I’m watching the barely passable Children of the Corn remake on SyFy Channel right now… and I can’t help but wonder what ever happened to the actor that played the obnoxious little fuck Isaac in the movie…
John Franklin was born in the month of June 1959 in Chicago. He was born with a medical condition that makes him appear smaller and younger than he really is, making way for him to land an acting contract based on his talent and stature. His first ever credited role was as the supporting villain Isaac in Stephen King’s Children of the Corn (1984). The film was a huge success at the box office – remaining in the top 10 for four weeks – and has since become a cult classic and spawned a massive franchise. Little do people know, Franklin followed up this role with a voice-over in Child’s Play, voicing the normal Good Guy Dolls not played by Brad Dourif.
From there, John would become a player in the world of horror, fantasy and science fiction. He played Cousin It in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993) before landing small roles in scifi-comedy Tammy & the T-Rex (1994) and Tower of Terror (1997). He returned to the franchise that gave him his career in 1999 when he wrote and starred as Isaac in Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return. Then, he booked a small role in Python (2000) and a supporting part in family-fantasy’s The Christmas Secret (2000) before retiring from acting.
His television roles in this sixteen year span include guest spots in “Chicago Hope,” “Highway to Heaven” and “Star Trek: Voyager.”
So, where is John Franklin now?
He made his triumphant return to acting more than ten years later in the award winning horror short film Hag (2014), where he played the supporting role of a marriage counselor. His most recent work includes an episode of “Hell’s Kitty.” John routinely teaches acting classes, since he does have his degree in that field, and frequently appears as a guest at horror conventions around the country.
