Jonathan Frakes' (66) film career began with a part-time job as usher in a theater. Thus, he dropped out of his psychology studies and chose theatre as his major instead.
During his studies, he changed universities and later attend Harvard University, where he also worked at the Leob Drama Center. After completing his studies, he moved to New York to further his acting career.
Jonathan Frake rose to fame thanks to North and South
Jonathan Frakes had his first television appearance in the show The Doctors. After this success he moved again - this time to Los Angeles, where he scored some theater appearances as well as numerous guest roles. While filming the TV-movie North and South, Jonathan became well-known for the first time for his role of "Stanley Hazard".
During this time, Jonathan also met his now-wife Genie Francis (56). The couple has been married since 1988 and has two children. Son James Ivor was born in 1994, followed three years later by daughter Elizabeth Francis.
1987 followed another milestone in his career. He took on the role of the first officer "William Riker" in the series Star Trek – The Next Generation. After more than a hundred episodes and a total of four movies Frakes switched sides and directed some of the Star Trek episodes.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction has gained a cult following
From 1998 to 2002, Jonathan Frakes was the host of the American anthology series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. However, the show was not only popular in the U.S. but also in many other countries such as Germany.
After Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, he continued to work as an actor, but only took on smaller roles. He was featured in shows such as Criminal Minds and NCIS: Los Angeles. Later, Frakes devoted himself to the work behind the camera and directed numerous series and movies. In addition, he is a successful voice-actor, an acting teacher and even ran a small furniture store with his wife.
