Frank Whaley

Acting

Frank Whaley

Born 1963-07-20 · Syracuse, New York, USA

Frank Joseph Whaley (born July 20, 1963) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, musician and comedian. His roles include Brett in Pulp Fiction, Robby Krieger in The Doors, Jim Dodge in Career Opportunities, young Archie "Moonlight" Graham in Field of Dreams, and Guy in Swimming with Sharks. He has also appeared in films and TV series such as Born on the Fourth of July, The Freshman, A Midnight Clear, Swing Kids, Broken Arrow, Luke Cage, Red Dragon and World Trade Center. Whaley was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, the son of Robert W. Whaley Sr. and Josephine (née Timilione).Whaley graduated from Anthony A. Henninger High School in 1981 and left home at 18. He graduated from the University at Albany.

Acting credits

Pulp Fiction poster
8.5

A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

Pulp Fiction

1994

The School of Rock poster
7.1

Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his straight-A students the finer points of rock 'n' roll and the power of sticking it to the man. But as the school’s stern principal closes in and the Battle of the Bands looms, Dewey must risk everything to prove that rock 'n' roll can change lives.

The School of Rock

2003

Born on the Fourth of July poster
7.0

Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

Born on the Fourth of July

1989

Broken Arrow poster
6.1

When rogue stealth-fighter pilot Vic Deakins deliberately drops off the radar while on maneuvers, the Air Force ends up with two stolen nuclear warheads -- and Deakins's co-pilot, Riley Hale, is the military's only hope for getting them back. Traversing the deserted canyons of Utah, Hale teams with park ranger Terry Carmichael to put Deakins back in his box.

Broken Arrow

1996

Hustlers poster
6.5

A crew of savvy former strip club employees band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

Hustlers

2019

JFK poster
7.6

Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

JFK

1991

Monster Trucks poster
6.1

Tripp is a high school senior with a knack for building trucks who makes an incredible discovery - a gas-guzzling creature named Creech. To protect his mischievous new friend, Tripp hides Creech under the hood of his latest creation, turning it into a real-life super-powered Monster Truck. Together, this unlikely duo with a shared taste for speed team up on a wild and unforgettable journey to reunite Creech with his family.

Monster Trucks

2016

Vacancy poster
6.3

A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and find hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film.

Vacancy

2007

Field of Dreams poster
7.1

Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play.

Field of Dreams

1989

Drillbit Taylor poster
5.8

Dealing with a sociopathic school bully, three high school freshmen hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them, not realizing he is just a homeless beggar and petty thief looking for some easy cash.

Drillbit Taylor

2008

The Doors poster
7.1

The story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison.

The Doors

1991

World Trade Center poster
6.1

Two police officers struggle to survive when they become trapped beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

World Trade Center

2006

Career Opportunities poster
6.9

Josie, the daughter of the town's wealthiest businessman, faces problems at home and wishes to leave town but is disoriented. Her decision is finalized after she falls asleep in a Target dressing room. She awakens to find herself locked in the store overnight with the janitor, Jim, the town "no hoper" and liar.

Career Opportunities

1991

Hoffa poster
6.3

A portrait of union leader James R. Hoffa, as seen through the eyes of his friend, Bobby Ciaro. The film follows Hoffa through his countless battles with the RTA and President Roosevelt.

Hoffa

1992

Rob the Mob poster
6.1

The true-life story of a crazy-in-love Queens couple who robbed a series of mafia social clubs and got away with it… for a while… until they stumble upon a score bigger than they ever planned and become targets of both the mob and the FBI.

Rob the Mob

2014

I.Q. poster
6.0

Albert Einstein helps a young man who's in love with Einstein's niece to catch her attention by pretending temporarily to be a great physicist.

I.Q.

1994

The Freshman poster
6.3

After a film student gets his belongings stolen, he meets a mobster bearing a startling resemblance to a certain cinematic godfather. Soon, he finds himself caught up in a caper involving endangered species and fine dining.

The Freshman

1990

Little Monsters poster
5.8

A young boy is scared of the monster under his bed. He asks his 6th grade brother to swap rooms for the night as a bet that the monster really exists. Soon the brother becomes friends with the monster and discovers a whole new world of fun and games under his bed where pulling pranks on kids and other monsters is the main attraction.

Little Monsters

1989

Wish Man poster
6.7

A motorcycle cop is still haunted by the traumatic separation from his father when he was a boy. After surviving a near-fatal accident and being framed for police brutality, his whole world falls apart. Unexpectedly, he finds hope in the shape of a terminally ill boy, who reunites him with his father after 28 years. To honor the boy, he creates the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Wish Man

2019

Crazy Eights poster
4.5

Six people are brought together at the funeral of a childhood friend. While settling the estate, they discover a map, which leads them on a search for a time capsule. What they discover reawakens childhood traumas and leads them on a journey through their abandoned childhood home: a home with a terrible secret and a mysterious dead girl who will lead them to their strange fates.

Crazy Eights

2006

Swing Kids poster
6.7

The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.

Swing Kids

1993

Red Dragon poster
7.0

Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter is the only one who can help Graham track down a new serial killer.

Red Dragon

2002

Unconquered poster
9.3

In 1962 in Montgomery, Alabama, State Attorney Richmond Flowers, Sr. is one of few willing to fight racial injustices even if it costs him his family's peace.

Unconquered

1989

Ironweed poster
6.3

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Ironweed

1987

Behind the camera

Like Sunday, Like Rain poster
7.3

A struggling musician becomes a 12-year-old musical prodigy's guardian for a summer.

Like Sunday, Like Rain

2014

Like Sunday, Like Rain poster
7.3

A struggling musician becomes a 12-year-old musical prodigy's guardian for a summer.

Like Sunday, Like Rain

2014

Joe the King poster
5.8

A destitute 14-year-old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother.

Joe the King

1999

Joe the King poster
5.8

A destitute 14-year-old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother.

Joe the King

1999

New York City Serenade poster
5.7

Two down on their luck childhood friends struggle to figure out their lives. Ray a drummer in a rock and roll band, and Owen an aspiring film maker spend most of their time working menial jobs and drinking. When Owen's fiancé Lynn breaks off their engagement he finds himself spiraling, and allows Ray to come along with him to a two bit film festival he has been invited to in Kansas. There Owen makes several attempts to patch up his relationship, while Ray scams them into a deluxe suite at the local Four Seasons hotel by posing as Wally Shawn's son (who happens to be receiving a lifetime achievement award) and generally causes a major ruckus. By the end, Owen decides to make some changes in their relationship and in his life.

New York City Serenade

2007

New York City Serenade poster
5.7

Two down on their luck childhood friends struggle to figure out their lives. Ray a drummer in a rock and roll band, and Owen an aspiring film maker spend most of their time working menial jobs and drinking. When Owen's fiancé Lynn breaks off their engagement he finds himself spiraling, and allows Ray to come along with him to a two bit film festival he has been invited to in Kansas. There Owen makes several attempts to patch up his relationship, while Ray scams them into a deluxe suite at the local Four Seasons hotel by posing as Wally Shawn's son (who happens to be receiving a lifetime achievement award) and generally causes a major ruckus. By the end, Owen decides to make some changes in their relationship and in his life.

New York City Serenade

2007

The Jimmy Show poster
6.3

A failed New Jersey inventor embarks on a career as a standup comic, turns to drink, and labors to keep his family together.

The Jimmy Show

2002

The Jimmy Show poster
6.3

A failed New Jersey inventor embarks on a career as a standup comic, turns to drink, and labors to keep his family together.

The Jimmy Show

2002