Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Franklin Edward Cover (November 20, 1928 – February 5, 2006) was an American actor best known for starring in the sitcom The Jeffersons. His character, Tom Willis, was half of one of the first interracial marriages to be seen on prime-time television. Cover was born on November 20, 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Britta (Schreck) and Franklin Held Cover. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 1947. Cover graduated from Denison University in 1951, and he received his MA in Theater in 1954 and MFA in Theater in 1955 both from Case Western Reserve University. His career started on the stage acting in Henry IV, Part 1 and Hamlet. He also appeared in Forty Carats with Julie Harris. He made his television debut on Naked City and later appeared on The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1965, he married Mary Bradford Stone. His first starring role was on The Jeffersons as Tom Willis who was married to a black woman, Helen, played by Roxie Roker. The couple lived in the same high-rise apartment building as the sitcom's title characters. Cover would often be the foil to Sherman Hemsley's black businessman, George Jefferson. The sitcom ran from 1975 to 1985…
Movies & TV Shows
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Wall Street (1987) — Dan
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Batman: The Animated Series (1992) — General Vreeland (voice)
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ER (1994) — Mr. Thurnhurst
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Columbo (1971) — Harry Jenkins
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Will & Grace (1998) — Justice of the Peace
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The Great Gatsby (1974) — Senator Evans (uncredited)
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The Stepford Wives (1975) — Ed Wimpiris
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Who's the Boss? (1984)
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Mad About You (1992) — Yankee Infielder
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Almost Heroes (1998) — Nicholas Burr
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The Love Boat (1977)
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All in the Family (1971) — Tom Willis
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The Jeffersons (1975) — Thomas "Tom" Willis
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Mirage (1965) — Group Leader
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Brain Donors (1992) — Doctor
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In the Heat of the Night (1988)
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Coach (1989) — Gunnar
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Living Single (1993)
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227 (1985)
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Naked City (1958) — Steelworker
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A Woman Called Golda (1982) — Hubert Humphrey
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Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994)
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What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968) — Medical Expert
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Short Walk to Daylight (1972) — Conductor
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Zits (1988) — FBI Chief
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N.Y.P.D. (1967)
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Cosmic Slop (1994) — (segment 'Space Traders')
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The Day the Bubble Burst (1982) — Herbert Hoover
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Between Time and Timbuktu (1972) — Col. Donald 'Tex' Pirandello
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They Came from Outer Space (1990)
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Hothouse (1988) — Sheriff Joe Gates
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The Connection (1973) — Lee Harris
- Too Something (1995)
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A Woman Called Golda (1982) — Hubert Humphrey