Franklin Cover

Franklin Cover

Born: November 20, 1928
Died: February 5, 2006
in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Franklin Edward Cover (November 20, 1928 – February 5, 2006) was an American actor best known for starring in the sitcom The Jeffersons. His character, Tom Willis, was half of one of the first interracial marriages to be seen on prime-time television.

Cover was born on November 20, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Britta (Schreck) and Franklin Held Cover. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 1947. Cover graduated from Denison University in 1951, and he received his MA in Theater in 1954 and MFA in Theater in 1955 both from Case Western Reserve University.

His career started on the stage acting in Henry IV, Part 1 and Hamlet. He also appeared in Forty Carats with Julie Harris. He made his television debut on Naked City and later appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show.

In 1965, he married Mary Bradford Stone.

His first starring role was on The Jeffersons as Tom Willis who was married to a black woman, Helen, played by Roxie Roker. The couple lived in the same high-rise apartment building as the sitcom's title characters. Cover would often be the foil to Sherman Hemsley's black businessman, George Jefferson. The sitcom ran from 1975 to 1985. He also appeared in The Stepford Wives in 1975, and played Hubert Humphrey in the 1982 TV movie A Woman Called Golda.

Following the end of The Jeffersons, Cover continued to make guest appearances on television shows as well as appearing in a supporting role in Wall Street (1987). In 1994, he appeared in the second episode of ER. His final television appearance was in an episode of Will & Grace (entitled "Object Of My Rejection") that aired on May 13, 1999.

Cover died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on February 5, 2006. He had been living at the home since December 2005 while recovering from a heart condition, and died of pneumonia. He was survived by his wife; the former Mary Bradford Stone, two adult children; Susan and Bradford, and a grandson, Maxwell. His son, Bradford Cover, an actor who lives in New York City, has appeared on Law and Order, Broadway, and Off Broadway, and is a company member at The Pearl Theatre Company. His daughter Susan is the founder of Susie's Supper Club (now closed), a home delivery food service that catered to parents and children in New York. CLR

Movies for Franklin Cover...

Title: Will & Grace
Character: Justice of the Peace
Released: September 21, 1998
Type: TV
Will Truman and Grace Adler are best friends living in New York, and when Grace's engagement falls apart, she moves in with Will. Together, along with their friends, they go through the trials of dating, sex, relationships and their careers, butting heads at times but ultimately supporting one another while exchanging plenty of witty banter along the way.
bee
Almost Heroes
Title: Almost Heroes
Character: Nicholas Burr
Released: May 29, 1998
Type: Movie
Two hapless explorers lead an ill-fated 1804 expedition through the Pacific Northwest in a hopeless, doomed effort to reach the Pacific Ocean before Lewis and Clark.
bee
Title: Too Something
Released: October 1, 1995
Type: TV
Eric and Donny are roommates working in an investment firm so they can do the things they love: Eric wants to be a writer, while Donny’s a budding photographer.
bee
Cosmic Slop
Title: Cosmic Slop
Character: (segment 'Space Traders')
Released: November 8, 1994
Type: Movie
In the tradition of The Twilight Zone, this bizarre, thought-provoking trilogy addresses the destiny of the world's minorities: Part I: A conservative African American politician must choose between his people's survival and appeasing his white colleagues when space aliens propose to share their profound knowledge in exchange for all black people on earth. Part II: The Virgin Mary's appearance in an inner-city housing project forces a Hispanic priest to face the hidden cultural origins of Western religion. Part III: On the dawn of the "Black Revolution," an African American couple discovers who the "real" enemy is.
bee
Title: ER
Character: Mr. Thurnhurst
Released: September 19, 1994
Type: TV
ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.
bee
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle
Title: Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle
Released: May 10, 1994
Type: Movie
A former associate of Perry Mason returns to handle the defense of a world-class chess player accused of murdering a prominent TV personality.
bee
Title: Living Single
Released: August 29, 1993
Type: TV
Living Single is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone. Throughout its run, Living Single became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of its era, ranking among the top five in African-American ratings in all five seasons. The series was produced by Yvette Lee Bowser's company, Sister Lee, in association with Warner Bros. Television. In contrast to the popularity of NBC's "Must See TV" on Thursday nights in the 1990s, many African American and Latino viewers flocked to Fox's Thursday night line-up of Martin, Living Single, and New York Undercover. In fact, these were the three highest-rated series among black households for the 1996–1997 season.
bee
Title: Mad About You
Released: September 23, 1992
Type: TV
Young, urban newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman try to sustain their marital bliss while sidestepping the hurdles of love in the '90s.
bee
Title: Batman: The Animated Series
Character: General Vreeland (voice)
Released: September 5, 1992
Type: TV
Vowing to avenge the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne devotes his life to wiping out crime in Gotham City as the masked vigilante "Batman".
bee
Brain Donors
Title: Brain Donors
Character: Doctor
Released: April 17, 1992
Type: Movie
Three manic idiots—a lawyer, cab driver and a handyman—team up to run a ballet company to fulfil the will of a millionaire. Stooge-like antics result as the trio try to outwit the rich widow and her scheming big-shot lawyer, who also wants to run the ballet.
bee
Title: They Came from Outer Space
Released: October 1, 1990
Type: TV
They Came from Outer Space is an American science fiction comedy series that aired in syndication from October 1990 to March 1991. The series was created by Tom McLoughlin.
bee
Title: Coach
Released: February 28, 1989
Type: TV
Hayden Fox, the curmudgeonly coach of Minnesota State University's Screaming Eagles football team, tries to navigate his way through the sports world, fatherhood and family life without dropping the ball.
bee
Zits
Title: Zits
Character: FBI Chief
Released: July 7, 1988
Type: Movie
When their music teacher needs an expensive operation after being mugged, a group of precocious middle school students attempt to raise the money by selling fake military secrets to the KGB.
bee
Title: In the Heat of the Night
Released: March 6, 1988
Type: TV
In the Heat of the Night is an American television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor as the white police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and Carroll O'Connor. TGG Direct released the first season of the series to DVD on August 28, 2012.
bee
Wall Street
Title: Wall Street
Character: Dan
Released: December 10, 1987
Type: Movie
A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider whom takes the youth under his wing.
bee
Title: 227
Released: September 14, 1985
Type: TV
A housewife sits on the stoop of her apartment building in a black neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and discusses all manner of things with her neighbors.
bee
Title: Who's the Boss?
Released: September 20, 1984
Type: TV
A former professional baseball player, along with his preteen daughter, moves into New York advertising executive Angela Bower's house to be both a housekeeper and a father figure to her young son. Tony 's laid-back personality contrasts with Angela's type-A behavior.
bee
A Woman Called Golda
Title: A Woman Called Golda
Character: Hubert Humphrey
Released: April 26, 1982
Type: Movie
The story of the Russian-born, Wisconsin-raised woman who rose to become Israel's prime minister in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
bee
The Day the Bubble Burst
Title: The Day the Bubble Burst
Character: Herbert Hoover
Released: February 7, 1982
Type: Movie
A fictionalized account of how the 1929 stock market crash hurt the elite and the struggling, and the forces that may have caused the crash to occur.
bee
Title: The Love Boat
Released: September 24, 1977
Type: TV
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.
bee
The Stepford Wives
Title: The Stepford Wives
Character: Ed Wimpiris
Released: February 12, 1975
Type: Movie
Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.
bee
Title: The Jeffersons
Character: Thomas "Tom" Willis
Released: January 18, 1975
Type: TV
Sitcom following a successful African-American couple, George and Louise “Weezyö Jefferson as they “move on up” from working-class Queens to a ritzy Manhattan apartment. A spin-off of All in the Family.
bee
The Great Gatsby
Title: The Great Gatsby
Character: Senator Evans (uncredited)
Released: March 27, 1974
Type: Movie
Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
bee
The Connection
Title: The Connection
Character: Lee Harris
Released: February 27, 1973
Type: Movie
An out-of-work newspaperman in need of money becomes the go-between for a jewel thief and an insurance company that wants to settle.
bee
Short Walk to Daylight
Title: Short Walk to Daylight
Character: Conductor
Released: October 24, 1972
Type: Movie
Eight people have to find their way out of a New York subway after being trapped following an earthquake.
bee
Between Time and Timbuktu
Title: Between Time and Timbuktu
Character: Col. Donald 'Tex' Pirandello
Released: March 13, 1972
Type: Movie
A poet-astronaut is shot through an area of space called the Chronosynclastic Infundibulum. He is duplicated into infinite copies of himself, each of whom finds himself in a bizarre situations on a different world. (These scenarios are all derived from the novels and short stories of 'Kurt Vonnegut Jr.', including Cat's Cradle, Welcome to the Monkey House, 'Harrison Bergeron', and 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June'
bee
Title: Columbo
Character: Harry Jenkins
Released: September 15, 1971
Type: TV
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
bee
Title: All in the Family
Character: Tom Willis
Released: January 12, 1971
Type: TV
Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.
bee
What's So Bad About Feeling Good?
Title: What's So Bad About Feeling Good?
Character: Medical Expert
Released: May 24, 1968
Type: Movie
A new infection that simply makes people feel happy is treated as a threat by the authorities while its "victims" work to spread it to others.
bee
Title: N.Y.P.D.
Released: September 5, 1967
Type: TV
N.Y.P.D. is the title of a half-hour American television crime drama of the 1960s set in the context of the New York City Police Department. The program appeared on the ABC network during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 television seasons. In both seasons, the program appeared in the evening, 9:30 p.m. time slot. During the second season, N.Y.P.D was joined by The Mod Squad and It Takes a Thief to form a 2½ hour block of crime dramas.
bee
Mirage
Title: Mirage
Character: Group Leader
Released: October 29, 1965
Type: Movie
In New York City, David Stillwell struggles to recover his memory before the people who are trying to kill him succeed. Who is he, who are they, and why is he surrounded by murder?
bee
Title: Naked City
Character: Steelworker
Released: September 30, 1958
Type: TV
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic “semi-documentary” format. In 1997, the episode “Sweet Prince of Delancey Street” was ranked #93 on TV Guide’s “100 Greatest Episodes of All Time”.