Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949), often credited as Frankie
R. Faison, is an American actor known for his role as Deputy
Commissioner Ervin Burrell in the HBO series The Wire, as Barney
Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, and as Sugar Bates in the
Cinemax series Banshee.Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the
son of Carmena (née Gantt) and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at
Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined
Theta Chi fraternity. He also attended NYU's Graduate Acting Program,
graduating in 1974.Faison started his acting career in 1974 in the New
York Shakespeare Festival production of King Lear, with James Earl
Jones in the title role. Faison would later appear opposite Jones in
the Broadway premiere of Fences, for which he received a nomination
for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Faison's next role
came in TV, in the short-lived series Hot Hero Sandwich in 1979.
Faison did not make it to the big screen until 1980, when he appeared
in Permanent Vacation as "Man in Lobby". A string of small roles
followed until 1986, when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter.
Also that year, he appeared in the comedy The Money Pit, as an unruly
construction worker, and in the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive.
In 1988, he appeared alongside Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones in
Coming to America in the role of a landlord and won a minor role in
the 1989 Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. Faison also appeared in
1996's The Rich Man's Wife as Detective Ron Lewis. He also appeared in
the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" as Detective Paretti.
Faison is notable for being the most frequent actor to appear in
adaptations of Thomas Harris' Hannibal books: along with Manhunter, he
also appeared as Lecter's jailer Barney in The Silence of the Lambs,
the sequel Hannibal and the prequel Red Dragon.During the 1990â€"1991
season, he starred in the Fox situation comedy True Colors with
Stephanie Faracy and Nancy Walker about an interracial couple. He was
replaced by Cleavon Little for the second season of the program. In
1991, Faison again appeared alongside Hopkins in the film Freejack,
which also starred Mick Jagger and Maximum Overdrive co-star Emilio
Estevez. In 1998, he was a regular on the science-fiction TV show
Prey. In 1992, he played the patriarch Bailey in the Cheryl West play
Before It Hits Home. In the 2003 film Gods and Generals, Faison played
the role of Jim Lewis, a freed-slave, who shares his religious faith
and optimism with CSA General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson as the
General's personal cook. In 2004, he starred as JoJo Anderson in The
Cookout and appeared in White Chicks. Faison had a starring role as
the Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell on the HBO drama
The Wire.
R. Faison, is an American actor known for his role as Deputy
Commissioner Ervin Burrell in the HBO series The Wire, as Barney
Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, and as Sugar Bates in the
Cinemax series Banshee.Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the
son of Carmena (née Gantt) and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at
Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined
Theta Chi fraternity. He also attended NYU's Graduate Acting Program,
graduating in 1974.Faison started his acting career in 1974 in the New
York Shakespeare Festival production of King Lear, with James Earl
Jones in the title role. Faison would later appear opposite Jones in
the Broadway premiere of Fences, for which he received a nomination
for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Faison's next role
came in TV, in the short-lived series Hot Hero Sandwich in 1979.
Faison did not make it to the big screen until 1980, when he appeared
in Permanent Vacation as "Man in Lobby". A string of small roles
followed until 1986, when he played the part of Lt. Fisk in Manhunter.
Also that year, he appeared in the comedy The Money Pit, as an unruly
construction worker, and in the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive.
In 1988, he appeared alongside Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones in
Coming to America in the role of a landlord and won a minor role in
the 1989 Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. Faison also appeared in
1996's The Rich Man's Wife as Detective Ron Lewis. He also appeared in
the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" as Detective Paretti.
Faison is notable for being the most frequent actor to appear in
adaptations of Thomas Harris' Hannibal books: along with Manhunter, he
also appeared as Lecter's jailer Barney in The Silence of the Lambs,
the sequel Hannibal and the prequel Red Dragon.During the 1990â€"1991
season, he starred in the Fox situation comedy True Colors with
Stephanie Faracy and Nancy Walker about an interracial couple. He was
replaced by Cleavon Little for the second season of the program. In
1991, Faison again appeared alongside Hopkins in the film Freejack,
which also starred Mick Jagger and Maximum Overdrive co-star Emilio
Estevez. In 1998, he was a regular on the science-fiction TV show
Prey. In 1992, he played the patriarch Bailey in the Cheryl West play
Before It Hits Home. In the 2003 film Gods and Generals, Faison played
the role of Jim Lewis, a freed-slave, who shares his religious faith
and optimism with CSA General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson as the
General's personal cook. In 2004, he starred as JoJo Anderson in The
Cookout and appeared in White Chicks. Faison had a starring role as
the Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell on the HBO drama
The Wire.
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