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Don Harvey Francks (February 28, 1932 – April 3, 2016), also known by his stage name Iron Buffalo, was a Canadian actor, musician and singer.
On February 16, 1965, he appeared on Broadway theatre in the title role of the musical Kelly, as a daredevil planning to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. The show was the first on Broadway in a generation to close on opening night after trying out in Philadelphia and Boston and playing five previews in New York. During the 1960s, he had roles on the US television programs , Jericho, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, and Mannix. His most famous film part was in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Finian's Rainbow. He acted on Broadway in Kelly and Off-Broadway in Leonard Bernstein's Theatre Songs in 1965."Don Francks", The Canadian Encyclopedia, English edition (2019) Retrieved from "Leonard Bernstein's Theatre Songs: Original Off-Broadway Production (1965)" at ovrtur.com
This Land (1970–86) was a CBC-TV documentary series on Canadian nature, wildlife, natural resources, and life in remote communities. Francks was the narrator."For Don Francks, humanity comes first" by Jim Bearden, The Globe and Mail (2 July, 1980) Retrieved from He portrayed writer Grey Owl, returning fifty years after his death to be disturbed by the ecological deterioration (Episode "Land of Shadows", first aired 2 August 1983).
From 1997 to 2001, he played "Walter" in La Femme Nikita (TV series)."It's a guilty pleasure!; Pouting blond bombshell Nikita gets a new life over at ONtv" by Bonnie Malleck, The Record (20 Jan, 2000) Final Retrieved from Early television credits include: , Wild Wild West, and several other episodic television appearances. In the 2015 six-part series Gangland Undercover on the History Channel, "History Canada sets launch date for Gangland Undercover" by Etan Vlessing at playbackonline.ca he played "Lizard". His film work includes The Big Town, My Bloody Valentine and Johnny Mnemonic.
In August 1962 his avant-garde jazz group Three debuted unrehearsed at the Purple Onion coffeehouse in Toronto, Canada. Francks, Lenny Breau on guitar, and Eon Henstridge on double bass were joined on stage by tap dancer Joey Hollingsworth. The evening was recorded live by Breau's manager, George B. Sukornyk, but wasn't released until 2004 under the name At the Purple Onion (Art of Life, 2004). The band performed regularly in Toronto and New York City and appeared in the National Film Board documentary Toronto Jazz, which included rehearsals and performances by Three and two other groups. . Francks and Breau briefly reprised Three in early 1968 in Toronto with bassist Dave Young in place of Eon Henstridge, who had died the year before. In 1999, Francks appeared in the documentary The Genius of Lenny Breau.
In 1963, Franks released No One in This World Is Like Don Francks, his first solo album, recorded at the Village Vanguard in New York City. The title of the album derived from a remark made by Jackie Gleason"'No one in this world is like Don Francks': Popular performer was at home in Hollywood, on Broadway, in Toronto jazz clubs and on a native reserve in Saskatchewan" by Susan Ferrier MacKay, The Globe and Mail (15 April, 2016) Retrieved from when the trio performed on the April 23, 1963 The Jackie Gleason Show playing "Bye Bye Blackbird". Two years later, he recorded his second album, Lost... and Alone, with orchestral arrangements by Patrick Williams. He recorded his final album, 21st Century Francks, in 2002 at the Top o' the Senator in Toronto. The album was released in 2014.
According to differing sources, either Francks or Gabriel Dell was the uncredited actor providing the voice of Boba Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter, in the Star Wars Holiday Special. Francks, credited, voiced the role of Boba Fett in an episode of . He voiced several characters in Inspector Gadget, along with his daughter, Cree Summer, who voiced Penny during the first season of the show. He provided the voice for Mok Swagger in the 1983 Canadian animated film Rock and Rule, and the voice of Sabretooth on . He also voiced both Thomas "House" Conklin & Sergeant Carl Proctor on the 1988 Police Academy animated series.
Francks died in Toronto on April 3, 2016, of lung cancer.
Francks married twice and had several children, including Cree Summer and Rainbow Sun Francks.
Music
Francks composed songs and played trombone, drums, and flute. He performed in jazz clubs such as George's Spaghetti House in Toronto and the Village Vanguard in New York City, where he recorded the album Jackie Gleason Says No One in This World Is Like Don Francks (Kapp Records, 1963). In New York City he recorded Lost...and Alone (Kapp, 1965).
Voice actor
Francks played Archie Goodwin with Mavor Moore as Nero Wolfe for a 1982 series on Canadian radio. He provided the voice of "Skunk" in Gene Simmons's animated television show, My Dad the Rock Star.
Personal life
An avid motorcycle rider, Don Francks also had a collection of twelve antique cars, mostly Model-T Ford racing cars dated 1912 to 1927."Actor or grease monkey? Don Francks loves both His collection of Model T runabouts spans 14 years" by Peter Bailey, Toronto Star (15 March, 1997) Final Retrieved from He supported Greenpeace and the Tibetan independence movement. After quitting alcohol at the age of 21, Francks smoked marijuana, performing a song called "Smoking Reefers." As a spokesman for Other Voices (Canadian TV series) in the mid-1960s, he investigated a boy's murder at Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
Selected filmography
Film
Television
recurring role recurring role Episode: “A Game of Chess” Television film
Uncredited5 episodes 13 episodes 64 episodes 5 episodes 4 episodes 17 episodes Episode: "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp" Parts 1 & 2 96 episodes Episode: "The Origin of the Silver Surfer: Part 1" Episode: "Christmas Bloody Christmas" Episode: "Native Son" 2 episodes
Videogames
Uncredited
Awards
Discography
1963 Jackie Gleason says... "No one in this world is like Don Francks" Kapp Records 1965 Lost... and Alone Kapp Records reached #4 in Canada. 1988 Mesa: The Four Directions Books for Ears 1991 Bob's Favorite Street Songs ("Put Down the Duckie" only) A&M 1999 Jazzsong unissued 2000 The Insanity of One Man Books for Ears 2004 At the Purple Onion Art of Life 2014 21st Century Francks Iron Buffalo Productions
Bibliography
External links
Categories: 1932 Births, 2016 Deaths, Canadian Jazz Drummers, Canadian Jazz Singers, Canadian Male Film Actors, Canadian Male Singers, Canadian Male Television Actors, Canadian Male Video Game Actors, Canadian Male Voice Actors, Deaths From Cancer In Ontario, Foundrymen, Don, Male Actors From British Columbia, Canadian Male Drummers, Actors From Burnaby, Canadian Male Jazz Musicians
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