Frank Bonner Net Worth: Frank Woodrow Bowers Jr., better known as Frank Bonner, was an American actor. He is also best known for his role as sales manager Herb Tarlek in the TV series “WKRP in Cincinnati”.
First Half of Life
Frank Bonner was born on 28 February 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA to his parents Frank Woodrow Bowers and Mamie Grace. His mother Mamie was a vocalist, while his father Frank played the saxophone. He gave no information about his academic history. Frank seems to have decided from the start that he would pursue a career as an actor.
The independent experimental film “The Equinox…A Journey into the Unknown” is where Bonner made his acting debut. The movie was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 supernatural horror movie “Equinox”. After that, he appeared in several TV series like “The Young Lawyers”, “Nancy”, “Manix”, “Nichols”, “The FBI Eye”, “Hawkins”, “Emergency”, “Love, American Style”.
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Career
Frank made his mark in 1978 when he was cast in the role of Herb Tarlek on the TV sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”. He got wide recognition by acting in the series. Frank then gave his best performance in the sitcom for almost four years from 1978 to 1982. In the Season 2 episode “A Family Affair”, he was seen mostly on crutches, as he suffered internal and back injuries in a parachute accident. Similarly, he appeared on the television game show “Family Feud” with crutches.
Frank’s other notable performance then came in the 1988 TV sitcom “Just the Ten of Us”, where he appeared as father Robert Hargis. However, he appeared in a total of 22 episodes of the sitcom over two years from 1988 to 1990.
In 1994, he appeared in the recurring role of Mr. Harrington in the teen sitcom TV series “Saved by the Bell: The New Class”.Then, from 1994 until 1997, he continued to appear in the series. After that, he continued his acting journey by acting in other acting projects like “The Mummy”, “The Colony”, “USA High”, “City Guys”.
Frank has also worked as a director on several TV series. He directed six episodes of the CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and two episodes of “Head of Class.” Similarly, he directed seven episodes of the sequel to the sitcom “The New WKRP in Cincinnati”. In 1997, he began directing the TV sitcom “City Guys”, which he directed for 105 episodes.He directed the TV series “Desire and Deceit” in 2010, which was his last project as a filmmaker.
Frank Bonner Net Worth
Frank Bonner’s net worth was approximately $7 million at the time of his death. It is believed that he probably earned a huge amount of money by acting as an actor in numerous TV series. But his journey as a director of several TV series has helped him a lot to bag the big bucks.
The Personal Life of Frank Bonner
Frank Bonner was married four times and first, he tied the knot with Sharon Gray, which reportedly lasted for five years, then after separating from Sharon in 1971, he married Mary A. in 1972. Married to Rings, which lasted only three years. Then in 1977, he married Lillian Garrett-Grog. His third marriage lasted three years. Frank then said he finally found true love in his fourth marriage, where he shared vows in 2006 with his high school sweetheart Gail Hardage. She raised her four children with Hardez.
Cause of Death
Frank Bonner was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia in 2018. The disease worsened which affected his mental and physical health. Frank finally lost his battle with the disease on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Frank Bonner breathed his last on June 16, 2021 at his home in Laguna Niguel, south of Los Angeles. His daughter, Desiree Bowers-Court, confirmed that the actor had died at the age of 79.
