Introduction
Some people are born into famous families and spend their whole lives running toward the spotlight. Others chart a quieter, more deliberate path — letting their talent speak without the noise of celebrity. Elizabeth Francis Frakes, known professionally as Eliza Frakes, is firmly in the second camp. Born to two of Hollywood’s most beloved performers, she has built her own identity as a playwright, theater artist, actress, and filmmaker with a creative voice that stands entirely on its own.
At first glance, the Frakes name alone turns heads. Her father, Jonathan Frakes, is the iconic Commander William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and her mother, Genie Francis, is perhaps best known as Laura Spencer on the long-running soap opera General Hospital — a role that made her one of daytime television’s most recognized faces. Growing up between two entertainment legends could easily have pushed Elizabeth in any direction. Yet she found her footing in the world of theater, writing, and independent filmmaking, carving out a creative life that reflects genuine passion rather than inherited fame.
This article takes a deep look at Elizabeth Francis Frakes — her family roots, her upbringing in coastal Maine, her education, the artistic career she has built, and where she stands today. Whether you’re a fan of her parents or simply curious about the woman behind the name, this is everything you need to know.
Quick Facts:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Elizabeth Francis Frakes |
| Professional Name | Eliza Frakes |
| Date of Birth | May 30, 1997 |
| Birthplace | Belfast, Maine, USA |
| Age (as of 2026) | 28 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Nationality | American |
| Father | Jonathan Frakes (actor/director) |
| Mother | Genie Francis (actress) |
| Sibling | Jameson Ivor Frakes (brother, born 1994) |
| Education | Lewis and Clark College (English & Theater, 2019) |
| Occupation | Playwright, Theater Artist, Actress, Filmmaker |
| Known For | Certain Death and Other Considerations (play); General Hospital (TV); Murky (short film) |
| Notable Award | National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention |
| Current Base | New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas |
Who Is Elizabeth Francis Frakes? A Brief Overview
Elizabeth Francis Frakes, widely known as Eliza Frakes, is an American playwright, theater performer, actress, and filmmaker. While her family name carries significant weight in Hollywood circles, she has deliberately built her creative career on the strength of her own work. She is not a passive celebrity offspring coasting on a famous surname — she is a genuinely accomplished artist whose plays have been staged internationally and whose writing has appeared in respected literary publications.
Born on May 30, 1997, in Belfast, Maine, Elizabeth grew up far from the glittering studios of Hollywood. Belfast is a small coastal city with a strong arts community and a relatively quiet pace of life, which likely shaped her thoughtful and grounded creative sensibility. She is the second child of Jonathan and Genie Frakes, with an older brother named Jameson Ivor Frakes, born in 1994.
Her Famous Parents: Jonathan Frakes and Genie Francis
To understand Elizabeth Francis Frakes, it helps to appreciate who her parents are and what they represent in American entertainment. Her father, Jonathan Scott Frakes, was born on August 19, 1952, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He earned a BFA from Pennsylvania State University and an MA from Harvard University before building a remarkable career as both an actor and director. His portrayal of Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation made him a global icon in science fiction television. Beyond acting, he has directed multiple Star Trek films and episodes, and has lent his voice to memorable characters like David Xanatos in the animated series Gargoyles.
Her mother, Genie Francis, born on May 26, 1962, in Englewood, New Jersey, is one of the most beloved figures in American daytime television. She began her acting career as a teenager, joining General Hospital in 1977 as Laura Spencer — a role that would define her public legacy. Her portrayal of Laura’s famous romance with Luke Spencer was reportedly watched by over 30 million viewers, a record for a daytime drama. Francis has also appeared in The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives, North and South, and All My Children. In 2007, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her continued work on General Hospital.
Jonathan and Genie met in 1983 on the set of the TV movie Bare Essence. They reconnected in 1984 while filming the miniseries North and South, fell in love on location, got engaged in 1986, and married on May 28, 1988. Theirs has been one of Hollywood’s most enduring marriages, spanning nearly four decades. For Elizabeth, growing up with these two creative forces as parents almost certainly nurtured her artistic instincts from an early age.
Growing Up in Belfast, Maine: A Different Kind of Childhood
While many children of Hollywood stars grow up surrounded by film sets, red carpets, and the relentless energy of Los Angeles, Elizabeth Francis Frakes had a different kind of upbringing. She and her brother Jameson were raised in Belfast, Maine — a charming, arts-friendly coastal community that is about as far from the glamour of Tinseltown as you can get while still being on the East Coast.
This choice by Jonathan and Genie to raise their children away from Hollywood was clearly intentional. Belfast offered stability, community, and a genuine connection to everyday life. It also offered the kind of open space and creative freedom that encourages young people to explore who they are without the pressure of public scrutiny. Elizabeth has spoken about her early interest in storytelling and filmmaking as something that developed naturally during these formative years.
Her brother Jameson, two years her senior, took a similarly understated path. He pursued music and studied documentary filmmaking at Ithaca College, choosing a creative but largely private life. Neither sibling seems to have chased fame for its own sake — which says a great deal about the values instilled by their parents. For the Frakes children, art appears to be something pursued for its intrinsic meaning, not for celebrity.
Education and Early Artistic Recognition
Elizabeth’s academic and artistic journey is impressive on its own merits. She attended the Viewpoint School in California during her secondary education, where she developed a serious interest in filmmaking and storytelling techniques. It was here, around the age of 15, that she earned a prestigious National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention for her film script IV Script, With Love, Tuck and Alex — a recognition that signaled early on that she had genuine creative talent.
The National YoungArts Foundation is a highly competitive program that identifies exceptional young artists across disciplines including visual arts, writing, theater, film, and music. Receiving an honorable mention as a teenager places Elizabeth in the company of some of the most gifted young artists in the United States, and it was a formative validation of her ambitions.
She went on to attend Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she majored in English and Theater, graduating in 2019. Lewis and Clark is known for its strong liberal arts environment and its emphasis on independent thinking — an ideal environment for someone whose work blends literary depth with theatrical ambition. After graduation, she completed a year-long residency at the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles in 2020, where she developed and debuted her first full-length stage play, Moleman. That residency marked the formal beginning of what has become a flourishing career in the theater world.
Theater Career: Plays, Performances, and Original Work
Elizabeth Francis Frakes — as Eliza Frakes — has made a genuine name for herself in the theater community. Her writing is described as work that blends socio-political themes with the absurdity of everyday life, and she uses comedy as both a tool and a lens to examine the human condition. This thematic ambition sets her apart from many of her peers.
Beyond writing, Elizabeth is also an active performer. She has appeared on screen in General Hospital — the very same soap opera where her mother Genie Francis built her legendary career. In a touching piece of generational overlap, Elizabeth played the character PA Julie on the show, making her appearance a quiet nod to her family’s deep connection with the series. She has also appeared in the short film Murky and performed in the theater production Maz and Bricks at Corrib Theatre, where she played the character Maz.
Her poetry and prose have been published in The Albion Review, Portland Review, and Rocksalt Journal, showcasing a literary versatility that extends well beyond the stage. She is a company member at both the Echo Theater Company and Playground LA, two respected organizations in the Los Angeles theater scene.
Nine Twenty Collective: Founding a Creative Community
One of the most telling signs of Elizabeth Francis Frakes’ commitment to the arts beyond her own career is the founding of the Nine Twenty Collective. This is an interdisciplinary production company she established with the stated mission of supporting early career artists in generating collaborative new media. The name itself hints at something thoughtful and purposeful — a collective, not a solo enterprise.
In an entertainment industry that often rewards individual stars over collaborative communities, the existence of Nine Twenty Collective reflects Elizabeth’s understanding that art thrives in supportive ecosystems. By creating an organization dedicated to helping newer artists find their footing, she is contributing to the kind of creative infrastructure that she herself benefited from during her residency at the Echo Theater and her studies at Lewis and Clark.
This kind of institution-building at a young age is rare. It suggests that Elizabeth sees her role not just as an artist but as someone invested in the broader health and vibrancy of the arts community. It also points to an entrepreneurial and organizational intelligence that complements her creative talents.
The Michener Center Fellowship: What It Means for Her Writing Future
In a major development for her career, Elizabeth Francis Frakes is currently a Michener Center for Writers fellow in playwriting at the University of Texas at Austin. This is an exceptionally competitive and prestigious fellowship, widely regarded as one of the finest graduate programs for creative writers in the United States. Michener fellows receive substantial financial support, mentorship, and dedicated time to develop their craft at the highest level.
The Michener Center program is selective across genres — fiction, poetry, screenplay, and playwriting — and accepts only a handful of fellows each year. Being chosen as a playwriting fellow is a mark of serious artistic recognition. It also places Elizabeth within a community of writers who take the long view on their careers, focusing on depth and craft rather than quick commercial output.
This fellowship represents a significant chapter in her professional life. It provides both the resources and the intellectual environment to push her writing into new territory. For fans of her work and those following her career, the Michener fellowship suggests that some of her most ambitious and fully realized work is still ahead of her.
Personal Life: Privacy, Aquaculture, and Life Off Stage
In keeping with the values she seems to have inherited from her upbringing, Elizabeth Francis Frakes keeps her personal life largely private. She has not publicly confirmed a romantic relationship or provided details about her dating life, and she appears to make a conscious effort to keep that side of her world away from public attention.
What she has shared publicly is somewhat unexpected and wonderfully distinctive: she runs a small-scale regenerative aquaculture farm in midcoast Maine with her partner and her short-legged dog. Specifically, she grows sugar kelp — a form of sustainable seaweed farming that is gaining recognition as an environmentally responsible food production method. This is not a hobby-farm affectation. Regenerative aquaculture is a serious and growing field, and Elizabeth’s involvement in it speaks to a genuine environmental consciousness and a connection to her Maine roots.
This unusual combination — Edinburgh Fringe playwright and kelp farmer — captures something important about who Elizabeth Francis Frakes actually is. She is multidimensional, rooted in the physical world as much as the artistic one, and not particularly interested in performing a version of herself for public consumption. Her life, like her writing, seems to resist easy categorization.
Jameson Ivor Frakes: About Her Brother
No portrait of Elizabeth Francis Frakes is complete without mentioning her brother, Jameson Ivor Frakes, born on August 20, 1994. Like his sister, Jameson has chosen a path defined by his own interests rather than his parents’ celebrity. He is a musician and filmmaker who studied documentary filmmaking at Ithaca College. He has largely stayed out of the public eye and has expressed little interest in pursuing a conventional Hollywood career.
The parallel between the two siblings is striking — both are creative, both pursued formal education in the arts, and both appear to value authenticity over fame. Jonathan Frakes has referred to his children with clear affection and pride, and the family’s closeness seems evident from the way both Jameson and Elizabeth have developed their careers. The mutual respect between the generations of the Frakes family — parents who are Hollywood legends, children who are artists in their own right — makes for a compelling family story.
What’s Next for Elizabeth Francis Frakes
The trajectory of Elizabeth Francis Frakes’ career points consistently upward. With the Michener Center fellowship providing focused time and resources for her playwriting, new work is almost certainly in development. Her play Certain Death and Other Considerations has already demonstrated that her writing can succeed internationally — at Edinburgh, across the American West Coast, and in New York — which positions her well for future productions on larger stages.
Her acting work continues too. With credits on General Hospital, in short films, and in stage productions, she maintains an active performance profile alongside her writing. The Nine Twenty Collective also continues to develop, potentially evolving into an important platform for collaborative arts projects. And through it all, the kelp farm in Maine endures as a grounding counterpoint to the world of theater and academia.
It would be no surprise to see Elizabeth’s work produced in major Off-Broadway or even Broadway venues within the next several years. For someone who received national recognition as a teenager and has continued to build steadily and deliberately since, the next chapter appears wide open — and genuinely exciting for anyone following her career.
Conclusion
Elizabeth Francis Frakes is a fascinating figure — not because of who her parents are, but because of who she has chosen to become. With a theater career that spans Edinburgh to New York, a fellowship at one of America’s most respected writing programs, and a life that balances creative ambition with environmental stewardship on a coastal Maine farm, she represents something refreshing in a culture that often reduces celebrity children to footnotes in their parents’ stories.
She is a playwright, performer, filmmaker, and community builder. She is also, by all indications, deeply private and genuinely principled about how she moves through the world. Knowing about her famous family adds context, but it does not define her. Elizabeth Francis Frakes is very much her own story — and based on everything she has built so far, it’s a story well worth following.
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(FAQs)
Who is Elizabeth Francis Frakes?
Elizabeth Francis Frakes, also known professionally as Eliza Frakes, is an American playwright, theater artist, actress, and filmmaker. She is the daughter of actor and director Jonathan Frakes and actress Genie Francis.
When was Elizabeth Francis Frakes born?
She was born on May 30, 1997, in Belfast, Maine, USA. As of 2026, she is 28 years old.
Who are Elizabeth Francis Frakes’ parents?
Her father is Jonathan Frakes, best known for playing Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her mother is Genie Francis, celebrated for her long-running role as Laura Spencer on General Hospital.
What does Elizabeth Francis Frakes do professionally
She is a playwright, theater performer, actress, and filmmaker. Her original play Certain Death and Other Considerations premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has since toured internationally. She has also appeared on General Hospital and in the short film Murky.
Did Elizabeth Francis Frakes appear on General Hospital like her mother?
Yes. She made an appearance on General Hospital, playing the role of PA Julie — a quiet nod to her mother Genie Francis’s legendary history with the show.
What is the Michener Center for Writers fellowship that Eliza Frakes received?
The Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the most prestigious creative writing graduate programs in the United States. Eliza was accepted as a fellow in playwriting, which provides financial support, mentorship, and focused time to develop her writing craft.
What is Nine Twenty Collective?
Nine Twenty Collective is an interdisciplinary production company founded by Elizabeth Francis Frakes. Its mission is to support early career artists in generating collaborative new media, reflecting her commitment to the broader arts community beyond her personal work.
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