Frankie Faison
Encyclopedia
Frankie Russel Faison often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an America
n actor
.
, the son of Carmena (née
Gantt) and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University
in Bloomington, Illinois
, where he joined Theta Chi
Fraternity. He also attended NYU's Graduate Acting Program, graduating in 1974. He married Jane Mandel on December 26, 1988, and together, they have three children: Blake, Amanda and Rachel.
Faison received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, in 2002 and was the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony.
, with James Earl Jones
in the title role. Faison's next role came in TV, in the short lived series Hot Hero Sandwich in 1979. Faison did make it to the big screen in 1980, when he appeared in Permanent Vacation
as "Man in Lobby". A string of small roles followed until 1986 when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter
. Also that year, he appeared in the Stephen King
film Maximum Overdrive
. In 1988 he starred alongside Eddie Murphy
and James Earl Jones in Coming to America
in the role of a landlord and won a minor role in the 1989 Spike Lee
film Do the Right Thing
. A major recurring role for Faison was as the character Barney in the Hannibal Lecter series, The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel (Hannibal
) and the prequel (Red Dragon
). Not only did this afford him the distinction of being the only actor apart from star Anthony Hopkins
to appear in all three films in the trilogy, but of being the lone actor to have appeared in all four filmed versions of the Hannibal Lecter
novels, until Hannibal Rising came out.
During the 1990-1991 season, he starred in the Fox
situation comedy, True Colors
, with Stephanie Faracy
and Nancy Walker
, about an interracial couple. He was replaced by Cleavon Little
for the second season of the program. In 1991, Faison again appeared alongside Hopkins in the film Freejack
, which also starred Mick Jagger
and Maximum Overdrive co-star Emilio Estevez
. In 1998, he was a regular on the science-fiction TV show Prey
. Faison had a starring role as the Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell
on the HBO drama The Wire
.
Faison appeared in Tyler Perry
's Meet The Browns
, a movie about a single mom who takes her family to Georgia for the funeral of her father—a man she never met. There, her clan is introduced to the crass, fun-loving Brown family. Faison played the role of Brown and Vera's brother, L.B. Brown. In 2009, he was also among the ensemble cast of John Krasinski
's adaptation of Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
playing the son of a toilet attendant who caustically recounts his father's experiences in one of the titular monologues.
Faison played Richard Evans on One Life to Live
, the father of established characters: Greg Evans, Shaun Evans and Destiny Evans. He started the role on September 10 of 2009.
He has recently appeared in episodes of Blue Bloods
, which also stars Tom Selleck
, as an assistant police commissioner. His main film role in this period was as Harlan in the film Adam (film). He also appeared in the November 29, 2010 episode of Lie to Me
. He has also appeared in White Chicks
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Personal life
Faison was born in Newport News, VirginiaNewport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, the son of Carmena (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Gantt) and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent undergraduate university located in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856...
in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, where he joined Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...
Fraternity. He also attended NYU's Graduate Acting Program, graduating in 1974. He married Jane Mandel on December 26, 1988, and together, they have three children: Blake, Amanda and Rachel.
Faison received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, in 2002 and was the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony.
Career
Faison started his acting career in 1974 in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of King LearKing Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, with James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
in the title role. Faison's next role came in TV, in the short lived series Hot Hero Sandwich in 1979. Faison did make it to the big screen in 1980, when he appeared in Permanent Vacation
Permanent Vacation (film)
Permanent Vacation is a 1980 drama film directed, written and produced by Jim Jarmusch. It was the director's first release, and was shot on 16 mm film shortly after he dropped out of film school. This film is often credited as the birth of the director's original style, and character schemes...
as "Man in Lobby". A string of small roles followed until 1986 when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter
Manhunter (film)
Manhunter is a 1986 American thriller film based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon. Written and directed by Michael Mann, it stars William Petersen as Will Graham and features Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor...
. Also that year, he appeared in the Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
film Maximum Overdrive
Maximum Overdrive
Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 American action-horror-science fiction film written and directed by novelist Stephen King. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's short story, Trucks, which was included in King's first collection of short stories, Night Shift.Maximum Overdrive is...
. In 1988 he starred alongside Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
and James Earl Jones in Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
in the role of a landlord and won a minor role in the 1989 Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
film Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...
. A major recurring role for Faison was as the character Barney in the Hannibal Lecter series, The Silence of the Lambs, the sequel (Hannibal
Hannibal (film)
Hannibal is a 2001 psychological thriller film directed by Ridley Scott, adapted from the Thomas Harris novel of the same name. It is a sequel to the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs that returns Anthony Hopkins to his iconic role as serial killer Hannibal Lecter...
) and the prequel (Red Dragon
Red Dragon (film)
Red Dragon is a 2002 thriller film based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name and featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs....
). Not only did this afford him the distinction of being the only actor apart from star Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
to appear in all three films in the trilogy, but of being the lone actor to have appeared in all four filmed versions of the Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
novels, until Hannibal Rising came out.
During the 1990-1991 season, he starred in the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
situation comedy, True Colors
True Colors (TV series)
True Colors is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from September 2, 1990 to April 12, 1992 for a total of 45 episodes. The series was created by Michael J...
, with Stephanie Faracy
Stephanie Faracy
Stephanie Faracy is an American film and television actress.Faracy was born in Brooklyn, New York. One of her earliest notable roles was as Mary Carson's servant "Judy", in the 1983 television mini-series The Thorn Birds.Faracy also appeared with Frankie Faison and Nancy Walker in True Colors , a...
and Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker
Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedienne of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director...
, about an interracial couple. He was replaced by Cleavon Little
Cleavon Little
Cleavon Jake Little was an American film and theatre actor.Little was widely known for his lead role as Sheriff Bart in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles. He also was the irreverent Dr...
for the second season of the program. In 1991, Faison again appeared alongside Hopkins in the film Freejack
Freejack
Freejack is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo, Jonathan Banks, Grand L. Bush and Anthony Hopkins. Upon its release in the United States, the film received mostly negative reviews. The story was adapted from Immortality, Inc., a...
, which also starred Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Maximum Overdrive co-star Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
. In 1998, he was a regular on the science-fiction TV show Prey
Prey (TV series)
Prey was a science-fiction television series that aired for one season in 1998 on ABC. The series starred Debra Messing, Adam Storke, Larry Drake, Frankie Faison, James Morrison, and Vincent Ventresca.-Premise:...
. Faison had a starring role as the Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell
Ervin Burrell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Frankie Faison. Burrell was an officer in the Baltimore Police Department who ascended from Deputy Commissioner of Operations to Commissioner over the course of the show...
on the HBO drama The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
.
Faison appeared in Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...
's Meet The Browns
Meet the Browns (film)
Meet the Browns is a 2008 romantic comedy-drama film released by Lionsgate on March 21, 2008. The film was based on the play of the same name by Tyler Perry.-Plot:...
, a movie about a single mom who takes her family to Georgia for the funeral of her father—a man she never met. There, her clan is introduced to the crass, fun-loving Brown family. Faison played the role of Brown and Vera's brother, L.B. Brown. In 2009, he was also among the ensemble cast of John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
's adaptation of Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film)
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski, based on a short story collection of the same name by David Foster Wallace.-Plot:...
playing the son of a toilet attendant who caustically recounts his father's experiences in one of the titular monologues.
Faison played Richard Evans on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, the father of established characters: Greg Evans, Shaun Evans and Destiny Evans. He started the role on September 10 of 2009.
He has recently appeared in episodes of Blue Bloods
Blue Bloods
The Blue Bloods was the name of the professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that consisted of "Lord" Steven Regal, "Earl" Robert Eaton, and "Squire" David Taylor, along with their butler Jeeves, that operated in the middle to late 1990s....
, which also stars Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, as an assistant police commissioner. His main film role in this period was as Harlan in the film Adam (film). He also appeared in the November 29, 2010 episode of Lie to Me
Lie to Me
Lie to Me is a 2009-2011 American television series.Lie to Me may also refer to:* Lie to Me , a South Korean drama series* "Lie to Me" , an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
. He has also appeared in White Chicks
White Chicks
White Chicks is a 2004 American film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written and produced by Keenen Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios...
.