Carl Franklin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carl Franklin
Franklin in 1977
Born	Carl Michael Franklin (1949-04-11) April 11, 1949 (age 76) Richmond, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) American Film Institute (MFA)
Occupation	Film director, television director, actor, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1973–present

Carl Franklin (born April 11, 1949) is an American filmmaker and former actor. He is known for directing movies like One False Move, Devil in a Blue Dress, and High Crimes.

Franklin graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from the AFI Conservatory in 1986. In recent years, he has directed many popular television shows, including The Pacific, House of Cards, Mindhunter, and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Early life

Franklin grew up in Richmond, California. He was raised by his mother and stepfather. Life was not always easy, and these challenges motivated Franklin to work hard in school. He wanted to be the first person in his family to go to college.

He earned a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. At first, he studied history because he thought about becoming a teacher or a lawyer. After two years, he changed his major to theater arts because he was more interested in acting and storytelling.

Career as an actor

After graduating from college, Franklin started his acting career in theater. He performed in plays like Timon of Athens and In the Belly of the Beast. He also acted in the New York Shakespeare Festival.

His first on-screen role was in the 1973 movie Five on the Black Hand Side. After that, he appeared as a guest star in many TV shows, such as The Rockford Files, Good Times, and The Incredible Hulk.

Franklin was a main cast member in four different TV series. His most famous acting role was playing Captain Crane in the popular action show The A-Team from 1983 to 1985.

Career as a filmmaker

In 1986, Franklin decided to focus on filmmaking and enrolled at the AFI Conservatory. His first project was a 30-minute film called Punk, which he made for his master's degree.

Early directing work

After finishing his studies, Franklin began working with producer Roger Corman. This job gave him a lot of experience making movies with small budgets. He helped make several films in just two years.

In the early 1990s, a producer named Jesse Beaton was looking for a director for a movie called One False Move. She remembered Franklin's student film and asked him to direct it. One False Move is a thriller about three criminals and a small-town police chief. The film received very positive reviews and was named one of the 10 Best Films of 1992 by the National Review Board.

Major films and television shows

The success of One False Move led to bigger opportunities. Franklin directed and wrote the screenplay for Devil in a Blue Dress, a mystery film starring Denzel Washington.

He also directed the TV miniseries Laurel Avenue for HBO. The series was about an African-American family in Minnesota.

Later, Franklin directed the 1998 drama One True Thing, starring Meryl Streep and Renée Zellweger. He also directed the thrillers High Crimes with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, and Out of Time, which reunited him with Denzel Washington.

Since the 2000s, Franklin has directed many episodes of popular and critically acclaimed TV shows. Some of these include:

• Rome
• The Pacific
• The Newsroom
• House of Cards
• Homeland
• The Leftovers
• Mindhunter
• Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Views on filmmaking

Franklin has said that he is interested in showing the "universal values of the black experience" in his films. He wants his stories to connect with everyone, no matter their background.

When he was starting his career, he noted that there were few roles for Black actors in Hollywood. He said, "When I came up, the only legitimate dramatic actor was Sidney Poitier, the bankable star was Richard Pryor and the other choice roles were action parts that went to Jim Brown."

Personal life

Franklin married film producer Jesse Beaton. She was a producer on his film One False Move.

Filmography

Film

Short film

Feature film

Acting roles

Television

Director

Acting roles

Awards and nominations