John Franklin (actor)
| John Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Paul Salapatek June 16, 1959 Blue Island, Chicago |
John Franklin (born John Paul Salapatek, June 16, 1959) is an American actor.
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[edit] Personal life
John Franklin was born in Blue Island, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago on June 16, 1959. He has three older brothers, an older sister and a younger brother and grew up in a close knit, loving family. In 1977, John graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, then went on to graduate from the University of Illinois in 1983 with a BFA in theater and teaching. John Franklin is of Polish descent and speaks French and German fluently. In September 2008, Franklin married his partner of 13 years, David, and currently lives in Castaic, California. In his spare time he enjoys writing, gardening and listening to music, especially The Beatles.
[edit] Career
in 1983, John Franklin moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in commercials before successfully auditioning for the role of Isaac in Stephen King's Children of the Corn.
After Children of the Corn, Franklin went on to appear in the kids' variety show Kids Incorporated, guest starring in two episodes, "The Leprechaun" and "Space Case." He appeared in many commercials again before guest starring as Arnie in Highway to Heaven, playing a mentally handicapped teenage runaway.
He provided the voice for Walkabout Chucky in Child's Play. In 1991, Franklin landed the role of Cousin Itt in The Addams Family and reprised the role in 1993's Addams Family Values. Throughout the 1990s, Franklin appeared as a guest on several TV shows, including Chicago Hope and Star Trek Voyager, then guest starred with David Morse in George B. and with Steve Guttenberg in Tower of Terror.
In 1999, Franklin reprised his debut role, Isaac, in Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return, co-writing the script with his cousin Tim Sulka. In 2000, he landed a small role in Python and co starred as Morluv in The Christmas Secret.
Franklin now works as an English teacher at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California.[1][2] He explained, "After the events of 9/11, I saw the shallowness of showbiz and felt a great desire to leave a greater legacy than just being Cousin Itt. Teaching seemed to be a perfect fit for my theatrical talents and to touch many lives."[1]
[edit] Film, TV work
- Star Trek: Voyager (1 episode, 2000)
- Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999) as Isaac Chroner
- Wag the Dog (1997)
- Tower of Terror (1997) (TV)
- Chicago Hope (1 episode, 1996)
- Addams Family Values (1993) as Cousin Itt
- The Addams Family (1991) as Cousin Itt
- Child's Play (1988) as Walkabout Chucky
- Highway to Heaven (1 episode, 1986)
- Children of the Corn (1984) as Isaac Chroner
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Hart of the matter" (PDF). William S. Hart Union High School District. 2005. http://btsa.hartdistrict.org/newletters/Vol3issue1.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "Faculty page for John Salapatek at the Golden Valley High School website". 2009. http://www.hartdistrict.org/gvalley/salapatek.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
[edit] External links
- John Franklin at the Internet Movie Database
- John Franklin at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
