Philip Franks

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Philip Acford Franks
Born (1956-02-02) 2 February 1956 (age 67)
London, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Actor, director

Philip Franks (born 2 February 1956) is an English actor and director, known to the public chiefly for his roles in English television series, such as The Darling Buds of May and Heartbeat .

Contents

Early life

Franks was born on 2 February 1956 in London and is the only child of Patricia and Robert Franks. His father was a squadron leader pilot in the Royal Air Force. [1] Franks maintains that he first fell in love with theatre at age six, when his parents took him along to see a production of The Tempest . The following year, his parents were going to a production of Hamlet , and Franks insisted on going with them; at age seven, he was hooked for life. [2]

Career

Franks is best known for his role as the tax inspector Cedric "Charley" Charlton in the English comedy drama The Darling Buds of May , and also as Sgt. Raymond Craddock in Heartbeat . [3] He has also been a guest star in Absolutely Fabulous , Pie in the Sky , Midsomer Murders , Foyle's War , Bleak House , Martin Chuzzlewit , The Buddha of Suburbia , The Green Man and To Serve Them All My Days . [4] For the role of his character in Martin Chuzzlewit (Tom Pinch), Franks shaved off all of the hair on his head leaving wispy strands at the sides. When he was recognized in the street by fans they asked if he had done it for religious reasons. [5]

He also made regular appearances alongside Susie Dent in the 'Dictionary Corner' on the British quiz show Countdown (having applied to be a contestant on the show before becoming better known) until 2006. From December 2012 Franks played The Narrator in the 40th anniversary UK touring production of Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show. [6]

Franks is also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In addition, he has directed many plays including "Kafka's Dick" and "The Kiss of the Spiderwoman" (Nottingham Playhouse); "The Cocktail Party" (Edinburgh Festival); "Rebecca" (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh); "Hamlet" (Greenwich and tour); "Macbeth" (Sheffield Crucible) and "The Duchess of Malfi" (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Greenwich and West End); "Private Lives" and "The Heiress" (Royal National Theatre); "The White Devil" (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith); "Nicholas Nickleby" (Chichester Festival Theatre); and "The Tempest" (Liverpool Playhouse). [4]

He has also directed many BBC Radio dramas including "A Patriot For Me" by John Osborne starring Richard Goulding, Peter Egan, Amanda Root, Michael Pennington. BBC Radio 3. [7]

Franks also directed "A Cold Supper Behind Harrods" [8] by David Morley which starred David Jason, Anton Lesser, Stephanie Cole, and Sophie Roberts. When three former Special Operations Executive agents are reunited in 1997 their meeting forces them to look at their own conduct during World War Two. The story was inspired by real events. Anton Lesser played code maker Leo Marks and Stephanie Cole played Vera Atkins. [9] [10]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1980 To Serve Them All My Days BladesEpisode: "Part Four"
1982Love Is Old, Love Is NewSteven3 episodes
1985 Bleak House Richard Carstone6 episodes
1989 Shadow of the Noose Montague LushEpisode: "Turn Again"
Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story MaertzTelevision film
1990 The Green Man The VisitorEpisode: "Episode #1.3"
1991−1993 The Darling Buds of May Cedric "Charley" Charlton18 episodes
1993It's Your Choice: Selection Skills for ManagersInterviewee #2Video
The Buddha of Suburbia Unknown2 episodes
1994 Absolutely Fabulous PoetEpisode: "Birth"
Martin Chuzzlewit Tom Pinch6 episodes
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Cassio (voice)Episode: "Othello"
1995 Wales Playhouse CalvinEpisode: "Moniker"
Pie in the Sky Giles DuttonEpisode: "Lemon Twist"
1996 Testament: The Bible in Animation Daniel (voice)Episode: "Daniel"
1998The Life of Confucius Confucius TV series
1998−2002 Heartbeat Sgt. Raymond Craddock80 episodes
2003 Midsomer Murders Quentin RokaEpisode: "A Talent for Life"
Strange Reverend CapstickEpisode: "Dubik"
2003−2004 My Dad's the Prime Minister Mr. Potter / Mr. Wight2 episodes
2005 Casualty Bob DockerEpisode: "Sticks and Stones"
2006 Foyle's War Captain George HallidayEpisode: "Bad Blood"
2014Job's DinnerBillShort film
2017 Phantom Thread Peter Martin
2020Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the MoonPresent Day Lovell

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References

  1. ↑ Williams, Simon, ed. (2 December 2016). "They're behind you...". RAF news. No. 1408. High Wycombe: Royal Air Force. page 3, R'N'R section. ISSN   0035-8614.
  2. ↑ Interview on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics programme, broadcast 2 January 2012
  3. ↑ Ledger, John (26 January 2016). "Dad's Army and 25 other glorious Yorkshire screen gems". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Philip Franks Biography". www.philipfranks.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Benedict, David (11 February 1995). "A nice guy gets his revenge" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Cast & Creatives". Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Official Site. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Drama On 3". Radio Times.
  8. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama, David Morley - A Cold Supper Behind Harrods".
  9. ↑ "A Cold Supper behind Harrods". BBC.
  10. ↑ Petty, Moira (12 September 2012). "Radio Review: Drama". The Stage.
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