Frankie Faison Net Worth

What Is Frankie Faison's Net Worth and Salary?

Frankie Faison is an American actor who has a net worth of $2.5 million. Faison is best known for playing Ervin Burrell on HBO's "The Wire" (2002–2008), Sugar Bates on Cinemax's "Banshee" (2013–2016), and Barney Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter film series (1991–2002). Frankie has more than 130 acting credits to his name, including the films "Coming to America" (1988), "Do the Right Thing" (1989), "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999), "Gods and Generals" (2003), "Meet the Browns" (2008), and "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain" (2019) and the television series "The Edge of Night" (1983), "True Colors" (1990–1991), "Prey" (1998), "All My Children" (1998–1999), "One Life to Live" (2008–2012), and "The Village" (2019). Faison has also performed on Broadway, playing Gabriel in "Fences" (1987), Joe in "The Shadow Box" (1994), and Dan Gerard in "Getting Away with Murder" (1996). "Fences" earned him a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play.

Early Life

Frankie Faison was born Frankie Russel Faison on June 10, 1949, in Newport News, Virginia. He is the son of Edgar and Carmena Faison, and he attended Illinois Wesleyan University, where he studied drama and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. After graduating from college, Faison earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1974.

Career

Frankie's acting career began in a 1974 production of "King Lear" at the New York Shakespeare Festival, and he made his television debut on the 1979 series "Hot Hero Sandwich." His first film was 1980's "Permanent Vacation," and he followed it with roles in "Ragtime" (1981), "Cat People" (1982), "A Little Sex" (1982), "Hanky Panky" (1982), and "C.H.U.D." (1984). In 1983, Faison played Ralph Pettibone on the crime drama "The Edge of Night," then he guest-starred on "Search for Tomorrow" (1985), "Kate & Allie" (1985), and "The Equalizer" (1987). In 1986, he appeared in the films "The Money Pit" and "Maximum Overdrive," and he played Lieutenant Fisk in "Manhunter," the first movie in the Hannibal Lecter franchise. He played a different character, Barney Matthews, in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991), "Hannibal" (2001), and "Red Dragon" (2002). In 1988, Frankie co-starred with Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones (his "King Lear" and "Fences" castmate) in "Coming to America" and with Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe in "Mississippi Burning," and the following year, he played Coconut Sid in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing." In the '90s, Faison appeared in 18 feature films, including "Betsy's Wedding" (1990), "City of Hope" (1991), "Freejack" (1992), "Money for Nothing" (1993), "I Love Trouble" (1994), "The Stupids" (1996), "Albino Alligator" (1996), and "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999).

From 1990 to 1991, Frankie starred as Ron Freeman on the Fox sitcom "True Colors," then he played Ray Peterson on the ABC science-fiction series "Prey" (1998) and Frank Dawson on the soap opera "All My Children" (1998–1999). He also appeared in the Stephen King miniseries "The Langoliers" (1995) and guest-starred on "Law & Order" (1990), "New York Undercover" (1996), and "Oz" (1997). In the early 2000s, Faison appeared in the films "Where the Money Is" (2000), "The Sleepy Time Gal" (2001), "Down to Earth" (2001), "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing" (2001), "Gods and Generals" (2003), "Highwaymen" (2004), "White Chicks" (2004), "The Cookout" (2004), and "In Good Company" (2004) and reunited with Eddie Murphy in 2002's "Showtime." From 2002 to 2008, he played Ervin Burrell on the critically-acclaimed series "The Wire," which aired 60 episodes over five seasons and won a Peabody Award in 2004. In 2008, Frankie appeared in "Meet the Browns" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," and he began starring as Richard Evans on the soap opera "One Life to Live."

Faison had recurring roles as William Bailey on "Grey's Anatomy" from 2009 to 2020 and Jeremiah Easton on "The Good Wife" from 2010 to 2015. Around this time, he also appeared in the films "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" (2009), "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" (2009), "Mayor Cupcake" (2011), "Away from Here" (2014), and "An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win" (2016) and guest-starred on "Blue Bloods" (2010), "Lie to Me" (2010), "Elementary" (2013), "Unforgettable" (2014), "Black Box" (2014), "Forever" (2014), and "Luke Cage" (2016). From 2013 to 2016, Frankie played Sugar Bates on "Banshee," which aired 38 episodes over four seasons, and in 2019, he starred on the NBC drama "The Village." In recent years, he has appeared in the films "An Actor Prepares" (2018), "The Grudge" (2020), "I'm Your Woman" (2020), and "Fatherhood" (2021) and the TV shows "Hawaii Five-0" (2018), "God Friended Me" (2020), "The Expanse" (2020), "The Blacklist" (2021), "Bull" (2021), and "The Rookie" (2022). In 2019, Faison starred in the film ​"The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain," in which he portrayed Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., a Black veteran who was killed by police in 2011. He won a Gotham Independent Film Award for his performance, and the film received a Best Narrative Feature Award at the Urbanworld Film Festival.

Personal Life

Frankie married Jane Mandel on December 26, 1988, and they have three children, Rachel, Amanda, and Blake. In December 2016, it was announced that Faison would deliver the keynote address at Montclair State University's commencement ceremony the following month and that he would be presented with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. The school's president, Susan Cole, said of the honor, "Frankie Faison has entertained us in a career spanning nearly four decades, but it is his impact as a citizen of Montclair that makes him such a worthy recipient of this honor. His charitable endeavors make him an example of what our graduates should strive to become; successful professionals who serve as role models in their respective communities."

Awards and Nominations

In 2003, Faison and his "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing" co-stars were named Best Ensemble Cast at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, and in 2018, he shared a Kidscreen Award for Best Acting for "An American Girl Story: Melody 1963 – Love Has to Win" with Marsai Martin, Idara Victor, and Frances Fisher. In 2017, the Black Reel Awards for Television nominated him for Outstanding Guest Performer, Drama Series for "Luke Cage." For "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain," Frankie won a Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance (2021) and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead (2022).