Frankie Shaw: Frankie Shaw. Actress: SMILF. Frankie grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her mother is from South Boston and raised her Jewish. She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University with a degree in English literature. She first gained recognition in the completely improvised Sundance film, The Freebie (a Duplass Brother production) and then as the oddball drunken cheerleader in the sitcom Blue Mountain State.