- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Kimber Franklin
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Best known for his regular role as Captain Mike Yates during the Jon Pertwee era of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (1963), Richard Franklin joined the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1963 and his first professional acting work was with the Century Theatre. He was offered small roles on television and, in addition, spent a year and a half with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
More work on television, radio and commercials followed and in 1971 he made his first appearance on Doctor Who (1963) as UNIT officer Yates in Terror of the Autons: Episode One (1971), a popular serial which also saw the introduction of the long-running villain the Master (played by Roger Delgado). Incidentally, Ian Marter, who later played companion Harry Sullivan in the series opposite Tom Baker, had also been a strong contender for the role of Yates. Franklin appeared regularly in the series until 1974, appropriately enough making his last appearance in Pertwee's last serial Planet of the Spiders: Part One (1974), although he briefly returned for a scene in The Five Doctors (1983). He still works as an actor.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- ParentsRichard Harrington FranklinHelen Margaret Kimber
- RelativesPeter Franklin(Sibling)Henry Dixon Kimber(Grandparent)Charles Dixon Kimber(Cousin)
- In 2011, he starred in 'In Conversation with an Acid Bath Murderer', an audio drama about John George Haigh. His two aunts actually knew Haigh, as they had been regular guests at the hotel where he lived.
- He stood unsuccessfully as an MP (Member of Parliament) at several General Elections: as an Independent (Twickenham in 1970), as a Liberal Democrat (Sheffield Brightside in 1992); for the Referendum Party (Hackney South and Shoreditch in 1997); and for UK Independence Party (Hove, 2001).
- He directed seasons at Swansea Grand and Chesterfield Civic.
- Prior to embarking on an acting career, he spent three years at the advertising agency Hobson and Grey as an assistant account executive, assistant producer and scriptwriter.
- Franklin was a dramatist and the author of the book Forest Wisdom: Radical Reform of Democracy and the Welfare State, which reflected his political views and activism.
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