Line #8 Creator/JonathanFrakes


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jonathan_frakes_1_1809_5808.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[Website/{{Cracked}} The epitome of human beauty]].]]
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4	->''"Yes! [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Front row!]]"''
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6	Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania) is best known for two things: the voice of Xanatos ([[InkSuitActor whose design was based on him]]) in the animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' and the role of Commander William Riker, aka NumberOne, in the critically acclaimed ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. Both of which were excellent showcases for his beard and deep voice. He is also one of the few actors to have appeared in all five TNG-era ''Trek'' series (TNG, [=DS9=], Voyager, Picard and Enterprise)
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8	A well-regarded actor with a long and respectable career, he's largely stepped away from being in front of the camera in favor of becoming a prolific television director. As a director, he is known for a highly economical shooting style that earned him the nickname of "Two Takes Frakes" during the production of ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact''. Shows he's directed episodes of include:
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10	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': [[DirectedByCastMember Eight episodes]]
11	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Three episodes and a guest appearance
12	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Three episodes[[note]]All with titles beginning with "P" for some reason[[/note]] and a guest appearance
13	* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': Seven episodes (as of Season Four)
14	* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Six episodes and recurring appearances in Seasons One and Three.
15	* ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'': One episode (as of Season Two).
16	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone2002''
17	* ''Series/{{Roswell}}'': also a producer[[note]](and a guest appearance as himself)[[/note]]
18	* ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''
19	* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''
20	* ''Series/{{Castle\|2009}}''
21	* ''Series/BurnNotice''
22	* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles''
23	* ''Series/{{The Orville}}''
24	* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': also a producer
25	* ''Series/{{The Librarians\|2014}}'': also a producer
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27	He also had a brief stint as a feature film director, making films that ran the gamut in terms of quality and acclaim. His films include ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' (widely considered one of the finest ''Franchise/StarTrek'' movies ever) and ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'' (widely considered one of the worst), as well as ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', ''Film/{{Clockstoppers}}'', and two ''Film/TheLibrarian'' movies. [[ShoutOut All of which have Star Trek references in them at his insistence.]] However, [[CreatorKiller his theatrical directing career was brought to a screeching halt]] with the notorious flop that was ''Film/{{Thunderbirds}}'' (he even called himself the "alleged director" on the DVD commentary), although it was more Creator/{{Universal}}'s fault as well as the lengthy DevelopmentHell the film went through than anything he did as a director.
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29	He continues to make the occasional on-screen appearance, having played a dramatically heavy role in ''Series/CriminalMinds'' and [[LargeHam hammed it up]] in ''Series/AngieTribeca''. He also likes to [[CreatorCameo insert himself]] into shows he directs, making very brief blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos. He eventually reprised the role of William T. Riker in ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', which he found surprisingly daunting as it required an amount of acting he hadn't done in a long time; he also reprised the role in voice form for ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks''. He's also narrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cylLASrWu_U viral]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVzE9zHxd74 videos]] for [[VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds PUBG]].
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31	Jonathan Frakes is the famed TropeMaker for GrowingTheBeard. Because there had been a writers' strike between the first two seasons of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', he literally [[TropeNamer grew a beard]] during the unexpectedly extended break -- see the page photo. Its presence at the script readthroughs for the second season was mere happenstance and he was planning on shaving prior to shooting, but ''Trek'' creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry felt it gave him a far more dignified appearance and decided to ThrowItIn to his character's appearance too. The beard staying then coincided with, and has become synonymous with, with the show's generally-agreed development from something good into something great in the next year or two. (This goes '''beyond''' ''Star Trek'', too, almost literally; he took over as narrator for the cult anthology series ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'' from the second season onwards, replacing Creator/JamesBrolin... and again, this was seen as a point when the show notably ticked up in quality, as Frakes narrated with a much more self-aware and humorous style loaded with some groan-worthy puns, which was seen as a major improvement.)
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33	And it's all thanks to Frakes' facial fuzz.
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35	He is quite tall, standing at six-feet-three-inches in height, and towers over most of his ''TNG'' castmates. Because of this and a lingering back injury[[note]]that makes some movements and staying still for extended periods painful[[/note]], he popularized the "Riker Maneuver"[[note]]chairs on the ''Enterprise'' set were low to the floor, so he'd mount them by swinging a leg over the back instead of stepping around to the front[[/note]], the CaptainMorganPose[[note]]to make himself shorter so he could fit into frame with others[[/note]], and a heroic version of the SlouchOfVillainy[[note]]due to the aforementioned back injury, he usually sits leaning sharply to his left[[/note]] within the ''Trek'' fandom.
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37	Frakes is a part of one of the most successful Hollywood marriages in the history of celebrity-dom. He and his wife, actress Genie Francis (of ''Series/GeneralHospital'' fame, who he met while making ''Series/NorthAndSouthUS'') have been married since 1988. They have two children, son Jameson and daughter Elizabeth.
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Context Creator / JonathanFrakes