- Born
- Died
- Birth nameBenjamin Franklin Deford III
- Frank Deford was born on December 16, 1938 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Everybody's All-American (1988), Trading Hearts (1988) and Alex: The Life of a Child (1986). He was married to Carol Ruth Penner. He died on May 28, 2017 in Key West, Florida, USA.
- SpouseCarol Ruth Penner(August 28, 1965 - May 28, 2017) (his death, 3 children)
- ChildrenAlexandra Deford (1971-1980)Scarlet Faith DefordChristian Deford
- Chairman emeritus of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He became an advocate for children with cystic fibrosis after his daughter Alexandra was diagnosed with the illness when she was a few months old. She died on January 19, 1980, at age eight.
- In 1983 he published a memoir that chronicled his daughter Alex's short life. The book was adapted into the TV film Alex: The Life of a Child (1986), which starred Craig T. Nelson as Deford and Bonnie Bedelia as his wife, Carol. Deford updated his memoir in 1998 to include an epilogue on how his family and Alex's childhood friends progressed following her death.
- He and his wife Carol have had three children: Christian (b. 1969), Alexandra (b. 1972 - d. 1980), and Scarlet (b. 1980). Scarlet is the daughter they adopted a few months following the death of their daughter Alex, who died of cystic fibrosis at age eight.
- Former editor-in-chief of "The National" sports weekly.
- Columnist for "Sports Illustrated" magazine.
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