Mark Frankel

{{short description|English actor (1962–1996)}} {{EngvarB|date=November 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Mark Frankel | birth_name = Mark David Frankel | image = Mark_Frankel.jpg | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1962|6|13}} | birth_place = London, England<ref name=Ind/> | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1996|9|24|1962|6|13}} | death_place = Chiswick, London, England | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1991–1996 | spouse = {{marriage|Caroline Besson|1991}} | children = 2, including Fabien Frankel }}

'''Mark David Frankel''' (13 June 1962 – 24 September 1996) was an English actor, known for his leading roles in the British film ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' and the American TV series ''Kindred: The Embraced''.

== Early life == Frankel was born on 13 June 1962 in London, where he was raised. He was the son of David Lionel Frankel, a former Royal Air Force pilot, and Grace Marshall. His grandmother was a concert pianist, and his grandfather was a prominent violinist and conductor. His father's family were Jewish emigrants from Poland and Russia into the East End.<ref name=Ind>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituarymark-frankel-1357962.html|title=Obituary: Mark Frankel|work=The Independent|last=Sloman|first=Tony|date=October 12, 1996|access-date=May 9, 2025|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042054/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituarymark-frankel-1357962.html|url-status=live}}</ref> His mother was an Iraqi from a Jewish family from Baghdad.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/house-of-the-dragon-fabien-frankel-matt-smith-interview-criston-cole-zh3d7r59b | title=House of the Dragon's Fabien Frankel: 'Matt Smith's damn sexy in this show' | last1=Potton | first1=Ed }}</ref> He attended Frensham Heights School.

Frankel was cast in his first professional theatre role at age 10, but he gave up acting at age 16 to focus on school. When he was 20, he returned to the theatre. He studied amateur dramatics, took numerous classes, and studied with Jack Walzer from the Actors Studio in New York. He then decided to attend drama school for classical training. He was awarded a full three-year scholarship to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.<ref name=Ind/>

==Career== {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2017}} It was during a performance in a play that he was spotted by a British casting agent and cast in the TNT mini-series ''A Season of Giants'', winning the lead role of Michelangelo over more than 80 actors screen-testing for the part. The mini-series took Frankel on location to Italy, where he spent five months filming and working with F. Murray Abraham, John Glover, Ian Holm, and Steven Berkoff. Frankel described his first big break: "After graduation, while doing four plays in London, I auditioned for a film called ''A Season of Giants'' which was a TNT film about the life of Michelangelo. That same evening the director came to my play and asked me to star in his film. That was my first big break. It was very exciting because I had been out of drama school for only a month."

Frankel also appeared in ''Maigret'' opposite Michael Gambon; the episode (''Maigret and the Mad Woman'') was shot in Budapest, Hungary for Granada Television. In Leningrad, Russia, he filmed TNT's ''Young Catherine'' playing the role of Count Orlov and appeared with Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Plummer, Franco Nero, and Maximilian Schell.

Frankel's feature film credits include the title role in ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' which was released in Europe in 1993 and won the Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Charlie Chaplin Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival that same year.

After ''Leon the Pig Farmer'', Frankel relocated to Hollywood. After ten days, his manager had set up some meetings for him, one with the casting director of ''Sisters''. He was offered the role of "Simon Bolt." At first, he declined because he did not want to commit to a regular TV series; he wanted the freedom to pursue other opportunities. However, the producers continued to pursue him, and he eventually accepted.

Other feature film credits include ''For Roseanna'' with Jean Reno and Mercedes Ruehl, and ''Solitaire for Two'' with Amanda Pays. Other television credits include ''Fortune Hunter'' and ''Kindred: The Embraced'', both for the Fox Network.

Frankel also appeared in the London stage productions of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' in the role of Stanley Kowalski, ''Days of Cavafy'', and as the titular character in ''Agamemnon''. Additionally, he played the lead roles in ''Little Hands'', ''Sentimental'', and ''A Private Death''.

==Personal life== In 1990, Frankel's older brother Joe died in an aircraft accident.<ref name="Ind" />

In 1991, he married French advertising account executive Caroline Besson. They had two children, Fabien and Max. Their second son was born after Frankel's death.<ref name="Ind" />

==Death== On 24 September 1996, the 34-year-old Frankel died in a traffic crash from injuries sustained when he was hit by a lorry driver.<ref name=Ind/>

The funeral service was carried out at Kingston Liberal Synagogue and was attended by friends, co-stars, and professional colleagues, including actor Jason Isaacs and director Gary Sinyor.

== Filmography ==

=== Film === {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Year !! Title !! Role |- | 1991 || ''Mezzaestate'' || |- | 1992 || ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' || Leon Geller |- | 1995 || ''Solitaire for 2'' || Daniel Becker |- | 1997 || ''Roseanna's Grave'' || Antonio (final film role) |}

=== Television === {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | rowspan="2" | 1991 || ''A Season of Giants'' || Michaelangelo || TV movie |- | ''Young Catherine'' || Count Gregory Orlov || TV movie |- | 1992 || ''Maigret'' || Marcel || Episode: "Maigret and the Mad Woman" |- | 1992–93 || ''Sisters'' || Simon Bolt || Recurring role |- | rowspan=2| 1994 || ''The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' || Andrew Fielding || Episode: "Vanity Dies Hard" |- | ''Fortune Hunter'' || Carlton Dial || Series regular |- | 1995 || ''Clair de Lune'' || Terry Devane || TV movie |- | 1996 || ''Kindred: The Embraced'' || Julian Luna || Series regular (final TV role) |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == *{{IMDb name|0291233|Mark Frankel}} *[http://www.markfrankelfansite.com Official Mark Frankel Fansite]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankel, Mark}} Category:1962 births Category:1996 deaths Category:20th-century English male actors Category:People educated at Frensham Heights School Category:English male television actors Category:English people of Indian-Jewish descent Category:English people of Iraqi-Jewish descent Category:English people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:English people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Jewish English male actors Category:Male actors from London Category:Male actors from Surrey Category:Pedestrian road incident deaths Category:Road incident deaths in London