Biography
Along with being a regular on television, Frankie R. Faison was the only actor to appear in all three Hannibal Lecter movies starring Anthony Hopkins: 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs," 2001's "Hannibal," and 2002's "Red Dragon." Not only that, but Faison also had a part in "Manhunter," an earlier adaptation of "Red Dragon" by director Michael Mann (albeit as a different character than in the other films). His early career included playing a detective in the cult film "Cat People" (1982) which led to more movies of varying quality. Faison closed the decade strong with supporting roles in the hit comedy "Coming to America" (1988) and Spike Lee's critically-acclaimed drama "Do the Right Thing" (1989) (as well as a Tony nomination for the play "Fences"). The opportunity to star on a television series arrived with "True Colors" (Fox 1990-92), a sitcom about an interracial marriage between a black man and a white woman; however, Faison, who starred as dentist Ronald Freeman, was replaced in 1991 after the first season. He spent the rest of the decade alternating between films and guest appearances on television shows. Toward the end of the '90s, Faison got to co-star in "Prey" (ABC 1998), a short-lived science-fiction series, and a few years later began starring as Ervin Burrell, a police officer whose career ascends and falls over the course of the critically-acclaimed drama "The Wire" (HBO 2002-08). During his time on "The Wire," he also appeared in numerous movies, including Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns" (2008). After appearing in John Krasinki's "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (2009), Faison appeared on the soap opera "One Life to Live" (ABC 1968-2012) for three years. Along with a recurring role on police drama "Blue Bloods" (CBS 2010- ), Faison co-starred in the cable series "Banshee" (Cinemax 2013-16) and in Marvel superhero series "Luke Cage" (Netflix 2016- ).
