Frankie Faison

Frankie Russel Faison is an acclaimed American actor, known for his defining roles such as Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell in the HBO series 'The Wire', Barney Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, and Sugar Bates in the Cinemax series 'Banshee'. Born on June 10, 1949 in Newport News, Virginia, Faison exhibited his passion for drama at an early age. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University, joining the Theta Chi fraternity, and pursued a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1974.

Faison initiated his acting career in 1974 at the New York Shakespeare Festival production of King Lear, opposite James Earl Jones. This was followed by a string of diverse roles in theatre, television, and film, earning him a nomination for a Tony Award. Faison is noted for being the most frequent actor in adaptations of Thomas Harris' Hannibal books. He also played significant roles in several Fox and Netflix series, appearing in over three decades of entertainment productions from the 1980s through the 2010s.