Veteran actor, 74, who is part of the most iconic sci-fi franchise in TV history breaks cover in LA... can you guess who?

This silver fox is living proof that even Hollywood cult legends get down to earth when it comes to cleaning up after man's best friend. The American actor-director, 74, was spotted on Sunday, November 1, being a solid citizen of the world—by disposing of his doggie's doo doo during a rare outing in Los Angeles.After graduating from his native Pennsylvania State University in 1974, the talented jazz trombonist and fledgling actor worked odd jobs like waiting tables and moving furniture until he scored a role in the Broadway revival of the musical Shenandoah in 1976.Before the blue-eyed brunette commandeered the entertainment industry's most enduring sci-fi franchise, he stacked an impressive resume of guest starring gigs on some of the most popular TV series of the 1970s and 80s.After taping 90 episodes of the daytime soap opera The Doctors in 1977, this now seasoned pro scored a slew of one offs on prime time classics. His credits from 1978 through 1987 read like a nostalgia fever dream: Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones, The Waltons, Eight is Enough, The White Shadow, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hart to Hart, Hill Street Blues, Quincy M.E., The Fall Guy, Highway to Heaven, Hotel, Falcon Crest and Matlock, to name just a few. This veteran actor, now 74, guest starred on the biggest TV series of the 1970s and 1980s before scoring his own out-of-this-world series showcase Among the fan favorite TV series this actor appeared on: Charlies Angels, Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones, The Waltons, Eight is Enough, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hart to Hart, Hill Street Blues, Quincy M.E., The Fall Guy, Highway to Heaven, Hotel, Falcon Crest and Matlock The blue-eyed silver fox (a former brunette) let out a goodnatured laugh after realizing he'd been snapped picking up after his pet while on the streets of Los AngelsPlum TV movie roles opposite small screen legends like Raymond Burr, Linda Evans and Richard Chamberlain - as well as Oscar-worthy film stars such as James Earl Jones, Lesley Ann Warren, and F. Murray Abraham - soon followed.He officially segued into heartthrob territory in the 1980s with a juicy supporting role in one of the era's mega-star-studded historical miniseries, as well as its two big budget sequels, featuring Old Hollywood icons like Olivia de Havilland, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Gene Kelly and Peter O'Toole.It was on that ABC blockbuster that he met the woman he would marry nearly four decades ago—and his blonde bride happens to be an award-winning TV legend herself.As the end of the decade neared, the actor earned the out of this world role that solidified his global fame forever. So can you guess who he is? As the end of the 1980s neared, the actor-director earned the leading role on the out-of-the-world TV series that solidified his star status. Can you guess who this dog dad is? It's Jonathan Frakes. The strapping, 6-foot 3-inch star is best known for playing Commander (later Captain) William T. Riker in TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) alongside Sir Patrick Stewart, who died at 86 on October 28 after a 'poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.''There's no one on this planet that I have acted with or directed more often than my late great friend Patrick Stewart,' Frakes said in a statement honoring his late-co-star last week. 'He will be with me forever. May he rest in peace.'He also appeared as Riker throughout the universe: The feature films Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), as well and as the later series spinoffs Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994), Star Trek: Voyager (1996) and Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023).'[Riker] completely changed my life; my career; the focus of my career — and all for the better,' Frakes told The Companion of the role he was handpicked to play by series creator Gene Roddenberry, who died at 70 in 1991.Frakes moved into the director's chair for the first time during Season 3 of Next Generation in 1990, and quickly racked up episodic credits on every other franchise series through Starfleet Academy in 2026.He graduated to big screen directorial duties with 1996's Star Trek: First Contact, arguably the most critically acclaimed and highest grossing of the franchise's feature film entries. The star has spoken candidly about how the 2004 box-office bomb Thunderbirds derailed his directing momentum Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny podcast in April 2026. He also shared that his name was 'taken off the lists' and he went "from 60 to zero" before clawing his way back from 'movie jail' into episodic work. Frakes spent much of the 2000s directing TV series like Diagnosis Murder, Roswell, The Twilight Zone, Leverage, Castle, NCIS: Los Angeles and Agents of SHIELD. Actor Jonathan Frakes Commander (later Captain) William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired in first-run syndication from September 28, 1987, to May 23, 1994Frakes and Patrick Stewart, beaming in Star Trek: The Next Generation, circa 1987 Scott Mantz, Gates McFadden, Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Terry Matalas, Frakes and Jeri Ryan after a FYC press screening for Star Trek: Picard at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room on December 14, 2023 in Los AngelesHe most recently helmed two episodes of Chuck Lorre's latest HBO Max series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.The Daily Mail has contacted Frakes for comment on his storied career and future plans. Flashback to 1983: Frakes landed his first TV series regular role in Bare Essence, a prime-time soap about the fragrance industry which had spun off from a hit miniseries of the same name. Alas, the nightside debut of daytime sensation Genie Francis—of 'Luke and Laura' superfame on ABC's General Hospital—didn't pass the sniff test with viewers and was soon canceled.Frakes reverted to guest appearances for two more years until he won the part of Stanley Hazard in the pic Civil War miniseries North & South in 1985 with a familiar co-star: Francis.The pair had met three years earlier on the set of Bare Essence, but Frakes, then 30, thought 20-year-old Francis was too young for him, as reported in her 2001 Lifetime Intimate Portrait.But three years—and a lot of period appropriate crinolines and hoop skirts—later they were an item after filming for six steamy months across the Southern United States. 'We were on location in Charleston and Natchez, and we fell in love—and now, somehow, she wasn’t too young for me,' Frakes told People magazine in 2024. A baby-faced Frakes is seen here with actress Linda Purl in a scene from the 1980 ABC TV movie of the week The Night the City Screamed Frakes with co-star Mary Crosby (of 'Who Shot J.R.' fame) in 1986's North and South: Book II, the second of three star studded miniseries adaptations of John Jakes' bestselling Civil War novel series that aired on ABC Frakes is seen here with his wife of 38 years, General Hospital star Genie Francis, in 1990 - the couple met on the set of the 1983 prime time soap Bare Essence but didn't start dating until three years later while filming the North and South miniseries Frakes took on big screen directorial duties in 1996 for Star Trek: First Contact, which went on to became the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date'So we have been together ever since our first date on North and South when we took a break for Memorial Day and went to New Orleans 38 years ago.'At the time, Francis was the bigger star, but he joked to the outlet, 'Somehow, she took a chance on me, because I was like, number 37 on the call sheet on North and South and she was up there with Patrick Swayze and Lesley-Anne Down. So why she would go out with me is a mystery!'The couple married on May 28, 1988, and their lasting union produced two offspring: Jameson Ivor Frakes, 32, a fisherman and conservationist, and Eliza Frakes, 29, a playwright.The five-decade showbiz survivor presented a special honor to his real-life leading lady on October 30, 2026 at the Daytime Emmy Awards, which paid emotional tribute to Francis' own 50-year career.'A lot of actors over the years have told me that Genie makes their work better,' Frakes said, referencing her collaborations with the late Patrick Swayze on North and South and Maurice Benard on General Hospital. He also recalled the seminal 80s impact of her iconic General Hospital romance with Emmy winner Anthony Geary’s Luke Spencer: An emotional Frakes gestures to his Mrs. at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Hollywood Palladium on October 30, 2026 in Los Angeles Frakes and his soap legend wife of 38 years, Genie Francis, after he presented her lifetime achievement award at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards 'Without Genie, there is no Luke and Laura. And Tony Geary, he knew it... There is no one more prepared, collaborative, or helpful, or professional, or funny,' he gushed to the crowd of industry professionals at the Hollywood Palladium and fans watching at home. 'It is with enormous pride and endless love that I present this Lifetime Achievement Award to my wonderful wife.' After accepting her award, the couple embraced, traded a tender kiss, and exited the stage together.