Photo: John Manard / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jonathan Frakes is Commander Riker, full stop, and that confident over-the-back chair sit is iconic for a reason. But what makes me respect him so much is the second career he built behind the camera. His direction of Star Trek: First Contact is arguably the best film the franchise produced, balancing action, horror, and genuine heart. He's become one of the most dependable genre TV directors working, jumping between Trek series and shows like The Orville. He also hosted Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction with that wonderfully sly grin. Few people understand Star Trek's DNA as deeply as Frakes does, both as performer and storyteller.
Overview
Jonathan Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor, director, and television host from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He is best known for portraying Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequent films and series, a role he has reprised across decades. Frakes is also an accomplished director, helming Star Trek films including First Contact, as well as numerous episodes of the Star Trek franchise and other television series.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jonathan Frakes
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョナサン・フレイクス
- Reading
- じょなさん・ふれいくす
- Born
- August 19, 1952 (age 73)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Dragon
- Origin
- Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Television Actor / Film Actor / Film Director / Actor / Television Host
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Liberty High School
- University
- Harvard University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Television Actor — see all → · Film Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.