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Jonathan Frakes From ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Had Anxiety Attack Returning To Series

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Catch up with a fan favorite
Catch up with a fan favorite

Commander William Riker knew how to appreciate the finer things in life, from women to good jazz, while upholding his responsibilities as first officer of the USS Enterprise. Star Trek: The Next Generation may be his best-known project, but the story of Jonathan Frakes reaches far beyond, where few have boldly gone before. How did Frakes embrace the sci-fi genre even after leaving Starfleet?

Jonathan Frakes was born on August 19, 1952, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and showed an affinity for acting early on. By ’74, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts at Pennsylvania State University. That same decade, he began his close association with action and sci-fi fantasy by working for Marvel, before he transitioned from dressing as Captain America for conventions to ascending the stage on Broadway.

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He started off stumbling, which helped him start off strong

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, Jonathan Frakes
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, Jonathan Frakes, 1987-94 / Everett Collection

Frakes had big dreams for himself from the start. At first, though, he worked in New York City as a waiter and furniture mover. An injury sustained while moving furniture threatened to derail his plans, but Frakes ended up seeing a doctor in the soap opera The Doctors in ’77 and ’78. His television filmography contains countless favorites like The Waltons, Eight is Enough, Dukes of Hazzard, and more.

BEYOND BELIEF: FACT OR FICTION?, 1997-2000, Jonathan Frakes
BEYOND BELIEF: FACT OR FICTION?, 1997-2000, Jonathan Frakes, TM and Copyright (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved / Everett Collection

RELATED: The Cast Of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Then And Now 2023

’87 brought his career-defining role in Star Trek: The Next Generation and he would be quite a defining force on the show too. Only he and Patrick Stewart have appeared in every single episode. Both also embraced their capacity to direct. It helped that Frakes could actually sit in on most executive meetings, which gave him a glimpse into that side of the creative process.

It’s a good thing his soon-to-be wife Genie Francis pushed him into auditioning because after six weeks and seven auditions, a ticket to international fame was his.

Why did Jonathan Frakes quit acting?

In the director's chair
In the director’s chair / (c) Paramount. Courtesy Everett Collection.
Not every project is going to be a hit, as Frakes learned after his 2004 film Thunderbirds received unfavorable feedback. In fact, the response proved so devastating, he credits it with almost totally and irreversibly destroying his prospects. Eventually, Frakes was removed from the blacklist, but he was kept out of the cinematic director’s chair from then on out – though, television is a different story!
ROSWELL, Jonathan Frakes, Jason Behr
ROSWELL, Jonathan Frakes, Jason Behr, Secrets and Lies’ episode, aired 10/03/01, 1999-2002. TM and Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection.
However, getting to act again wasn’t always a total relief, even if work is work. Frakes returned to Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard and admitted to suffering a serious bout of nerves. “I hadn’t acted in a long, long, long time,” he explained. “I hadn’t played Riker in 18 years, and I’ve been very fortunate to be busy directing. I acted briefly in a movie in Winnipeg about 10 years ago. And I had a major anxiety attack because, for whatever reason, I’d forgotten to act. I forgot how to act. I was not a pretty picture for a few hours.” Of course, the pent-up fears ended up being worse than actually doing the deed, and everything ended up “fine.”
Sweethearts Frakes and Francis
Sweethearts Frakes and Francis / ImageCollect
Now, he’s a television icon in general, and a sci-fi hero specifically, not just for Star Trek but for many other shows. He’s been involved in Deep Space Nine as well as Star Trek: Voyager, The Librarian, and Roswell. He and his wife Genie, also an actor, share two children together, and those kids can proudly say their father helped shape more than a generation.

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About Dana Daly

Dana Daly is DoYouRemember’s Editorial Manager. She has written and edited nostalgia stories and YouTube scripts for the site since 2019.