If you are among the 16 million people that are watching “House of the Dragon,” the prequel to “Game of Thrones,” you might be thinking to yourself: Who is the handsome actor playing Ser Criston Cole?
Or, in the words of New Yorker staff writer Naomi Fry:
they tell me there's a semitic good looks guy on house of (the?) dragon
— Naomi Fry (@frynaomifry) September 20, 2022
Well, wonder no longer: Ser Criston Cole is played by actor Fabien Frankel who, as Naomi so astutely points out, is semitic! But before we swoon too hard, let’s get to know this up-and-coming actor.
Here are 18 things to know about Jewish actor Fabien Frankel.
1. Fabien was born on April 6, 1994 in London to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother.
2. That makes him an Aries!
3. His father was British Jewish actor Mark Frankel, whose mother was an Indian Jew from Mumbai!
4. Tragically, Fabien’s father passed away in a motorcycle accident when Fabien was just 2 years old.
“I’m getting to the age that he was when he came out of drama school,” Fabien told British Vogue in 2022. “As I’ve started working, people from his life have magically appeared and found me. I’ve gotten to know him through them and that’s been lovely.”
May his memory be a blessing.
5. Fabien’s mother is French and he growing up speaking French in the home.
“I’m amazed I speak English, to be honest,” he said in an interview.
6. Fabien grew up with a love of cinema in part because of his late father, and because his mom took him and his brother to the cinema once a week.
7. Fabien says he was “terrible in school plays” as a kid.
“I was always given the worst role. The one time I ever even got close to playing a part, they gave me Photographer No. 2 in ‘Singin’ in the Rain,'” he told Variety.
8. He has degrees from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Dramatic Music and Art.
9. He made his professional debut in 2017 in the Charing Cross Theatre’s production of “The Knowledge.”
10. Fabien made his onscreen debut in the movie “Last Christmas.”
Check out the trailer here:
11. Fabien was cast as Theo Sipowicz in the reboot of “NYPD Blue,” playing the son of original character Andy Sipowicz. Unfortunately, the reboot was canceled before ever making it to air.
12. In 2021, Fabien appeared in the Netflix crime drama “The Serpent” as Dominique Renelleau.
Check out the very creepy trailer here:
13. Fabien posted plenty of BTS content from “The Serpent.” Check out these photos:
And also these photos:
14. Fabien panicked a bit on his first day on set for “House of the Dragon.”
“The camera finally got around to me and I swear to God I literally forgot how to act. I couldn’t do it! I didn’t know what to do,” Frankel revealed in a podcast. “I remember going, ‘This is it, I’ve totally fucked it.’”
Listen here:
15. On another podcast, Fabien revealed that he prepared for the sex scene between his character and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen over the course of SEVEN MONTHS!
“It was something we talked about over seven months. It was one of the first things I was very keen to talk about,” Frankel told EW. “We were incredibly fortunate that episode 4 was directed by Clare Kilner, who I think is one of the great TV directors working today. The big thing for me was about it not feeling like another gratuitous, sweat-glistening-off-their-backs sex scene, ’cause it’s just not like that. Anyone who’s ever had sex will tell you sex ain’t that beautiful. It isn’t some picturesque, amazing thing. It’s awkward, especially when you are young. There’s an uncomfortability that one has to sit in, and there’s a discovery and understanding of each other’s bodies — not to mention the practical side of the whole thing.”
Listen here:
16. And here are some fun BTS photos from “The House of the Dragon”:
17. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Fabien looks good in a suit of armor.
18. This year, Fabien will also be starring in a British indie film called “Venice at Dawn.”
