Frank Bonner

Frank Bonner
Publicity photo of Bonner
Born	Frank Woodrow Boers Jr. (1942-02-28)February 28, 1942 Little Rock, Arkansas, US
Died	June 16, 2021(2021-06-16) (aged 79) Laguna Niguel, California, US
Occupation(s)	Actor, director
Years active	1970–2014
Known for	WKRP in Cincinnati
Spouses	Sharon Gray ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1971)​ Mary A. Rings ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1975)​ Lillian Garrett-Groag ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1980)​ Catherin M. Sherwood ​ ​ (m. 1981, divorced)​ Gayle Hardage ​ (m. 2006)​

Frank Woodrow Boers Jr. (February 28, 1942 – June 16, 2021) was an American actor and television director. He was especially known for his role as sales manager Herb Tarlek on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.^[1][2][3]

Bonner was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Grace Marie "Mamie" (née Dobbins) Boers Delahoussay,^[3] a singer, and Frank Woodrow Boers, a saxophonist.^[2][4] He was raised in Malvern, Arkansas.^[3][2]

Bonner began acting in the experimental 1967 independent film The Equinox ... A Journey into the Unknown, which was reshot and re-edited as the 1970 cult classic Equinox (in which he is credited as Frank Boers Jr.).^[4]

He later had several small roles in movies and on television, including Mannix, Emergency!, and Love, American Style. In 1978 he joined the cast of WKRP in Cincinnati, finding his signature role as Herb Tarlek, the crass and ineffectual station advertising sales agent, noted for his garish plaid suits and white shoes.^[1]

Bonner appeared as a guest star in two episodes of the sitcom Night Court in the 1980s. He had a supporting role as Detective Mooney in the short-lived Disney action series Sidekicks (1986–87).^[2] From 1988 to 1990, Bonner played the role of Father Hargis, headmaster of the fictional St. Augustine's Academy, on the TV show Just the Ten of Us, which was a spin-off of Growing Pains. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the television show Newhart. He reprised the role of Herb Tarlek in the 1991 spinoff The New WKRP in Cincinnati and in a 2004 rock video for Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics (for the song "The Tarleks"^[5] from their album 2067.

After directing six episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati, he directed for other television shows in the 1980s and 1990s,^[3] including Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class (starring his WKRP alumni Howard Hesseman), Evening Shade, Newhart, and every episode of the NBC Saturday morning sitcom City Guys. Bonner appeared in five episodes of Saved by the Bell: The New Class and directed^[6] four episodes.

Bonner was married five times: to Sharon Gray (1966–1971); actress Mary Alice Rings (1972–1975); playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag (1977–1980); Catherine M. Sherwood (1981–? until their divorce); and Gayle Hardage, his former high school sweetheart (2006–2021; his death).^[7] He had five children: a daughter (Desiree Boers-Kort) with his first wife, Sharon Gray; three sons (Michael, Matthew, and Justin); and a stepdaughter, DeAndra Freed. Bonner also had seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild at the time of his death.^[3][8] Michael predeceased his father.

In 1979, Bonner was injured in a parasailing accident at the El Mirage Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, northeast of Los Angeles. He was approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) in the air, suspended under an ascendancy parachute pulled by a tow vehicle — when a sudden, unexpected gust of wind collapsed the chute, causing him to fall to the lake bed and suffer internal injuries and injuries to his back.^[9] Subsequently, he appeared on crutches in episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati (the season 2 episode "A Family Affair") and an All-Star Special episode of Family Feud.^[6]

Bonner died on June 16, 2021, aged 79, in Laguna Niguel, California, of complications from Lewy body dementia.^{[2][10][4][3]} Bonner was a resident of Beverly Hills, California.^[9]

• Frank Bonner at IMDb