Jason David Frank was a Power Rangers icon and a bona fide star

To anyone who wasn’t a dyed-in-the-wool latchkey ’90s kid, the passing of actor and mixed martial artist Jason David Frank this past Saturday at the too-young age of 49 (reportedly by suicide) might not carry a tremendous amount of weight. But for an entire generation of elder-to-mid millennials, he was the closest thing we had to Jackie Chan — a bona fide PG-rated martial arts action star beamed straight to our televisions every weekday. Kids’ TV was hardly the arena for fast, furious fight choreography; in fact, parents at the time raised hell over the amount of violence aimed at their children. But there are other things. Power RangersTommy and I had an idol in Tommy. We could imagine ourselves copying him in the backyard and on the playground.

It premiered at Fox on Fox, 1993. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was an instant surprise hit: From the first episode, kids were already hooked to its bright, colorful superheroes, camp slapstick antics, and imported-from-Japan fights and monsters (the series took liberally from the Super Sentai series of tokusatsu shows that had run there since the mid-’70s). But it was Frank’s introduction as Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger, which cemented the show’s smash-hit status.

In a move that still feels novel for kids’ TV, Tommy was introduced in a five-episode arc, “Green With Evil,” that presented him as an “evil” Green Ranger, hypnotized by series villain Rita Repulsa to take down the Rangers from within. But even within the baked-in woodenness of the show’s performances, Frank struck a chord: He was tall and handsome, with a reedy voice that could flit between vulnerability and menace at the drop of a hat. (And, of course, those ’90s fashions served him well: green mesh shirts, baggy pants, shaggy hair that would eventually grow into a long, wild ponytail.)

Image: Saban Entertainment

Tommy was the Ranger type who could race and battle circles around the heroes of charity, while his characters were subject to the harsh demands of the series. But Tommy’s rough edges brought out the best in them and in the show itself, which made him an instant fan favorite.

He was the franchise’s bad boy, one as willing to beat up all five Rangers in the cockpit of their Megazord as he was to snub Pink Ranger Kimberly’s advances and send school bullies Bulk and Skull running into a dumpster with a single glare. And when that original arc ended with the Rangers breaking Rita’s spell and bringing him into the fold, that’s when Power Rangers ReallyIt was taken off.

Frank’s contract with Power RangersOriginal 14 episodes. This was the same as his Sentai counterpart, which followed a temporary path where all footage was cribbed. Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Tommy and Frank were too beloved: Frank was the best-known martial artist in the cast. His magnetic presence lifted the entire ensemble. His gear was simply too cool. The gold shield that he wore across his chest! Dragon Flute He’s back!

As an actor, it’s safe to say Frank was no great shakes (not that the show ever asked much of its performers). Frank’s work was suffused with an intangible charisma that felt like the adult-oriented action heroes of his time. His acting style was reminiscent of those who were more serious: charming, but not too wooden. He wasn’t too far removed from Jean-Claude Van Damme, honestly, a lithe martial artist who had just enough star presence to carry his scenes in between roundhouse kicks. He was the PG version of the Arnolds or Slys of his time, and was explicitly marketed at children with the same fighting fervor as his bigger-screen counterparts.

Frank’s meteoric rise to fan favorite dovetailed with the show’s trajectory for Tommy; in the second season of the show, the writers elevated him to team leader, giving him the gold-and-black shield and talking tiger sword (don’t ask) of the White Ranger. The White Ranger’s move to this position coincided with Power Rangers becoming an even bigger hit, and when the franchise moved to the big screen for 1995’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The MovieFrank felt like a movie star with his castmates.

Image: Saban Entertainment

As the show progressed and even further changes to the formula were required, Frank stayed on as the series’ primary draw. Mighty MorphineDeveloped into Power Rangers ZeoAs the franchise fully accepted the Sentai’s new-suits-every year dynamic, he was able to lead the team. Tommy still led the team, but not as an upgraded Sixth Ranger: He’d graduated to Red Ranger. This continued for the second half of the car-themed season. Power Rangers TurboBefore he, and many of his castmates, fell prey to the inevitable turnover that the franchise demands of its cast.

After Rangers, he went back to his first love, martial arts — he would set up classes for young wannabe Rangers to learn the way of the fist — and even developed his own form called Toso Kune Do, a blend of aikido, Jeet Kune Do, karate, Thai boxing, and a host of other styles. He’d appear in the occasional acting role (including one episode of MTV’s UndressedThe other thing was to stay away from the camera.

Still, the power of the Morphin’ Grid (and the cries of an increasingly grown-up Power Rangers fan base) couldn’t keep him away for long. In 2002, he returned for the show’s 10th-anniversary special, “Forever Red,” alongside all of the series’ previous Red Rangers both before and after his tenure.

Frank would return more permanently in 2004’s Power Rangers Dino ThunderThis time, as a mentor. Dr. Tommy Oliver was his high-spirited high school student, apparently earning a Ph.D. (and an a) in archaeology. SickIn the years following Rangerhood, he was in his mid-twenties soul patch. He spent his first episodes teaching high school misfits how to become Power Rangers. But he quickly suited up as the Black Dino Ranger again. “Aren’t you a little old for this, Tommy?” the episode’s villain purrs at him. Right before morphing the first time since years, his reply was: “I may be old, but I can still pull it off.”

Image courtesy of ABC Television

Implausibility aside — this is a show about giant robots, after all — it was really nice to see Frank on screen again, now older and a more seasoned, assured performer. The bad-boy twinkle was gone, replaced by a paternal and professorial approach to his children. They called him the Giles. Buffy the Vampire SlayerIf Giles were a bit more Scott Stapp-like,

Frank would appear in several more appearances. Dino ThunderAdditional anniversary specials are also availableSuper MegaforceA recent example is here Super Ninja Steel). Even appeared at the 2017 Power Rangers reboot alongside former Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson. He was never out of work and always returned to the same reliable source of income. It felt more like an older statesman examining the legacy that he had left.

Frank took pride in the Rangers’ iconic status and showed that he still loves them. His presence at conventions was regular. He also voiced the voices for fans and spinoff media. (Shortly before his death by suicide last week, he’d wrapped production on Legend of the White DragonA Kickstarter-funded fan film featuring several Ranger alums, “(

It’s clear that Tommy meant a lot to Jason David Frank, just as the man himself did to the legions of fans who grew up watching Tommy flip, brood, and eyat-se-eyahHis way through the most fun part of his childhood. The narrow, yet powerful niche Power RangersFrank is a legend, and one who was able to perform the best if he kept on holding onto his Power Coin. Under different circumstances, Frank could have been mentioned with JCVD. But a part of me hopes (and thinks) he was happy with the legacy he’d made for himself. He be safe with the Power