John Franklin (born John Paul Salapatek; June 16, 1959) is an American actor, writer and former school teacher. He is best known for playing Isaac Chroner in Children of the Corn (1984), and Cousin Itt in The Addams Family (1991).
John Franklin | |
|---|---|
 John Franklin in 2014 | |
| Born | John Paul Salapatek June 16, 1959 Blue Island, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Dwight D. Eisenhower High School University of Illinois |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active |
|
| Height | 5 ft (1.52 m) |
Early life edit
He was born John Paul Salapatek in Blue Island, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, on June 16, 1959. As a child, Franklin had a growth hormone deficiency; as a result, his adult height is "barely 5 feet", or roughly 152 centimeters.[1]
In 1977, John graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1983 with a BFA in theater and teaching.
Career edit
In 1983, John Franklin moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in commercials before successfully auditioning for the role of Isaac in Stephen King's Children of the Corn.
After Children of the Corn, Franklin went on to guest star in two episodes of the kids' variety show Kids Incorporated, "The Leprechaun" and "Space Case." He appeared in many commercials before guest starring on Highway to Heaven as Arnie, a mentally handicapped teenage runaway. He also played "Walkabout-Chucky" during the 'Good Guy' doll commercial in the 1988 movie Child's Play.
In 1991, Franklin landed the role of Cousin Itt in The Addams Family; he reprised the role in 1993's Addams Family Values. Throughout the 1990s, Franklin appeared as a guest on several TV shows, including Chicago Hope and Star Trek: Voyager. He co-starred with David Morse in the independent 1997 film George B. and with Steve Guttenberg in Disney’s TV movie Tower of Terror the same year.
In 1999, Franklin reprised his debut role, Isaac, in Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return, co-writing the script with his cousin Tim Sulka. In 2000, he landed a small role in Python and co-starred as Morluv in The Christmas Secret.
Franklin formerly worked as an English teacher at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California.[2][3] He explained,
After the events of 9/11, I saw the shallowness of showbiz and felt a great desire to leave a greater legacy than just being Cousin Itt. Teaching seemed to be a perfect fit for my theatrical talents and to touch many lives."[2]
At the end of the 2015–16 school year, Franklin announced to the students and staff of Golden Valley High School that he would be retiring from teaching to reprise his career as an actor and writer. He later was reported to be working on several projects, including a young adult novel.[4]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Children of the Corn | Isaac Chroner | |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Arnie | Episode: "Alone" |
| 1986 | The Kingdom Chums: Little David's Adventure | Magical Mose | Television film; voice role |
| 1988 | A Night at the Magic Castle | Twit | |
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Young Vincent | Episode: "Promises of Someday" |
| 1988 | Child's Play | Walkabout Chucky | Voice |
| 1988 | Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure | The Gatekeepers dog | |
| 1991 | The Addams Family | Cousin Itt | |
| 1993 | Addams Family Values | Cousin Itt | |
| 1994 | Tammy and the T-Rex | Bobby | |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Jimmy Dunston | Episode: "V-Fibbing" |
| 1997 | George B. | Little Mike | |
| 1997 | Tower of Terror | Dewey Todd | |
| 1997 | Wag the Dog | Jockey #1 | |
| 1998 | The Killing Grounds | Owner | |
| 1999 | Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return | Isaac Chroner | Direct-to-video; also co-writer |
| 2000 | Python | Floyd Fuller | |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Kipp | Episode: "Critical Care" |
| 2000 | The Christmas Secret | Morluv | Television film |
| 2004 | Tales of a Fly on the Wall | Master Keldar | Television film |
| 2014 | Hag | Marriage counselor | Short film |
| 2015 | Hell's Kitty | Isaiah | Episode: "The Medium" |
| 2017 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Christina "Tina" Boyle | Episode: "Chasing Amy" |
| 2018 | Fresh Off the Boat | Lorenzo | Episode: "Measure Twice, Cut Once" |
| 2018 | Hell's Kitty | Isaiah |
References edit
- ^ It Isn't Easy To Be It: John Franklin Emerges From A 35-pound Furball To Tell All, at the Chicago Tribune; by Clifford Terry; published December 15, 1991; retrieved March 2, 2014
- ^ a b "Hart of the matter" (PDF). William S. Hart Union High School District. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "Faculty page for John Salapatek at the Golden Valley High School website". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "What the Creepy Youth Preacher from Children of the Corn Is Up to Today".