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Born in Chicago, Franklin began acting in grade-school plays and musicals and continued in high school. His first professional acting job was in the play "Amen Corner," by James Baldwin, at New York's Lincoln Center. He went on to star in productions of "The Tempest," "A Chorus Line," and "Pippin," as well as performing as a soloist and principal dancer for the Chicago Repertory Ensemble. In 1984, Franklin won his first movie role in Sidney Poitier's "Fast Forward" and was later featured in the comedy "Moving," starring Richard Pryor, and "The Big Picture," as the late J.T.Walsh's assistant. His first TV series was "Knightwatch," and he went on to star with Dennis Franz in the crime series, "Nasty Boys," before playing a Pony Express rider for two seasons in "Young Riders." For three seasons, he played ship commander Jonathan Ford in "SeaQuest DSV," starring Roy Scheider. Franklin played a heroic firefighter in the science-fiction miniseries, "Asteroid," and a detective in the movie, "Fighting for Justice." He had a recurring role as a computer game mogul wooing Kim Fields in "Living Single," and guest-starred in such shows as "For Your Love;" "Moesha;" "Chicago Hope;" and "Outer Limits." Franklin lives in Los Angeles and enjoys traveling, studying languages and writing screenplays. |