Through The Years With Actor Jonathan Frakes

Jonathan Frakes may be best known for playing "Commander William Riker" in Star Trek, but he began his career nearly a decade before scoring the famous role! Frakes came from humble beginnings, and decided to seriously pursue acting after he graduated from university.

Not only did Frakes end up appearing on-screen in one of the biggest sci-fi franchises, he has since directed several films and attended many fan conventions. He has also continued working in the entertainment industry. Click through the slides to find out about the actor's career over the years!

Jonathan Frakes began school as a psychology major before becoming intrigued by the world of acting. He chose to change his major to theatre arts, and after graduating Pennsylvania State University in 1974, Frakes made the move to New York City. There he took on a variety of odd jobs while auditioning, and even appeared in a Broadway musical, Shenandoah. Shortly after landing his first television role in soap opera The Doctors, he relocated to Los Angeles, thanks to his agent's advice. 

Frakes soon made appearances some of the most popular shows of the time, with guest starring roles on Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, and more. This later led to his biggest role to date as "Marcus Marshall" in the 1980s soap opera Bare Essence; however, after the show's spinoff failed to gain traction, Frakes was back looking for work. While playing "Stanley Hazard" in the war miniseries North & South, he ended up falling in love with co-star Genie Francis. If it hadn't been for Francis (and her family!) urging him to audition for a new project, Frakes may not have become a household name...

Frakes got the role of a lifetime in 1984 when he was cast as "Commander William Riker" in Star Trek: The Next Generation! He soon became known to thousands of sci-fi fans around the world for the part, which he would later reprise in Star Trek movies and even animated spinoffs. Frakes also married Genie Francis a few years after his career took off, with the two of them wed in 1988.

Frakes ended up directing eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, along with several episodes of the show's various spinoff series. He was even the creative vision behind the camera for two Star Trek films (which he also appeared in)— 1996's Star Trek: First Contact and 1998's Star Trek: Resurrection. As well, it was around this time that Frakes and Francis welcomed their two children, with son Jameson born in 1994 and daughter Elizabeth in 1997.

Frakes then directed two teen action movies released just a couple years apart— 2002's Clockstoppers and 2004's Thunderbirds. While Clockstoppers did fairly well at the box office, unfortunately Frakes did not have the same kind of luck with Thunderbirds, which was considered a flop following its theatrical release.

After Thunderbirds flopped, Frakes did not return to directing on the big screen. Instead, he chose to continue his career, appearing in both acting and voiceover roles on various shows. He also directed several episodes of popular television series such as Castle, Leverage, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Frakes may have continued on with his career, but he has not landed another part that gave him as much recognition as playing "Commander William Riker"! He has found success in lending his voice to animated series such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Future-Worm, and appeared in the 2020 children's series The Astronauts. He also frequently appears at comic-cons, meeting many excited Star Trek fans.

In 2020, Frakes returned to his iconic role on-screen for the first time in decades when he appeared in two episodes of the Star Trek spinoff Picard. This special appearance saw him reunite with former co-star Sir Patrick Stewart for the first time sin years. While there is no word yet on whether or not his character will make another appearance in the series, Frakes is set to direct the next season of Picard.

Frakes continues to be active on social media for fans who are looking to find out what he is currently up to! He can be found on both Instagram and Twitter, with his bio on the latter reading "father, husband, director, producer, recovering actor." He shares news about projects he is involved in, but occasionally shares fun personal photos as well, such as this one of him out fishing!