Jonathan Scott Frakes was born in Bellefonte, central Pennsylvania, to Doris J. (Yingling) and Dr. James R. Frakes, a professor. His parents, along with his younger brother Daniel, moved to Bethlehem in eastern Pennsylvania, where his father taught English at Lehigh University. Frakes has German and English ancestry.
Growing up, Jonathan was introduced to jazz by his father and started playing the trombone in fourth grade. He was friendly, funny, and somewhat of an actor, as described by a childhood friend. In high school, he played in the band and ran track, graduating from Liberty High in Bethlehem in 1970. He then enrolled in Pennsylvania State University as a psychology major but switched to theater arts after working as an usher at the local theater and observing his peers enjoying acting. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1974.
After moving to New York City, Jonathan struggled to find acting roles, taking on various side jobs, including waiting tables, moving furniture, and working as Captain America for Marvel Comics. He eventually won roles in the Broadway musical "Shenandoah" and the soap opera "The Doctors" as Vietnam veteran Tom Carroll from 1977 to 1978.
Jonathan moved to Los Angeles in late 1978 and landed guest appearances on several prime-time shows, including "Charlie's Angels," "Fantasy Island," "Barnaby Jones," "Quincy, M.E.," "Highway to Heaven," "The Waltons," and "The Dukes of Hazzard."
In the 1980s, Jonathan landed a starring role in the prime-time soap opera "Bare Essence" (1983),which spun off a successful miniseries. However, the show was canceled, and he returned to guest appearances until he got the part of Stanley Hazard in the Civil War epic "North & South: Book 1, North & South" (1985).
During the filming of "North & South: Book 1, North & South," Jonathan met his co-star Genie Francis, and they eventually fell in love. They got married on May 28, 1988, after postponing their wedding twice due to his job.
Jonathan's breakthrough role came when he was cast as Commander William Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987). He also discovered a talent for directing and helmed eight episodes of the show. He was invited to direct on the Next Generation spin-offs "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993) and "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995).
Jonathan and Genie had two children, Jameson Ivor Frakes (born August 20, 1991) and Elizabeth Francis Frakes (born 1997). He turned down work to raise his son and focused on his family.
In 1996, Jonathan directed the film "Star Trek: First Contact," which received critical praise and became the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. He formed a production company, Goepp Circle Productions, and continued to direct in movies and television, act in non-Star Trek roles, and star in the tenth Star Trek film, "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002).
