Grace Hanson

Grew Up... in a privileged WASP lifestyle.

Living... in her luxurious San Diego home.

Visiting... the beach house that the Hansons share with their family friends Sol and Frankie Bergstein. It’s the one place she can escape to when her world comes crashing down around her.

Profession... retired cosmetics director. After successfully building the company from nothing (and serving as the model on the hair dye box), Grace handed over the reins to her daughter and settled into a comfortable retirement.

Interests... staying in shape, keeping up with her social network, and appreciating the finer things in life. Grace wants everything to be perfect and she’s quick to pop a Valium when it’s not.

Relationship Status... complicated, to say the least. Grace spent the past 40-some years married to her husband Robert. Although the two never had the most romantic relationship, they complemented each other well and raised two daughters named Mallory and Brianna. But Grace’s world is turned upside down when Robert announces he’s gay and that he’s leaving her for his long-time business partner Sol. Yes, the same Sol who is Frankie’s husband and one half of the (former) couple they shared their beach house with.

Challenge... surviving her husband’s coming-out. Grace lives in a world of status and order and the sudden crumbling of her marriage wrecks all her plans for living out her Golden Years in comfort. Now she’s suddenly single at 70. Even worse, she winds up sharing her beach house with Frankie – an aging hippie she can barely stand. On the other hand, Frankie is pretty much the only other person on Earth who can understand what Grace is going through.

Personality... uptight, urbane, sophisticated, intelligent, cultured, buttoned-up, assertive, and a control freak. Grace is pretty much the definition of a Type A personality. That means she’s constantly clashing with Frankie’s relaxed approach to life. When Frankie’s friends make a spontaneous visit, Grace exclaims, “Who drops by? You call, you make a plan. You set it up weeks in advance, and then you cancel three times.” But she’s also a social chameleon who’s able to adapt to even the most uncomfortable situations with elegance and grace.