Jonathan Frakes
Acting • Born 1952-08-19
Biography
Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander (later Captain) William T. Riker in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequent films and series. He has also hosted the series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, voiced David Xanatos in the Disney animated series Gargoyles, and narrated the History Channel documentary, Lee and Grant. His other well known TV roles are as Stanley Hazard on the miniseries North and South, Sandy Parris on ABC's Paper Dolls, Marcus Marshall on NBC's Bare Essence, and Damon Ross, a recurring character on Falcon Crest. He began directing episodes of The Next Generation during its third season, and went on to direct the feature films Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and episodes of the later Star Trek series Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Picard. He later directed the feature films Clockstoppers (2002) and Thunderbirds (2004). He has since directed prolifically for television, including for The Librarian television films and series, Leverage, Burn Notice, and Roswell (of which he is also a producer). He is the credited author of the novel The Abductors: Conspiracy, which was ghostwritten by Dean Wesley Smith. He has been married to actress Genie Francis since 1988 and they have 2 children.
Filmography
119 credits
Star Trek: Generations
Movie • 1994
Commander William T. Riker
Star Trek: Nemesis
Movie • 2002
Commander William T. Riker
Star Trek: First Contact
Movie • 1996
Commander William T. Riker
Star Trek: Insurrection
Movie • 1998
Commander William T. Riker
Star Trek: The Captain's Summit
Movie • 2009
Self
Alien Autopsy
Movie • 2006
Self
Star Trek: Picard - The IMAX Live Series Finale Event
Movie • 2023
Captain William Riker
Truth be Told
Movie • 2011
Radio Sound Engineer
Clockstoppers
Movie • 2002
Bystander
Lee & Grant
Movie • 2011
Narrator (voice)
Ghosts Caught on Tape: Fact or Fiction?
Movie • 2000
Narrator (voice)
Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 1994
Host / Self
Heroes Manufactured
Movie • 2017
Self (archive footage)
Roswell: Coverups & Close Encounters
Movie • 1992
Narrator (voice)
Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?)
Movie • 1995
Self - Host
Star Trek: The Next Generation Viewer's Choice Marathon
Movie • 1994
Self - Host
No Strings Attached: The Making of Thunderbirds
Movie • 2004
Self
The Cover Girl and the Cop
Movie • 1989
Joshua Boyleston
A Biltmore Christmas
Movie • 2023
Winston
Holograms All the Way Down
Movie
Commander William T. Riker
Camp Nowhere
Movie • 1994
Bob Spiegel (uncredited)
Brothers of the Frontier
Movie • 1996
Ben Frye
Chaos on the Bridge
Movie • 2014
Self
Devil's Gate
Movie • 2018
Sheriff Gruenwell
The Captains
Movie • 2011
Self
Butterfly in the Sky
Movie • 2024
Self (archive footage)
How William Shatner Changed The World
Movie • 2005
Self
50 Years of Star Trek
Movie • 2016
Self
Dying to Live
Movie • 1999
Will
Megaquake 10.0
Movie • 2012
Narrator (voice)
Your Guide to Star Trek: Generations
Movie • 1993
Self
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
Movie • 2006
Debra's Husband
The Night the City Screamed
Movie • 1980
Richard Hawkins
Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier
Movie • 2007
Self
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
Movie • 1991
Self
Trekkies
Movie • 1997
Self
Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken
Movie • 1995
Xanatos (voice)
The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next
Movie • 1988
Self
Phish: Tracking
Movie • 1994
The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice
Movie • 2008
Trombone Player in Marching Band (uncredited)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds
Movie • 2013
Cmdr. William Riker (archive footage)
Reunification - 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation
Movie • 2012
Self
Beach Patrol
Movie • 1979
Marty Green
Time Travel Through the Bible
Movie • 1995
Time Traveler
Catwoman: Hunted
Movie • 2022
King Faraday / Boss Moxie (voice)
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
Movie • 1996
Self
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Chain of Command
Movie • 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification
Movie • 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption
Movie • 2013
Commander Will Riker
A Grand Biltmore Christmas
Movie
Winston
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
Movie • 2014
Cmdr. William Riker
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birthright
Movie • 1993
Cmdr. William Riker
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Descent
Movie • 1993
Cmdr. William Riker
Falcon Crest
TV • 1981
Damon Ross
Star Trek: Enterprise
TV • 2001
Commander William T. Riker
Futurama
TV • 1999
Jonathan Frakes (voice)
Family Guy
TV • 1999
Commander William T. Riker (voice)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
TV • 1987
William T. Riker
Star Trek: Voyager
TV • 1995
Commander William T. Riker
Matlock
TV • 1986
Mr. Park
Gargoyles
TV • 1994
David Xanatos (voice)
The Twilight Zone
TV • 1985
Steve (segment "But Can She Type?")
Quincy, M.E.
TV • 1976
Leon Bohannon
Highway to Heaven
TV • 1984
Arthur Krock, Jr.
Cybill
TV • 1995
Jonathan Frakes
Wings
TV • 1990
Gavin Rutledge
Charlie's Angels
TV • 1976
Brad
Hill Street Blues
TV • 1981
Eddie Sims
Hotel
TV • 1982
Ted Travers
Criminal Minds
TV • 2005
Dr. Arthur Malcolm
Hart to Hart
TV • 1979
Adam Blake
Voyagers!
TV • 1982
Charles Lindbergh
Eight Is Enough
TV • 1977
Chapper
How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)
TV • 2019
Jonathan Frakes
The Waltons
TV • 1972
Ashley Longworth Jr.
Bare Essence
TV • 1983
Marcus Marshall
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
TV • 1997
Self - Host
Here's Boomer
TV • 1981
Philip
Dream West
TV • 1986
Lt. Archibald Gillespie
That's Impossible!
TV • 2009
Narrator (voice)
Castle
TV • 2009
Richard Castle Fan
The Shuttlepod Show
TV • 2022
Self
Fantasy Island
TV • 1978
Kirk Wendover
Barnaby Jones
TV • 1973
David Douglas
The White Shadow
TV • 1978
Basketball Player
Beulah Land
TV • 1980
Adam Davis
Paris
TV • 1979
I'm a Big Girl Now
TV • 1980
The Dukes of Hazzard
TV • 1979
Jamie Lee Hogg
Harper Valley P.T.A.
TV • 1981
Clutch Breath
Quincy, M.E.
TV • 1976
Young Surgeon
Five Mile Creek
TV • 1983
Adam Scott
The Fall Guy
TV • 1981
Connors
Paper Dolls
TV • 1984
Sandy Parris
It's a Living
TV • 1980
Steve
Oh Baby
TV • 1998
Don
Glenn Martin, DDS
TV • 2009
Peter (voice)
The Super Hero Squad Show
TV • 2009
High Evolutionary (voice)
North and South
TV • 1985
Stanley Hazard
Family Guy
TV • 1999
Jonathan Frakes (voice)
Star Trek Day
TV • 2020
Self
Angie Tribeca
TV • 2016
Commandant Van Zandt
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
TV • 1993
Thomas Riker
3rd Rock from the Sun
TV • 1996
Larry
The Paranormal Borderline
TV • 1996
Host
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
TV • 1993
Tim Lake
The Captains Close Up
TV • 2013
Self
Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder
TV • 1987
Rosen
Star Trek: Picard
TV • 2020
William Riker
The Ready Room
TV • 2019
Self
NCIS: Los Angeles
TV • 2009
Navy Commander Dr. Stanfill (uncredited)
Roswell
TV • 1999
Jonathan Frakes (uncredited)
Star Trek: very Short Treks
TV • 2023
Riker (voice)
Star Trek: Lower Decks
TV • 2020
William T. Riker (voice)
The D-Con Chamber
TV • 2024
Self
Bare Essence
TV • 1982
Marcus Marshall
The Lot
TV • 1999
Roland White
The Mighty Nein
TV • 2025
Zeenoth (voice)
After Trek
TV • 2017