Jonathan Frakes American actor. Date of Birth: 19.08.1952 Country: USA

1. Biography of Jonathan Frakes
2. Early Acting Career
3. Transition to Directing

Biography of Jonathan Frakes

Jonathan Frakes is an American actor best known for his role in the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He was born and raised in the small American town of Bethlehem, which has a biblical name. While the history does not mention whether he was an angel, his towering height of 193 cm and his free-spirited nature did not make him a lifelong servant of American football and did not prevent him from successfully completing his education. He first attended Pennsylvania State University and then prestigious Harvard University.

Early Acting Career

After completing his education, Jonathan spent several seasons at the Loeb Drama Centre before starting his acting career in New York City. He performed on the stages of Broadway theaters. Prior to landing the role of the heroic first officer Riker in the "Star Trek" film series, Jonathan appeared in several television series such as "Falcon Crest" (1981), "Bare Essence" (1982), "Paper Dolls" (1984), and "The Doctors" (1977). Among his other television experiences, the Russian audience could only see him in "Charlie's Angels" (1976), "The Hart Family" (1979), and "Married... with Children" (1987). He also appeared in the once-popular Soviet series about the American Civil War, "North and South" (1985), where he co-starred with Patrick Swayze and James Read.

Transition to Directing

After seven years as Commander William Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Jonathan smoothly transitioned from acting to directing. Having gained experience filming several episodes of various "Star Trek" series, he directed two full-length films based on the legendary series, "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996) and "Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998). In addition, he has directed several feature films, including "Clockstoppers" (2002), "Thunderbirds" (2004), and "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" (2006). Jonathan has also served as a producer for several well-known projects, such as "Roswell," and has worked as a voice actor for animated characters. He participated in the recording of the musical album "Phish Hoist" as a trombonist and hosted several seasons of the television show "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction." Due to his unique shooting style, he earned the nickname "Two Takes Frakes" because he limited the number of retakes to a minimum.