Frank Doubleday was an American actor who was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 28, 1945. When he was just six years old, Doubleday’s family relocated to Los Angeles, a move that would eventually shape his career path. As a working adult, while employed by the United States Postal Service, Doubleday attended a performance of Waiting for Godot at Los Angeles Junior College—and that experience sparked his interest in acting.

He made his television debut in an episode of the short-lived series Lucas Tanner (NBC, 1974–75), and the following year, in 1976, he appeared in his first film, The First Nudie Musical. In that film, Doubleday played a threatening thug, a role that gave early indication of the types of characters he would often portray throughout his career. That same year, he also took on the role of a ruthless villain in John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, marking the beginning of a fruitful, albeit brief, collaboration with the director.

Over the next few years, Doubleday became a familiar face on television, appearing in popular shows such as Starsky and Hutch (ABC, 1975–79) and The Incredible Hulk (CBS, 1977–1982). Around 1978, he began a relationship with Christina Hart, an actress best known for her work in Charley Varrick (1973). The two eventually married and remained together for the rest of Doubleday’s life.

In 1981, Doubleday landed what would become his most iconic role—playing the villainous Romero in Escape from New York, again directed by John Carpenter. His performance opposite Kurt Russell was widely praised, with Russell himself noting that Doubleday’s portrayal was instrumental in setting the tone of the film. That same year, he also appeared in a couple of episodes of the TV show CHiPs (NBC, 1977–1983).

The 1980s saw Doubleday continuing to work steadily, though he began to slow down toward the end of the decade. His first daughter, Kaitlin Doubleday, was born in 1984. She would later become an actress in her own right, known for her roles in music-focused television series such as Empire (Fox, 2015– ) and Nashville (ABC/CMT, 2012–18). Frank also appeared in Broadcast News (1987), playing a tough, no-nonsense mercenary, further solidifying his reputation for playing intense, often antagonistic characters.

In 1988, his second daughter, Portia Doubleday, was born. Like her father and sister, she pursued acting and is best known for her starring role in the critically acclaimed series Mr. Robot (USA, 2015– ). Frank took on what would be his final film role in Shakespeare’s Plan 12 from Outer Space (1991), and he made one of his last television appearances in an episode of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (Fox, 1997–2002), which aired in the show’s first season.

By this time, however, Doubleday and Hart had shifted their focus to stage acting, directing, and teaching acting classes. After decades in the entertainment industry, Frank Doubleday passed away on March 3, 2018, at the age of 73, due to complications from esophageal cancer.