogacy.

Francis has described her Catholic faith and her husband's Methodist faith as complementary influences on their family life. The family sends their children to Catholic school during the week and attends a Methodist church on Sundays. Francis has stated that she begins every Sunday by looking around at her family and thanking God for her blessings, crediting divine providence rather than personal achievement for her circumstances.

According to IMDb, Francis was emancipated from her mother at age 15, a decision that occurred within the context of the family dynamics she later explored in her memoirs.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Scavenger Hunt
1983	Man, Woman and Child	Paula Beckwith
1988	Bad Dreams	Young Cynthia
2012	The Dictator

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Ghost of Flight 401		Television movie
1979	Champions: A Love Story		Television movie
1979	Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love		Television movie
1979–1980	Joe's World	Linda Wabash	11 episodes
1980	Mork & Mindy	Young Mindy McConnell	Episode: "A Mommy for Mindy"
1980	Galactica 1980	Little Girl	Episodes: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II", "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III" Credited as Missy Francis
1980	When the Whistle Blows
1981–1982	Little House on the Prairie	Cassandra Cooper Ingalls	21 episodes
1982	A Gun in the House		Television movie
1982	Midnight Lace		Television movie
1984	Something About Amelia		Television movie
1986	Morningstar/Eveningstar	Sarah Bishop	Series regular
1986	St. Elsewhere		Guest appearance
	Hotel		Guest appearance
	A Year in the Life		Guest appearance
	ALF		Guest appearance
	Hardball		Guest appearance

External links

• Template:Imdb
• Melissa Francis on Instagram
• Melissa Francis at Little House on the Prairie Wiki