Frank Bonner: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>AnomieBOT m Dating maintenance tags: {{Citation needed}} |
imported>Zade Scrivner →top: Re-wording. |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
| birthname = Frank Woodrow Boers Jr. | | birthname = Frank Woodrow Boers Jr. | ||
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|02|28|mf=y}} | | birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|02|28|mf=y}} | ||
| birth_place = [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], | | birth_place = [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], US | ||
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|06|16|1942|02|28|mf=y}} | | death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|06|16|1942|02|28|mf=y}} | ||
| death_place = [[Laguna Niguel, California]], | | death_place = [[Laguna Niguel, California]], US | ||
| known_for = {{hlist|[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]}} | | known_for = {{hlist|[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]}} | ||
| yearsactive = 1970–2014 | | yearsactive = 1970–2014 | ||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Frank Woodrow Boers Jr.''' (February 28, 1942 – June 16, 2021) was an American actor and television director. He is best known for his role as sales manager [[Herb Tarlek]] on the television [[sitcom]] ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]''.<ref name="herb" /><ref name= Apple /><ref name= "nyt" /> | |||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Bonner was born in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], to Grace Marie "Mamie" (née Dobbins) Boers Delahoussay,<ref name="nyt"/> a singer, and Frank Woodrow Boers, a saxophonist.<ref name="a" /> He | Bonner was born in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], to Grace Marie "Mamie" (née Dobbins) Boers Delahoussay,<ref name="nyt"/> a singer, and Frank Woodrow Boers, a saxophonist.<ref name= Apple /><ref name="a" /> He was raised in [[Malvern, Arkansas]].<ref name="nyt"/><ref name= Apple /> | ||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
Bonner began acting in the experimental 1967 independent film ''The Equinox ... A Journey into the Unknown'', which was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 cult classic ''[[Equinox (1970 film)|Equinox]]'' (in which he is credited as Frank Boers Jr.).<ref name="a" /> | Bonner began acting in the experimental 1967 independent film ''The Equinox ... A Journey into the Unknown'', which was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 cult classic ''[[Equinox (1970 film)|Equinox]]'' (in which he is credited as Frank Boers Jr.).<ref name="a" /> | ||
He later had several small roles in movies and on television, including ''[[Mannix]]'', ''[[Emergency!]]'', and ''[[Love, American Style]]''. In 1978 he joined the cast of ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', finding his signature role as [[Herb Tarlek]], the crass and ineffectual station advertising sales agent, noted for his garish plaid suits and white shoes.<ref name="herb">{{cite web |title=Frank Bonner (1942–2021), | He later had several small roles in movies and on television, including ''[[Mannix]]'', ''[[Emergency!]]'', and ''[[Love, American Style]]''. In 1978 he joined the cast of ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', finding his signature role as [[Herb Tarlek]], the crass and ineffectual station advertising sales agent, noted for his garish plaid suits and white shoes.<ref name="herb">{{cite web |title=Frank Bonner (1942–2021), 'WKRP in Cincinnati' star |website=Legacy.com |first=Linnea |last=Crowther |date=June 17, 2021 |url=https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/frank-bonner-1942-2021-wkrp-in-cincinnati-star/ |accessdate=June 17, 2021}}</ref> | ||
Bonner appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the sitcom ''[[Night Court]]'' in the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, Bonner played the role of Father Hargis, headmaster of the fictional St. Augustine's Academy, on the TV show ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'', which was a spin-off of ''[[Growing Pains]]''. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the television show ''[[Newhart]]''. He reprised the role of Herb Tarlek in the 1991 spinoff ''[[The New WKRP in Cincinnati]]'' and in a 2004 rock video for [[Canada|Canadian]] [[indie rock]] band [[Rheostatics]] (for the song "The Tarleks", from their album ''[[2067 (album)|2067]]'' | Bonner appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the sitcom ''[[Night Court]]'' in the 1980s. He had a supporting role as Detective Mooney in the short-lived Disney action series ''[[Sidekicks (TV series)|Sidekicks]]'' (1986–87).<ref name= Apple>{{cite web| url= https://tv.apple.com/us/person/frank-bonner/umc.cpc.1og8yg5a1jf5g0c9axo106vom| title= Frank Bonner | website= tv.apple.com| publisher= Apple | date= | access-date= July 24, 2025}}</ref> From 1988 to 1990, Bonner played the role of Father Hargis, headmaster of the fictional St. Augustine's Academy, on the TV show ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'', which was a spin-off of ''[[Growing Pains]]''. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the television show ''[[Newhart]]''. He reprised the role of Herb Tarlek in the 1991 spinoff ''[[The New WKRP in Cincinnati]]'' and in a 2004 rock video for [[Canada|Canadian]] [[indie rock]] band [[Rheostatics]] (for the song "The Tarleks"<ref name= guess>{{cite web| url= https://www.lightnercommunications.com/2021/06/17/music-video-in-memory-of-wkrps-frank-bonner-a-canadian-band-call-rheostatics-imagined-an-alien-invasion-called-the-tarleks-guess-who-they-got-to-star-in-the-video/ |title= (Music Video) In memory of WKRP’s Frank Bonner. A Canadian band call Rheostatics imagined an alien invasion called 'The Tarleks.' Guess who they got to star in the video? | date= June 17, 2021| first= Doug | last= Herendeen| website= lightnercommunications.com| publisher= Lightner Communications| access-date= July 24, 2025}}</ref> from their album ''[[2067 (album)|2067]]''. | ||
After directing six episodes of ''WKRP in Cincinnati,'' he directed for other television shows in the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="nyt"/> including ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'', ''[[Head of the Class]]'' (starring his WKRP alumni [[Howard Hesseman]]), ''[[Evening Shade]]'', ''[[Newhart]]'', and every episode of the [[NBC]] Saturday morning sitcom ''[[City Guys]]''. Bonner | After directing six episodes of ''WKRP in Cincinnati,'' he directed for other television shows in the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="nyt"/> including ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'', ''[[Head of the Class]]'' (starring his WKRP alumni [[Howard Hesseman]]), ''[[Evening Shade]]'', ''[[Newhart]]'', and every episode of the [[NBC]] Saturday morning sitcom ''[[City Guys]]''. Bonner appeared in five episodes of ''[[Saved by the Bell: The New Class]]'' and directed<ref name="Feud" /> four episodes. | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life and death== | ||
Bonner was married to Sharon Gray | Bonner was married five times: to Sharon Gray (1966–1971); actress Mary Alice Rings (1972–1975); playwright [[Lillian Garrett-Groag]] (1977–1980); Catherine M. Sherwood (1981–? until their divorce); and Gayle Hardage, his former [[high school sweetheart]] (2006–2021; his death).<ref name= "ref5">{{cite news |title=Who were Frank Bonner's wives? Inside actor's 5 marriages as he dies at 79 |website= meaww.com|publisher= MEA World Wide |first= Sayantani |last=Nath |date= June 18, 2021 |url=https://meaww.com/frank-bonner-wives-four-divorces-fifth-wife-found-love-actor-dies-age-dementia-539902 |accessdate= June 20, 2021}}</ref> He had five children: a daughter (Desiree Boers-Kort) with his first wife, Sharon Gray; three sons (Michael, Matthew, and Justin); and a stepdaughter, DeAndra Freed. Bonner also had seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild at the time of his death.<ref name=nyt></ref><ref name="TheFocus">{{cite news |title=Who are Frank Bonner's children? Meet the late WKRP actor's family and ex-wives |journal=The Focus |first=Olivia |last=Olphin |date=June 18, 2021 |url=https://www.thefocus.news/culture/frank-bonner-children/ | url-status= dead| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202745/https://www.thefocus.news/culture/frank-bonner-children/| archivedate= June 24, 2021 |accessdate= July 24, 2025}}</ref> Michael predeceased his father. | ||
In 1979, Bonner was injured in a [[parasailing]] accident at the [[El Mirage Lake#El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area (OHV)|El Mirage Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area]], northeast of Los Angeles. He was approximately {{Convert|20|ft|m}} in the air, suspended under an ascendancy parachute pulled by a tow vehicle — when a sudden, unexpected gust of wind collapsed the chute, causing him to fall to the lake bed and suffer internal injuries and injuries to his back.<ref name= Ledger>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZLEwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B_sDAAAAIBAJ&dq=frank%20bonner&pg=6791%2C15914 |title=Parachute Accident Hospitalizes Frank Bonner of 'WKRP' |newspaper=[[The Ledger|Lakeland Ledger]] |date=October 16, 1979 |agency=[[Associated Press]]| via= Google News |access-date=June 19, 2021}}</ref> Subsequently, he appeared on crutches in episodes of ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'' (the season 2 episode "A Family Affair") and an All-Star Special episode of ''[[Family Feud]]''.<ref name="Feud">{{cite news |title=Frank Bonner Dies, WKRP in Cincinnati and Saved by the Bell Star Was 79 |website=Movieweb |first=Anthony |last=Lund |date=June 17, 2021 |url=https://movieweb.com/frank-bonner-dead/ |accessdate=June 20, 2021}}</ref> | |||
Bonner died on June 16, 2021, aged 79, in [[Laguna Niguel, California]], of complications from [[Lewy body dementia]].<ref name= Apple /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewrap.com/frank-bonner-wkrp-in-cincinnati-star-dies-at-79/ |title=Frank Bonner, 'WKRP in Cincinnati' Star, Dies at 79 |first1=Tony |last1=Reid |first2=Maglio |last2=Nakamura |work=[[TheWrap]] |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2021}}</ref><ref name="a">{{cite news |url= https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/frank-bonner-dead-wkrp-in-cincinnati-1234999322/ |title=Frank Bonner, 'WKRP in Cincinnati' and 'Saved by the Bell' Actor, Dies at 79 |first=Antonio |last=Ferme |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2021}}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title=Frank Bonner, Brash Salesman on 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' Dies at 79 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Sayantani |last=Nath |date=June 17, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/arts/television/frank-bonner-dead.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Bonner was a resident of [[Beverly Hills, California]].<ref name= Ledger /> | |||
Bonner died on June 16, 2021, aged 79, in [[Laguna Niguel, California]], of complications from [[Lewy body dementia]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewrap.com/frank-bonner-wkrp-in-cincinnati-star-dies-at-79/ |title=Frank Bonner, 'WKRP in Cincinnati' Star, Dies at 79 |first1=Tony |last1=Reid |first2=Maglio |last2=Nakamura |work=[[TheWrap]] |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2021}}</ref><ref name="a">{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/frank-bonner-dead-wkrp-in-cincinnati-1234999322/ |title=Frank Bonner, 'WKRP in Cincinnati' and 'Saved by the Bell' Actor, Dies at 79 |first=Antonio |last=Ferme |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2021}}</ref><ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title=Frank Bonner, Brash Salesman on 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' Dies at 79 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Sayantani |last=Nath |date=June 17, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/arts/television/frank-bonner-dead.html |access-date=June 20, 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> | |||
==Filmography== | ==Filmography== | ||
Latest revision as of 10:45, 5 September 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish".
Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image
Frank Woodrow Boers Jr. (February 28, 1942 – June 16, 2021) was an American actor and television director. He is best known for his role as sales manager Herb Tarlek on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.[1][2][3]
Early life
Bonner was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Grace Marie "Mamie" (née Dobbins) Boers Delahoussay,[3] a singer, and Frank Woodrow Boers, a saxophonist.[2][4] He was raised in Malvern, Arkansas.[3][2]
Career
Bonner began acting in the experimental 1967 independent film The Equinox ... A Journey into the Unknown, which was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 cult classic Equinox (in which he is credited as Frank Boers Jr.).[4]
He later had several small roles in movies and on television, including Mannix, Emergency!, and Love, American Style. In 1978 he joined the cast of WKRP in Cincinnati, finding his signature role as Herb Tarlek, the crass and ineffectual station advertising sales agent, noted for his garish plaid suits and white shoes.[1]
Bonner appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the sitcom Night Court in the 1980s. He had a supporting role as Detective Mooney in the short-lived Disney action series Sidekicks (1986–87).[2] From 1988 to 1990, Bonner played the role of Father Hargis, headmaster of the fictional St. Augustine's Academy, on the TV show Just the Ten of Us, which was a spin-off of Growing Pains. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the television show Newhart. He reprised the role of Herb Tarlek in the 1991 spinoff The New WKRP in Cincinnati and in a 2004 rock video for Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics (for the song "The Tarleks"[5] from their album 2067.
After directing six episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati, he directed for other television shows in the 1980s and 1990s,[3] including Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class (starring his WKRP alumni Howard Hesseman), Evening Shade, Newhart, and every episode of the NBC Saturday morning sitcom City Guys. Bonner appeared in five episodes of Saved by the Bell: The New Class and directed[6] four episodes.
Personal life and death
Bonner was married five times: to Sharon Gray (1966–1971); actress Mary Alice Rings (1972–1975); playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag (1977–1980); Catherine M. Sherwood (1981–? until their divorce); and Gayle Hardage, his former high school sweetheart (2006–2021; his death).[7] He had five children: a daughter (Desiree Boers-Kort) with his first wife, Sharon Gray; three sons (Michael, Matthew, and Justin); and a stepdaughter, DeAndra Freed. Bonner also had seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild at the time of his death.[3][8] Michael predeceased his father.
In 1979, Bonner was injured in a parasailing accident at the El Mirage Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, northeast of Los Angeles. He was approximately Script error: No such module "convert". in the air, suspended under an ascendancy parachute pulled by a tow vehicle — when a sudden, unexpected gust of wind collapsed the chute, causing him to fall to the lake bed and suffer internal injuries and injuries to his back.[9] Subsequently, he appeared on crutches in episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati (the season 2 episode "A Family Affair") and an All-Star Special episode of Family Feud.[6]
Bonner died on June 16, 2021, aged 79, in Laguna Niguel, California, of complications from Lewy body dementia.[2][10][4][3] Bonner was a resident of Beverly Hills, California.[9]
Filmography
Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Equinox | Jim Hudson | Feature film |
| 1970 | The Young Lawyers | Walt | Episode: "Where's Aaron" |
| 1970 | Nancy | Hank | Episode: "Boys' Night Out" |
| 1971 | Mannix | Hypnotized Man | Episode: "Catspaw" |
| 1972 | Nichols | Gruber | Episode: "About Jesse James" |
| 1972 | The Hoax | Clete Dempsey | Feature film |
| 1973 | Little Cigars | Gene (Hotel Bellman) | Feature film |
| 1973 | The F.B.I. | Johnson | Episode: "The Confession" |
| 1973 | Hawkins | 1st Yankee | Episode: "Blood Feud" |
| 1973 | Emergency! | Walt | Episode: "Body Language" |
| 1974 | Love, American Style | Jerry | Segment: "Love and the Extra Job" |
| 1974 | Cannon | Allecino | Episode: "Kelly' Song" |
| 1974 | Fer-de-Lance | Compton | TV movie |
| 1975 | Las Vegas Lady | Claude | Feature film |
| 1975 | Cannon | Bill | Episode: "The Victim" |
| 1976 | Police Woman | Donny's Father | Episode: "The Pawn Shop" |
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis | Bartender | Episode: "C.W. Hyde" |
| 1978–1982 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Herb Tarlek | Main cast (88 episodes) |
| 1979 | Sex and the Single Parent | Peter | TV movie |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Dr. Jonathan Hunt | Episode: "Country Blues/Daddy's Little Girl/Jackpot" |
| 1981 | Fantasy Island | Jack Simon | Episode: "Romance Times Three/Night of the Tormented Soul" |
| 1982 | The Facts of Life Goes to Paris | Garth Kiley | TV movie |
| 1982 | Gimme a Break! | Officer Baxter | Episode: "The Chief's Gay Evening" |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Ben Phillips | Episode: "The Captain's Replacement/Sly as a Fox/Here Comes the Bride-Maybe" |
| 1984 | Newhart | Mr. Pack | Episode: "Kirk Pops the Question" |
| 1984 | Legmen | Leo Gibson | Episode: "I Shall Be Re-Released" |
| 1984 | The Duck Factory | Mel Kemper | Episode: "The Annies" |
| 1984 | No Man's Land | Deputy Thad Prouty | TV movie |
| 1984 | Simon & Simon | Brad Daniels | Episode: "Deep Cover" |
| 1985 | Matt Houston | Fred | Episode: "Death Watch" |
| 1985 | Gimme a Break! | Warren | Episode: "Police Mamas" |
| 1985 | George Burns Comedy Week | Stu | Episode: "Home for Dinner" |
| 1985 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Henry 'Buck' McConnell | Episodes: "Tail of the Dancing Weasel" and "Utopia Now" |
| 1985 | Crazy Like a Fox | Chick | Episode: "Requiem for a Fox" |
| 1985-6 | Night Court | Howie / Preston Cowdrey | Episodes: "Mac and Quon Le: No Reservations" and "Prince of a Guy" |
| 1986 | The Longshot | Realtor | Feature film |
| 1986 | Punky Brewster | Cheapo Chester | Episode: "Cherie Lifesaver" |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | Hal Renquist | Episode: "Death Goes to the Movies" |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | Earl Fargo | Episode: "Murder in the Electric Cathedral" |
| 1986 | Sidekicks | Detective R.T. Mooney | Recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 1986 | Night Court | Preston Cowdrey | Episode: "Prince of a Guy" |
| 1988 | You Can't Hurry Love | Chuck Hayes | Feature film |
| 1988–1990 | Just the Ten of Us | Father Robert Hargis | Main cast (22 episodes) |
| 1991 | Going Under | Soviet General | Feature film |
| 1991–1993 | The New WKRP in Cincinnati | Herb Tarlek | Main cast (45 episodes) |
| 1993 | Evening Shade | Walt Thompson | Episode: "She What?!" |
| 1994–1997 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Mr. Harrington | Recurring role (5 episodes) |
| 1995 | The Mommies | Director | Episode: "Selling Out" |
| 1995 | The Colony | Frank Williamson | TV movie |
| 1997 | USA High | Mr. Giggles (Dentist) | Episode: "The Odd Couple" |
| 1998 | Motel | Gressil | Feature film |
| 2000 | City Guys | Jake | Episode: "Meet Mr. History" |
| 2003 | A Light in the Forest | Kimmel | Feature film |
| 2004 | Shut Up and Kiss Me | Harvey Ballister | Feature film |
| 2004 | A Norwegian Lunch | Teacher | Short film |
| 2008 | Remembering Phil | Motel Clerk | Feature film |
| 2014 | Under the Hollywood Sign | Larry | Feature film |
As director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980–1982 | WKRP in Cincinnati | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 1982 | Family Ties | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1986–1990 | Head of the Class | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 1988 | Frank's Place | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1988 | The Van Dyke Show | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1988–1990 | Just the Ten of Us | TV series (8 episodes) |
| 1989 | Who's the Boss? | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1989–1990 | The Famous Teddy Z | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 1990 | Evening Shade | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1990 | You Take the Kids | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1991–1993 | Harry and the Hendersons | TV series (11 episodes) |
| 1991–1993 | The New WKRP in Cincinnati | TV series (7 episodes) |
| 1995 | Fudge | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1995 | The Mommies | TV series (4 episodes) |
| 1995 | Campus Cops | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1997 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | TV series (4 episodes) |
| 1997–1998 | USA High | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 1997–2001 | City Guys | TV series (105 episodes) |
| 2003 | Living Straight | TV movie |
| 2010 | Desire and Deceit | TV series (1 episode) |
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Template:Trim/ Frank Bonner at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".