How many people can boast they started their career doing Shakespeare onstage alongside the voice of Darth Vader? Not very many tbh. Frankie Faison can and it was a hell of a way to start a career that's just gotten better and better with age. He's an instantly recognisable and welcome presence in any film or TV show requiring a touch of authority or lately a sage father figure.
He's been in both erotic feline thrillers from acclaimed directors and ropey soft porn titles. Fought off cannibalistic human underground dwellers and been murdered by New York city vigilantes. He's worked with both iterations of Hannibal Lecter and been the police commissioner of one of America's most drug wrecked cities. Been both a shifty foreman working on a creaky old mansion owned by Tom Hanks & Shelley Long and a scumbag gunned down by Edward Woodward. He's been ran down by a lorry possessed by a comet and a landlord to Prince Akeem of Zamunda. He's the man who investigated both Thomas Crown and the Wayan's brothers in whiteface. In 1988 and 1989 he turned up in two blistering cinematic looks at America's race problems and the following year he turned up in a sci-fi with Mick Jagger that's still one of the worst films of the 90's. Just a few highlights of a 4 decade long career career that's transitioned from stage to film/tv to Netflix with ease. Check it out here
Greatest hits
The Wire. Ervin Burrell. A man with a very thankless job who'd rather play a quick 9 than deal with the G packs clogging up the streets of his city. Climbs the chain of command over 5 years before it all crashes spectacularly. A great performance.
Banshee. Sugar Bates. The owner of the most violent bar in the town of Banshee. Very handy with his fists.
Silence Of The Lambs/Hannibal/ Red Dragon - Nurse Barney. The only actor aside from Anthony Hopkins to appear in all 3 films and the only one to appear in Manhunter too, which was remade as Red Dragon. A fine claim to fame.
Luke Cage. Pop Hunter. The best barber north of 110th street and one of the most respected men in Harlem.
Previous heroes
Conchata Ferrell
Dick Miller
Veronica Cartwright
Edie McClurg
Barry Shabaka Henley
Raymond Cruz
Reg E.Cathey
Elizabeth McGovern
John Amos
Bruce Greenwood
Mary McDonnell
Gerald McSorley
John Rothman
Margo Martindale
Kurtwood Smith
Paula Malcolmson
Luis Guzman
David Morse
Linda Hunt
Keith David
Zeljko Ivanek
Fiona Shaw
Xander Berkeley
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
C.C.H Pounder
William Forsythe
Beth Grant
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Regina King
Ric Young
Mark Rolston
Illeana Douglas
Jeanette Goldstein
Al Leong
Allan Graf
Bill Nunn
Thomas Rosales Jr
No comments:
Post a Comment