When were you happiest?
There is only the now.
What is your greatest fear?
Accidents to loved ones.
What is your earliest memory?
Sitting in my pram outside my hall door playing with the buttons on a coat and my father coming along and tossing my hair.
Which living person do you most admire?
My wife.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
A tendency to self-pity.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Greed.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
When I played Romeo Tybalt tore my wig off with his dagger in the fight!
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you’ve bought?
A new car.
What is your most treasured possession?
The love of my family.
Where would you like to live?
Greenwich Village.
What would your superpower be?
To fly.
What makes you depressed?
At the moment, Israel.
What is you favourite word?
Grace.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My tummy.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would it be?
The ensemble company in the theatre.
What is your favourite smell?
Freshly cut grass.
What is your favourite book?
Finnegans Wake.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Harlequin.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
A touch of weeding.
What do you owe your parents?
My life.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
To all those I told to “fuck off!” because I only shot myself in the foot.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife.
What does love feel like?
Bliss.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Nothing matters. Everything counts.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Washing up in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin when I was 16.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
My temperament.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
Paris in the ‘20s
When did you last cry, and why?
Christmas morning. My wife said she was going to call her mother and I said I wish my Mum were alive so that I could call her.
How do you relax?
Listen to music.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
I haven’t.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Wealth.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My children.
What keeps you awake at night?
Anxiety about work.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Strawberry Fields Forever.
How would you like to be remembered?
I don’t really care.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
The four most important words are, Gentleness, Kindness, Forgiving and Compassion.
Where would you most like to be right now?
On stage.
Tell us a joke?
A man walked into a bar. Ouch! It was an iron bar.
Dear Frank,
Surfing the web and came across your site – lovely to hear such news of you across this distance and after all these years. Intersting answers to the Guardian Quiz – you should do a “Desert Island Discs” – what records you would take to your island and why -or do you feel that Stoppard has dealt sufficiently with this?
Lovely writing about your trip to India – I’m truly delighted to be able to have your news in this way,
Wishing you well, well, well and sending love to you and Ginette,
Fionnuala.
How charming,honest and beautiful to read on this snowy afternoon in harlem…thank you…a champagne cocktail i raise to you in bonny barnes from my NY home.