William Frankfather

William Frankfather was an American actor who worked in film, television, and theater. Born in Kermit, Texas, he studied English literature at New Mexico State University and later earned a master of fine arts in acting from Stanford University. On television, he guest-starred on series such as The A-Team, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and NYPD Blue. His stage work included the original Broadway production of Children of a Lesser God and twenty-five years with Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, where he served as artistic director for five years until June 1998. He received six Drama-Logue awards for both acting and producing, and as artistic director he staged plays by Mark Medoff and Sam Shepard. His film credits included Mouse Hunt, The Rocketeer, and Death Becomes Her (1992), but he was best remembered for his menacing, silent performance as the albino killer Whitey Jackson in Foul Play (1978).