Star Trek Legend Jonathan Frakes Had A Small Charlie's Angels Role Early In His TV Career

Did you know that actor/director Jonathan Frakes, perhaps best-known for playing Commander William Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," once played Captain America? After Frakes graduated from Harvard in 1976 (with an MA), one of his very first acting gigs was dressing up as Captain America and posing for pictures at pop culture conventions. He would stay in character the entire time, and answer questions from fans. It's not the kind of acting gig that tends to win awards or garner a lot of prestige, but it's hard work, and those who can do it well should be commended. 

Also in the late 1970s, Frakes began taking on his first professional stage-acting gigs, appearing in Off-Broadway shows, and then on Broadway proper. His first TV gig was in 1977, playing the character of Tom Carroll on the soap opera "The Doctors." His handsome face and charming demeanor were well-suited for soaps, and he appeared in 90 episodes of the show. 

In 1978, Frakes got a few more high-profile TV gigs, landing tiny guest roles on hit primetime shows. He was in an episode of "Barnaby Jones," an episode of "Fantasy Island," and, most relevant for this article, an episode of "Charlie's Angels," a show that just celebrated its 50th anniversary. He appeared in season 3's "Angel on My Mind," playing a handsome beach-dweller named Brad. 

From 1980 to 1986, Frakes spent much of his career landing a lot of one- and two-off guest spots on many, many notable TV shows, and even turned up in 11 episodes of "Falcon Crest," 11 episodes of "Paper Dolls," and 12 episodes of "Bare Essence." Frakes was a go-to soap guy. In 1987, "Next Generation" began, he won the part over eventual "The Rocketeer" star Billy Campbell, and Frakes' career bent in a new direction.

The plot of "Angel on My Mind" is less conventional than most "Charlie's Angels" episodes, as it's less about the case of the week and more about the Angels themselves. Specifically, it's about Kris (Cheryl Ladd) witnessing a thug named Burton (Michael Witney) killing a guy named Jarvis (Dix Turner) in a parking lot. In the ensuing fracas, Burton backs his car into Kris and she hits her head, giving her amnesia. (TV has taught me that whenever someone suffers a blow to the head, it gives them a temporary bout of amnesia. In many cases, a second blow to the head can restore their memory.)

Stricken with amnesia, Kris wanders to the local beach wondering who she is and bonds with the people she encounters. She attracts a trio of muggers who want to steal her purse, but takes solace in the company of an unhoused man named Jimmy (Tom Spratley) and fends off the muggers with her gun. Kris also eventually attracts the sympathetic attention of a beach frequenter named Brad (Jonathan Frakes) who offers her food. Frakes only has a few scenes, but he seems adult, kind, and helpful; the actor makes what he can out of a tiny role. 

Naturally, everything will return to normal by the end. The other Angels locate Kris, as does the wicked Burton, who was hoping to kill Kris in response to her witnessing the earlier murder he committed. Kris eventually recovers her memory, and all is well. The amazing Billy Barty also has a guest appearance as a news vendor, and Frank Doubleday plays one of the thugs; fans of "Escape from New York" might recognize him as that film's creepy, spiky-haired punk.

As mentioned, Frakes moved from "Charlie's Angels" into the realm of TV guest appearances. He was on "The Waltons," "Eight is Enough," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Hart to Hart," "Hill Street Blues," "Quincy, M.E.," "Highway to Heaven," the revival of "The Twilight Zone," and "Matlock." This was all in addition to his work on soap operas. He was a hard-working and reliable player before finally landing the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" gig in 1987. 

After "Star Trek," Frakes' career changed immensely. For one, he began directing, having attended a sort-of directorial "boot camp" on "Next Generation." He loved his first episode as a director, "The Offspring," feeling that its story was special. He ended up directing eight episodes of "Next Generation" and shifted slowly toward directing as his main gig. Over the years, he directed two "Star Trek" movies and 23 other episodes of various other "Star Trek" spin-offs. He helmed episodes of "Leverage," "The Librarians," "The Orville," "Roswell," "Burn Notice," and "NCIS: Los Angeles." He also directed the feature films "Clockstoppers" and "Thunderbirds," although "Thunderbirds" flopped and temporarily derailed his career. 

Frakes also continued to act, usually in one-off guest spots or reprising his role as Commander Riker, This was sprinkled with occasionally long-term gigs. He hosted a "Ripley's Believe it or Not"-style series called "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction," which is embarrassingly watchable, and he voiced the central villain on "Gargoyles." But mostly, he turned up on single episodes of shows like "Cybil" and "Criminal Minds," or played Riker on shows like "Futurama," "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and "Star Trek: Picard." 

He's certainly come a long way from Brad the beach guy.