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Jonathan Scott FrakesΒ (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander (later Captain)Β William T. RikerΒ in the television seriesΒ Star Trek: The Next GenerationΒ and subsequent films and series. He has also hosted the seriesΒ Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, voicedΒ David XanatosΒ in the Disney animated seriesΒ Gargoyles, and narrated theΒ History Channel documentary, Lee and Grant.
His other well known TV roles are as Stanley Hazard on the miniseries North and South, Sandy Parris on ABC's Paper Dolls, Marcus Marshall on NBC's Bare Essence, and Damon Ross, a recurring character on Falcon Crest.
He began directing episodes ofΒ The Next GenerationΒ during its third season, and went on to direct the feature filmsΒ Star Trek: First ContactΒ (1996) andΒ Star Trek: InsurrectionΒ (1998) and episodes of the laterΒ Star TrekΒ seriesΒ Deep Space Nine, Voyager,Β Discovery,Β Strange New Worlds, andΒ Picard. He later directed the feature filmsΒ ClockstoppersΒ (2002) andΒ ThunderbirdsΒ (2004). He has since directed prolifically for television, including forΒ The LibrarianΒ television films and series, Leverage,Β Burn Notice, and Roswell (of which he is also a producer).
He is the credited author of the novelΒ The Abductors: Conspiracy, which was ghostwrittenΒ byΒ Dean Wesley Smith.
He has been married to actress Genie Francis since 1988 and they have 2 children.
