Frankie Faison Movies and Career Information

Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949), often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor. Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena (née Gantt) and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity. He married Jane Mandel on December 26, 1988, and together, they have three children: Blake, Amanda and Rachel. Faison received an honorary Doctorate Degree from his alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, in 2002 and was the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony. Faison started his acting career in 1974 in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of King Lear, with James Earl Jones in the title role. Faison's next role came in TV, in the short lived series Hot Hero Sandwich in 1979. Faison did make it to the big screen in 1980, when he appeared in Permanent Vacation as "Man in Lobby". A string of small roles followed until 1986 when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter. Also that year, he appeared in the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. In 1988 he starred alongside Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones in Coming to America in the role of a landlord and won a