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Don Francks or Iron Buffalo (born Donald Harvey Francks on February 28, 1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician.

Biography

Francks is a drummer, poet, native nations champion, motorcyclist, author and peace activist. He is interested in Tibet and supports Greenpeace.

In vaudeville he worked as a foundryman and was involved in summer stock before moving to Toronto. During his time in Hollywood he lived in Encino, California. After a time, he moved with his family to the Red Pheasant Indian Reserve, near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He is an honorary Cree, who is known as Iron Buffalo. Since 1974, he has been living in Toronto with his wife Lili (Red Eagle), a member of the Plains Cree First Nation who was a dancer. Their children are Cree Summer and Rainbow Sun.

He appeared many times at George's Spaghetti House, a Toronto jazz club that was the equivalent of New York's Birdland. He was also known to sit in on drums at the Colonial Tavern and other Toronto afterhours clubs and jazz venues.

Don Francks has appeared in the La Femme Nikita television series. His early television credits include: Mission: Impossible, Wild Wild West, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Little Men, Traders and several episodic television appearances. Some of his film appearances include: Johnny Mnemonic and Finian's Rainbow with Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. He also plays the voice of "Skunk" in Gene Simmons' animated television show My Dad the Rock Star.

Selected filmography

• Puppets Who Kill ("The Twilight Place") (2004) ... as The Evil Head ... ("Bill & the Berkowitz's") (2006) ... Blind Willy
• This Is Wonderland ("Episode 1.13") (2004) ... as Stan Puck
• My Dad the Rock Star (2003) (voice of "Skunk")
• Earth: Final Conflict ("Trapped by Time") (2001) ... as Kyle Madrid
• The Famous Jett Jackson ("Backstage Pass") (2000) ... as Phil Phelps
• Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal ("Wendigo") (2000) ... as Samuel Thompson
• Relic Hunter ("Flag Day") (1999) ... as Jake Whitney
• La Femme Nikita (1997 - 2001) ... as Walter
• Johnny Mnemonic (1995) ... as Hooky
• Road to Avonlea ("The Return of Gus Pike") (1995) ... as Abe Pike
• Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1993) ... as Girth/Hobbs
• X-Men (voice) ("Cold Vengeance", "Deadly Reunions", "Enter Magneto" ... as Sabretooth/Victor Creed), ("Repo Man" ... as Puck/Eugene Milton Judd/Shaman/Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen), ("The Phalanx Covenant: Part 1" ... as Sabretooth/Victor Creed Phalanx)
• Piggsburg Pigs (1990) ... Additional Voices
• AlfTales (1988) ... Additional Voices
• Madballs (1987) ... Commander Wolf Breath
• Street Legal ("I'll Be Home for Christmas") (1987) ... as Mel
• Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (1987) (voice) ... as Lacchi
• Star Wars: Ewoks (1985-1986) (voice) ... as Umwak, Dulok Shaman
• Seeing Things ("I'm Looking Through You") (1984) ... as Sunshine, ("Blind Alley") (1985) ... as Gary
• Star Wars: Droids (1985) (voice)
• The Littlest Hobo ("The Good Shepherd") (1984) ... as Reverend Dobson
• Countdown to Looking Glass (1984) ... as Don Geller
• Inspector Gadget (1983-1984) .... Additional Voices
• Rock & Rule (1983) (voice) ... as Mok
• Heavy Metal (1981) (voice) ... as Grimaldi/Co-Pilot/Barbarian
• My Bloody Valentine (1981) ... as Chief Jake Newby
• Fast Company (1979) ... as Elder
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) ... as Buffalo
• Mannix ("Memory: Zero") (1969)
• Mission: Impossible ("A Game of Chess") (1968) ... as Nicholas Groat, ("The Numbers Game") (1969) ... as Major Alex Denesch
• The Virginian ("The Land Dreamer") (1969) ... as Caleb and Jack Welles
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-1970) ... as Mr. Anybody
• Finian's Rainbow (1968) ... as Woody Mahoney
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ("The Round Table Affair") (1966)... as Artie King
• The Wild Wild West ("The Night of the Grand Emir") (1966) ... as T. Wigget Jones
• Ben Casey ("You Wanna Know What Really Goes on in a Hospital?"), ("Why Did the Day Go Backwards?") (1965)
• The Forest Rangers ("The Game Reserve") (1963) ... as Sanders, Jack Brass' Friend
• This Land (1978-1982) ... as Host
• The Merv Griffin Show (Episode dated 15 February 1968) ... as Himself
• R.C.M.P. (1959-1960) ... as Constable Bill Mitchell

Awards

• 1980 and 1981 - Don Francks won ACTRA Awards for Best Dramatic Performance for his roles in Drying Up The Streets and The Phoenix Team.

Selected discography

• At The Purple Onion, with Lenny Breau and Eon Henstridge, 2004, Art of Life Records. Recorded live at the coffeehouse Purple Onion in Toronto in August 1962.
• No One In This World Is Like Don Francks, LP, 1963, Knapp Records. Don Francks, Lenny Breau and Eon Henstridge formed the trio Three.
• Lost... and Alone, LP, 1964, Kapp Records.

Selected bibliography

• Heyn, Christopher. "A Conversation with Don Francks." Inside Section One: Creating and Producing TV's La Femme Nikita. Introduction by Peta Wilson. Los Angeles: Persistence of Vision Press, 2006. 100-105. ISBN 0-9787625-0-9. In-depth conversation with Don Francks about his role as Walter on La Femme Nikita, along with numerous stories from his lengthy acting and musical career.

External links

• Don Francks' official website
• Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, Don Francks
• fan site with intel, interviews, transcripts, music and more
• AM740 Gets Francks 'Round Midnight

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