Don Francks
Don Francks was a Canadian actor, jazz vocalist and musician best known for his co-starring role on the television series La Femme Nikita. Like the 1990 film on which it was based, Nikita centered on a young woman recruited to become a highly skilled assassin. Francks appeared in nearly 100 episodes of the Canadian action series as Walter, the head of munitions.
Francks also appeared on the series The Wayne and Shuster Hour, Ben Casey, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Virginian, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Inspector Gadget, The Littlest Hobo, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Heat, A.L.F., Police Academy: The Series, Goosebumps, X-Men, Mission: Impossible and Mannix.
Additionally, he appeared in the films Finian’s Rainbow, with Fred Astaire and Petula Clark; McCabe & Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie; The Big Town, with Matt Dillon and Diane Lane; Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves; Bogus, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Gérard Depardieu and Haley Joel Osment; and I’m Not There, with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.
Don Francks was a Canadian actor, jazz vocalist and musician best known for his co-starring role on the television series La Femme Nikita. Like the 1990 film on which it was based, Nikita centered on a young woman recruited to become a highly skilled assassin. Francks appeared in nearly 100 episodes of the Canadian action series as Walter, the head of munitions.
Francks also appeared on the series The Wayne and Shuster Hour, Ben Casey, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Virginian, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Inspector Gadget, The Littlest Hobo, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Heat, A.L.F., Police Academy: The Series, Goosebumps, X-Men, Mission: Impossible and Mannix.
Additionally, he appeared in the films Finian’s Rainbow, with Fred Astaire and Petula Clark; McCabe & Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie; The Big Town, with Matt Dillon and Diane Lane; Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves; Bogus, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Gérard Depardieu and Haley Joel Osment; and I’m Not There, with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.
He began his entertainment career as a jazz musician and vocalist, before starring in a variety of 1950s CBS television specials. He later moved to New York City, where he eventually recorded a live album at the Village Vanguard.
Francks died April 3, 2016, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was 84.
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