William Frankfather

By VARIETY STAFF

William Frankfather, a legit actor, director, and producer who appeared in the original Broadway cast of "Children of a Lesser God," died Dec. 28 of complications from liver disease at UCLA Medical Center. He was 54.

A Kermit, Texas, native, Frankfather received an M.F.A. in acting from Stanford.

Since 1973, he has been a professional actor based out of Los Angeles, and has been a member of Theatre 40, a theater company in Beverly Hills.

For the past five years, Frankfather has served as the group's artistic director, producing works by playwrights including Mark Medoff and Sam Shepard.

He received a total of six DramaLogue awards for acting and producing.

Frankfather also acted in numerous feature films, including "Foul Play" (1978), "The Rocketeer" (1991) and "Death Becomes Her" (1992).

TV credits include "NYPD Blue," "The Practice," "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" and "Melrose Place."

Frankfather is survived by his wife of 31 years, Elizabeth, a son, two sisters, two brothers, a granddaughter and 11 nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the trust fund in William Frankfather's name, Wells Fargo Bank, 245 W. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004.