- Grace Hanson is not somebody who gets scammed! Grace Hanson is the person who says to the person who gets scammed: “Hey, idiot, you got scammed!”
- —Grace's reaction when she finds out she and Frankie got ripped off.[src]
Grace Pauline Hanson (née Purcell) is one of the titular protagonists on Grace and Frankie. She is portrayed by Jane Fonda.
Character[]
Grace is a tough as nails, determined, business-savvy, fiery, capable, intelligent, stubborn, insensitive at times, quick witted, loyal, trustworthy, sassy, fearless and strong woman. She created her own skincare company called Say Grace, for which she was also the figurehead. Grace was, rightfully, furious and stunned to find out her husband of 40 years, Robert, was in love with a man, Sol Bergstein and now wanted a divorce! However, Grace learnt to forgive Robert and start a new life with Frankie, Sol’s equally frazzled ex-wife. The women moved in together and over time became best friends. Grace is also the mother of Brianna and Mallory Hanson, grandmother to Macklin, Madison, Maisy and Matty, and wife to Nick Skolka.
Biography[]
Grace grew up as the daughter of Amelia Banford and Frederick Purcell, an assistant manifacturer. Grace had an unhappy childhood, as her parents had an unhappy marriage and she wasn't close to her two siblings. She loved proving herself to boys from the neighbourhood by climbing the highest tree she could find. She wasn't close to her friends and never had a sleepover.
When she was a child, her mother took her to Oklahoma the Musical and introduced her to the cast, whom she knew as she had once been an actress herself. On the way home, her mother cried a lot, wishing for a life that was more than just being a wife and stay-at-home-mother. She made Grace promise to never tell a soul about the incident.
When Grace turned 26 she started saying she was 22 because people kept questioning why she wasn't married yet. A few years later Grace married Robert Hanson, a lawyer. Though she was disliked by her mother-in-law, Barbara Hanson, she befriended Robert's sister Lydia Foster. She and Robert had two daughters: Brianna Hanson (1978) and Mallory Hanson (1980).
Grace stopped drinking during her pregnancy with Mallory, but not during Brianna's. Robert thinks this is the reason why Brianna resembles Grace more, who is often viewed as an alcoholic. Grace didn't like children and was quite a distant and cold mother. She found more pleasure in founding her own company in the nineties, Say Grace. Grace was very busy with her company and around 1995, Robert started an affair with his co-worker and family friend Sol Bergstein. Grace was about to begin an affair with Phil Milstein, a contractor she had a crush on, but didn't in the end, not wanting to destroy her marriage.
Mallory went off to college but didn't use her education to get a job, annoying her mother. She instead married Mitch, a doctor, and had a son with him: Macklin (2007).
In 2009, Grace celebrated Labour Day with Robert, Sol and Frankie in the Beach House. On that day, her granddaughter Madison was born and Grace retired, leaving Say Grace to Brianna. In 2015, Robert and Sol finally revealed their 20-year affair to Grace and Sol's wife Frankie Bergstein.
After divorcing Robert, Grace moved into The Beach House with Frankie, whom she originally didn't like. Over the course of six years, the pair became best friends and experienced a series of wacky adventures. Thanks to Frankie’s influence, Grace became a slightly more caring mother and grandmother, offering to help Brianna out when Say Grace was in danger of bankruptcy. In 2018, she met and began dating multi millionaire Nick Skolka, eventually eloping with him at the end of the year. Despite her razor tongue and blatant disregard for people’s feelings most of the time, Grace truly cares about those closest to her and recognises when she needs to back off. She is loyal, determined and headstrong.
Relationships[]
- Frankie Bergstein
- Main article: Grace and Frankie
Grace and Frankie meet in the ‘70s as their husbands work together. The women are very different and don’t get along, but are forced to spend time together on occasion as their husbands are business partners and they share a beach house. In 2015, when in their 70s, Grace and Frankie learn that their husbands have deceived them and are actually in love and gay. Grace and Frankie independently both flee to the beach house for refuge and end up slowly growing to love and care for each other.
Robert and Grace marry in the ‘70s and have two girls together. They're not happy, which affects the girls, too, but are compatible in tastes. When Robert reveals that he’s been having an affair with Sol for 20 years and is leaving Grace, he’s surprised at how upset she is. She confesses she thought their lives were what life is. The fallout from Robert's revelation is grim, but they eventually are able to develop a kind of friendship for the first time while knowing each other.
- Mallory Hanson (Daughter)
- Brianna Hanson (Daughter)
- Amelia Anne Purcell, née Banford (Mother)
- Frederick Alan Purcell (Father)
- Guy McCarthy (Ex-Boyfriend)
- Phil Milstein (Ex-Boyfriend)
- Nick Skolka (Husband)
Grace never had a boyfriend before her first husband Robert Hanson, whom she married in 1975 and divorced after forty years of marriage in 2015. She kissed Byron twice, who was a student of her roommate Frankie, but they never dated. Grace dated Guy McCarthy for some months but broke up with him after he told her he loved her and she didn't reciprocate his feelings.
She then confronted Phil Milstein, a contractor who she almost had an affair with during her marriage. They ultimately broke up because he was still married to his wife with alzheimers, Elaine.
Her third boyfriend after her divorce was the much younger Nick Skolka, whom she married in 2019.
Quotes[]
- If anybody’s gonna sit on Ryan Gosling’s face it’s gonna be me!
- —Grace takes Roberts chair[src]
- It's called due diligence you stupid fuck
- —Grace getting a contractor[src]
- Why don't I throw you a big party for your IBS
- —Grace yelling at Brianna after Brianna revealed to that it was Grace's 80th Birthday by throwing a suprise party for her
Trivia[]
- She is claustrophobic.
- Grace is a Scorpio.[2]
- In Season 1, Grace drove an Audi A3 until it was stolen. It was later replaced with an Infiniti Q70. As of Season 6, she drives a Porsche Cayenne.
- She is scared of pigs
Gallery[]
