Lights, camera, action! The Frakes and Francis household is filled with creativity. As we know, Genie Francis is an actor on the hit soap opera "General Hospital," but she's not the only one in their family who knows a thing or two about the entertainment world.
Frakes went from acting on television, to directing going behind the camera. According to the Observer, Frakes played Commander William Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," but although he enjoyed acting, what he really wanted to do was direct. Frakes shot his shot by asking Rick Berman, the show's producer, if he could direct an episode. Berman wasn't sure Frakes was experienced enough and encouraged him to go to school. Instead, Frakes took the opportunity to shadow every aspect of what happens behind the cameras. He was finally given a shot to direct an episode called "The Offspring" on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The episode ended up becoming a complete success and was just the beginning for Frakes, as he went on to direct several "Star Trek" spin-off shows.
When it came to his directing style, Frakes was willing to be adventurous. He shared with Variety, "I wouldn't say I broke any boundaries. But I wasn't told not to do it, so I did it. I was very big on connecting questions to answers." The director was good at what he did, and it showed with each project on which he worked.
