| Frankie Brady | |||||||||
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| Days of our Lives | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Billy Warlock | ||||||||
| Duration | 1986-1988, 1990-1991, 2005-2006 | ||||||||
| First appearance | July 1986 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | November 24, 2006 | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Aliases | Frankie Donner (name when he first came to Salem) François Von Leuschner (birth name) |
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| Gender | Male | ||||||||
| Occupation | Lawyer | ||||||||
| Residence | Washington, D.C. | ||||||||
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Frankie Brady (née François Von Leuschner) is a character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives.
The role of Frankie was played by veteran Emmy-Award winning actor Billy Warlock from July 1986 to October 1988, from November 1990 to July 1991 and from June 26, 2005 to November 24, 2006. In 1990, Christopher Saavedra played the character in a flashback sequence.
Frankie, along with his younger "brother" Max were adopted by the Brady clan in the mid-80s. Frankie is now a lawyer and single, living in Washington D.C.
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Frankie and whom he claimed to be his younger brother Max (which would eventually be revealed this was not the case) first appeared in Salem in 1986 as a homeless teenager and child. Shawn and Caroline Brady immediately took them in, and Steve Johnson became a mentor to Frankie as well. Soon afterward, Frankie met Jennifer Horton, and although he had feelings for her he assumed she was out of his reach not only because of his background, but she was dating the high school jock Glenn Gallagher.
Toward the middle of that school year, Glenn went undercover to help the police department capture the person responsible for giving the kids drugs; unfortunately, Frankie was accused of being the narc by their peers and harassed accordingly, until Glenn's anonymity was revealed upon learning his football coach was the drug dealer. Throughout the remainder of the school year Jennifer and Frankie became close friends, which was one of the factors that put a strain on her relationship with Glenn.
When the Salem High kids traveled out of town on Spring Break, Jennifer broke up with Glenn after she refused to have sex with him. Because of subsequent harassment by Glenn and their peers, Jennifer and Frankie decided to leave the trip early. While on their way back to Salem, however, Frankie was videotaping Jennifer in a convenience store when the cashier was shot and killed in the background. Although they initially managed to escape, Frankie and Jennifer were soon caught by the shooter, but they were eventually able to escape again and provide the police department with the videocassette.
In June, 1987 Frankie graduated from Salem High School as the valedictorian of his class. Not long afterward, Shawn and Caroline legally adopted him and Max. By then, Frankie and Jennifer were becoming close but neither was willing to admit his or her feelings to each other. It was not until after they helped their friend Sasha Roberts, who was involved with Nick Corelli's prostitution ring that Frankie and Jennifer came clean with each other, at which point they started their relationship.
In September, 1987 Jennifer's father Bill Horton returned to Salem with news that Jennifer's mother, Laura Horton was in a mental hospital. Fearing she would inherit her mother's illness, Jennifer broke up with Frankie without explanation. As a diversion, and also due to his desire to help others, Frankie began volunteering at the college's teen help line run by Paula Carson. During this time period Frankie often received phone calls from a girl who called herself "Emily," who actually turned out to be Eve Donovan, which Frankie learned when she was hospitalized after being slashed in the face by a john. Frankie continued to reach out to Eve, even though at the time her main intentions were to invoke pity from him.
Jennifer eventually overcame her fears of becoming ill, but not before Frankie had sex with Paula Carson in her apartment after she had revealed her husband had committed suicide. After he and Jennifer reconciled, Frankie and Paula agreed to keep their one-night stand a secret. However, Eve learned of this, and in an attempt to break Frankie and Jennifer up wrote an anonymous article in the paper; although Eve did not expose Frankie, she did Paula, and Frankie admitted to Jennifer he was the guy who had slept with her. Jennifer broke up with him again, but before long she forgave him and once again they resumed their relationship.
During the summer of 1988 a mysterious man came to town, which led Frankie to admit to Jennifer that Max was not his biological brother and that the "mystery man" was Max's abusive father, Trent. Frankie left town with Max, and Jennifer, not knowing whom Trent was, developed a friendship with him as he had hoped she would give him information on where Frankie and Max were. After Frankie and Max had gotten in a car accident, Trent's identity was exposed, but he chose not to pursue the custody of Max and left town.
Frankie left Salem in September, 1988, after he was accepted into Columbia University.
Frankie was reintroduced in November, 1990 as François Von Leuschner, the biological brother of Katerina Von Leuschner, better known as Carly Manning, Jennifer's old friend from boarding school; furthermore, it was revealed he had first come to Salem in 1986 per request by Carly to look out for Jennifer and left in 1988 because Jennifer was falling in love with him and he knew they could not be in a committed relationship. At the time of his 1990 return Frankie, Jennifer and Frankie were among several people kidnapped by Lawrence Alamain when Lawrence forced Jennifer into marrying him and subsequently raped her. Frankie's true identity was revealed to Jennifer after everyone kidnapped managed to escape. Although initially angered by this, Jennifer soon forgave Frankie and allowed him to move in with her as friends only.
Frankie and Jennifer's friendship was a significant aversion to Eve Donovan, who still had feelings for him herself. Furthermore, Frankie would not allow himself to feel sorry for her as he had in the past. Frankie did, however, continue to reach out to Eve on the conditions that she would not harass Jennifer nor try to invoke sympathy from him. After Eve was accused of killing Nick Corelli she, Jennifer, Frankie and Jack took a train trip in an attempt to recover the murder weapon and prove her innocence, and it was during this time Frankie and Eve began to develop as a couple.
Frankie left Salem with Eve in July, 1991 to go live in Africa.
Frankie eventually returned to Salem in the summer of 2005 (without Eve), keeping an eye on his younger brother Max. He and Max soon moved into the garage apartment at Jack and Jennifer's (recently vacated by Patrick Lockhart), and it became clear (to viewers) that Frankie was not over Jennifer. It was discovered when Frankie accidentally found a letter written by Jenn 20 years ago that Jenn did love him very much when they were teenagers. Jenn tried to explain the letter and it ended up causing Frankie to break down in tears. Jenn started to cry herself. They both managed to pull themselves together, pushing that into the back of their minds.
Frankie was initially concerned about Max's romantic involvement with their niece, Chelsea, but his storyline soon centered around his now close friend Jack Deveraux when he learned that Jack was dying and Jack wants him to look after Jennifer when he passes. Frankie finally agreed, and stayed, if only to keep trying to convince Jack to tell Jen about his seemingly fatal illness. Jack insisted he wants to kept it quiet, claiming it is to save his family the slow angst of watching him die.
At some point during the winter of 2005, Jack disappeared, and everyone assumed he was dead after finding his car went over an embankment near a river, even though they did not find Jack's body. Frankie was torn over keeping Jack's promise, or letting Jennifer deal on her own, with the help of her family; he finally decided on the latter, and went to leave town. But a fall on some ice resulting in a broken leg ends up keeping Frankie in Salem, and he and Jen mourn Jack together, eventually growing closer over the next few months.
Cut to summer 2006, Jen and Frankie are about to get married, while we find out that the disappearance of Jack was because he snuck off to a private hospital somewhere to die on his own. Except he is not dead yet, and he found his long-lost brother Steve, who was also thought to be dead, except now he has no memory of being Jack's brother. For their own reasons, they get each other to go back to Salem together. They end up at the church, and Jack accidentally crashes Jen and Frankie's wedding...
Over the next few months, Jen, Jack, and Frankie lived together, and Frankie uses his connections to try to find a cure for Jack, insisting they are not letting him die so easily this time. Meanwhile, Jen angsts over her old feelings for Jack and her new commitment to Frankie. The three are stuck in rare type of triangle in which all three really care about each other, and just don't want to let go.
But finally, it seemed that Jack is completely cured, thanks to Frankie's research and treatments at the hospital and what not. Jack and Jen went on some reporting assignment, and get kidnapped, and amidst the adventure of escaping, rediscover their feelings for each other.
After getting back to Salem, Jack and Jen were in the hospital for the last time - Jack is cleared to go home. Jennifer has made her choice, and she and Jack have a tearful parting with Frankie, who is understanding as he always knew Jack was her number one, and although it breaks his heart, he knows she'll be happy, and that's all that ever mattered.
Later, in September 2006, Jack and Jen accepted a job in London, England, and although Frankie stayed in Salem a little while longer to help with some court cases, he soon left on Thanksgiving night 2006, to work at a firm in Washington, D.C.
Frankie will be making a return in early 2012.