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Not everyone who goes into acting dreams of being an actor from their youth on. Rick Franklin came to Fullerton College in 1971 as a graduate of St. Paul’s High School in Santa Fe Springs and embarked upon a Police Science major. Two years later he joined the Anaheim Police Department, but didn’t enjoy the work — so he returned to FC. He went directly to the Theatre Arts Department, auditioned for an upcoming production of “Wait Until Dark,” and won a role as one of the killers.
That turning point not only set him on a course that has since included dozens of various acting roles; it also allowed him to witness the transition from longtime department heads George Stoughton and George Archambeault to a new younger generation that included Gary Krinke, Tom Blank, Todd Glen and Sydell Weiner; and it introduced him to Veda Poindexter, a young actress who eventually became his wife. Not especially big or athletic like his older brother, Franklin tapped into acting by his sophomore year, because he had always enjoyed speaking out loud and communicating.
Franklin says he came to FC with raw talent and an ability which was developed by the many people he worked with. He has transferred his skills from various aspects of theater to the business world that he has occupied for more than 35 years — and he attributes his success in business to his theater training. For more than 30 years, while serving as the Vice President of Honda Motors’ Western Division, Franklin has been moonlighting as a working professional actor, having essayed many local stage roles as well as TV commercials and independent films.
Being an actor “is the expressive part of my life, and it balances me out. Being in front of people or being on camera is part of what makes me who I am.”
— Rick Franklin, January 29, 2011
“Working in theater is really about business, because theater is, after all, a business. We act in business. I act every day as a vice-president. Theater is kind of life, and we’re all actors. We’re acting right now.”
— Rick Franklin, January 29, 2011
Nov. 3, 1952
1971-1975
Theatre Arts Department