Jonathan Frakes Bio
Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director best known for his portrayal of Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its film sequels. Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, he trained at Liberty High School and studied theater at Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and at Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Arts. Frakes began his career in the late 1970s and expanded into directing for television, helming Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, as well as other projects across film and television. He hosted Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction and voiced David Xanatos in the Disney animated series Gargoyles, establishing himself as a recognizable figure in science fiction entertainment.
Over the course of his career, Frakes has built a reputation as both a dependable on-screen performer and a prolific in-demand director. His work spans film, television, voice acting, and hosting, and he remains closely associated with the Star Trek franchise through his directing and guest appearances.
Early Life and Background
Jonathan Scott Frakes was born on August 19, 1952, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to James R. Frakes and Doris J. Frakes (née Yingling). His father was a professor of English literature and American studies at Lehigh University from 1958 to 2001, and also worked as a reviewer and critic for The New York Times Book Review. Frakes had a younger brother, Daniel, who passed away in 1997 from pancreatic cancer.
Raised in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, Frakes attended Liberty High School, where he graduated in 1970. He ran track, played trombone in the Liberty High School Grenadier Band, and took part in school plays. Although he had enjoyed performing throughout junior high and high school, it was not until he entered college that he began to take acting seriously as a possible career path.
Frakes attended Pennsylvania State University, where he joined the Thespians and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts in 1974. While working a summer job as an usher at the Festival of America Theatre, a director noticed him and suggested he would be a good fit for a play’s chorus. The experience changed the direction of his studies, and he switched his major from psychology to theater. He then attended Harvard University, became a member of the university’s acting company at the Loeb Drama Center, and graduated with a Master of Arts in 1976.
Path to Acting
After graduating from Harvard, Frakes moved to New York City and joined the Impossible Ragtime Theater, where he made his off-Broadway debut in Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape, directed by George Ferencz. He also made his first Broadway appearance in 1976 in the musical Shenandoah. Around the same time, he was cast in a role on the NBC soap opera The Doctors, where he played Vietnam veteran Tom Carroll.
When his character was written off The Doctors, Frakes, on the advice of his agent, relocated to Los Angeles to pursue new opportunities. He soon landed guest spots on many of the most popular television series of the late 1970s and early 1980s, including The Waltons, Eight Is Enough, Hart to Hart, Barnaby Jones, The Dukes of Hazzard, Matlock, Quincy, M.E., and Hill Street Blues. He also played Charles Lindbergh in a 1983 episode of Voyagers!, and appeared in the short-lived NBC prime time soap operas Bare Essence (1983) and Paper Dolls (1984), the latter of which also featured his future wife Genie Francis.
Frakes took on recurring roles in Falcon Crest and the miniseries North and South, and appeared in the 1986 miniseries Dream West. In the late 1970s, he also worked for Marvel Comics, appearing in costume as Captain America at conventions and promotional events, an experience he has credited with helping him interact with fans during his later Star Trek convention appearances.
Jonathan Frakes Career
Early Career (1977–1986)
Frakes began his professional acting career in the late 1970s following his training at Pennsylvania State University and Harvard University. His earliest notable credits included work in New York theater and the NBC soap opera The Doctors, followed by a string of guest appearances on major television series throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. These early roles helped him develop a steady presence in network television and prepared him for larger serialized work.
Among his more prominent early credits were appearances in the prime time soap operas Bare Essence and Paper Dolls, recurring work on Falcon Crest, and a role in the miniseries North and South. In 1986, he also appeared in the miniseries Dream West, expanding his profile just before being cast in the project that would define his career.
Breakthrough (1987–1994)
In 1987, Frakes was cast as Commander William T. Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the role that would become his signature performance. He was one of only two actors, alongside Patrick Stewart, to appear in every episode of the series. While working on the show, he was permitted to sit in on casting sessions, concept meetings, production design, editing, and post-production, an experience that gave him the foundation he needed to move into directing.
Frakes began directing episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation during its third season and went on to direct eight episodes of that series. After the television series ended in 1994, he reprised the role of Riker in the Star Trek: The Next Generation feature films, two of which he also directed: Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). He has since appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, making him the only Star Trek regular to appear in six Star Trek television series.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond the Star Trek franchise, Frakes has built an extensive résumé as both an actor and a director. He voiced David Xanatos in the Disney animated series Gargoyles, hosted seasons two through six of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and narrated the History Channel documentary Lee and Grant. He directed the feature films Clockstoppers (2002) and Thunderbirds (2004), and went on to direct episodes of numerous television series, including Roswell, Leverage, Castle, NCIS: Los Angeles, Burn Notice, Falling Skies, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Switched at Birth, Hit the Floor, The Librarians, and The Orville.
Jonathan Frakes Family
Jonathan Scott Frakes was born to James R. Frakes, a professor of English literature and American studies at Lehigh University, and Doris J. Frakes (née Yingling). He had a younger brother, Daniel, who passed away in 1997 from pancreatic cancer. Through his marriage to actress Genie Francis, he is the son-in-law of actor Ivor Francis.
Personal Life
Frakes first married actress Debralee Scott in the early 1980s. The couple met at an exercise class in Los Angeles, lived in a two-bedroom house in Sherman Oaks, California, and divorced by 1986. Frakes first met actress Genie Francis on the set of the prime time soap opera Bare Essence and again while filming the miniseries North and South. Encouraged by actress Kirstie Alley, they began dating in 1985, became engaged in 1986, and married on May 28, 1988. The couple has two children.
Frakes and Francis moved from Belfast, Maine, to Beverly Hills, California, in 2008, and later to Calabasas, California. In 2026, Frakes launched a podcast titled Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny alongside Star Trek: The Next Generation cast-mate Brent Spiner.