She was born in New York City on December 14, 1902. She first appeared on Broadway in April 1925 in "The Poor Nut". She had a quite successful Broadway career. She traveled with the USO to entertain the U.S. troops in the Pacific during World War II. Her last appearance on Broadway was in the 1951 play, "Point of No Return" starring Henry Fonda. It ran for 356 performances. Her first movie was the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still". ( It should also be noted that "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was the first time Frances appeared with Olan Soule (Mayberry's Choir Director, John Masters). They were both boarders in the rooming house where the alien stayed.) She made many movies during the 50s and appeared on TV as featured characters on shows like "It's a Great Life" and "The Eve Arden Show".
Miss Bavier was a life long exponent of Studebaker automobiles. The last car she bought was a 1966 model, the last model year for the make, made in the Canadian plant in Hamilton, Ontario. (Some accounts say that the car was a 1964, the last year of production in the US plant in South Bend, Indiana.) During the production of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry RFD", she drove herself to and from the studio in it; reportedly, it can be seen in the latter series. Miss Bavier took it to her home in North Carolina after she retired there and is believed to have last driven it in 1983. After her death in 1989, it was found sitting on four flat tires and its interior had been ruined by her cats. Even so, two Andy Griffith fans bought it for $20,000 at auction. "Nobody will move me, I am not a dining room table, I am not a sofa, I am not a rug, how dare you!" (her reaction to Howard Morris trying to rearrange the set). She performed in the live action reference footage for Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). Despite her good-hearted image on screen, cast members of The Andy Griffith Show often remember her as difficult, temperamental and somewhat cold. Griffith himself said "There was just something about me she did not like."