1. Joe Frank was an American writer, teacher, and radio performer best known for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas he recorded often in collaboration with friends, actors, and family members.
Joe Frank was born months before the family fled from Nazi Germany's persecution of Jewish people in their native Poland.
Joe Frank's father died of kidney failure on October 8,1943, when Joe was five years old.
In 1977, Joe Frank began volunteering at Pacifica Network station WBAI in New York, performing experimental radio involving monologues, improvisational actors, and live music during late-night, free-form hours.
Joe Frank continued to work at KCRW until 2002, and his work evolved, as evidenced by the diverse series he produced.
In 2012, Joe Frank started producing periodic half-hour shows for KCRW's "UnFictional" series.
Joe Frank continued to produce all-new shows for the series until months before his death.
Joe Frank received a second cousin's kidney in 2006, which continued to function normally until his death.
In 2012, Joe Frank returned to KCRW for episodes of the station's "UnFictional" program.
In May 2014, Joe Frank had surgery to treat colon cancer, which was successful.
In December 2015, Joe Frank was hospitalized due to a gastrointestinal perforation following a routine medical procedure.
Joe Frank died on January 15,2018, after multiple reversals following the surgery, from sepsis.
Joe Frank's voice is distinctive, resonant, authoritative, and, because of his occasional voice-over work, often oddly familiar.
Kornfield explained that, although he had never met or talked to Joe Frank or heard his show, he didn't mind Joe Frank using the lectures and that many of his meditation students had found Kornfield through the show.
Joe Frank performed voice-overs for commercials including Zima, the Saturn Corporation and Jiffy Lube.
Joe Frank was the voice of the computer in Galaxy Quest and provided voiceovers for:.