Frank's initial foray into the world of performance was as a six-month-old "theatre mascot" at a tent theatre in Granville, Ohio, where his father, John, was an actor and playwright. Frank's mother, Peg, directed him in numerous plays during his childhood in Virginia and Ohio. As a young boy, Frank assisted his father when he toured with his one-man Abraham Lincoln show. His father was selected to play Lincoln for the centennial celebration of Lincoln's first inauguration in Washington, D.C., and Frank played the role of young Tad Lincoln.
Frank received training at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from San Francisco State University. He was instrumental in establishing a summer theatre company in the Sierra Nevadas and later went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to embarking on his professional acting career, Frank worked in various jobs, including forest fire fighting, diaper service dispatching, and substitute teaching.
Throughout his illustrious career, Frank has appeared in over 150 productions, working both off-Broadway and in regional theatres in Boston, Denver, and California. His diverse repertoire of roles has included "Puck" in A Midsummer Night's Dream, "Miss Havisham" in Great Expectations, and "Jacob Marley" in A Christmas Carol. Frank is a founding member of Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California, which has won over 25 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.
Frank's transition to film and television began when he relocated to Los Angeles in 1984. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Horace Bing," the hapless telegraph operator on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993),and "Wash Hogwallop" in O Brother, Where Art Thou?