Born Francois Cellier, he was the son of a conductor by the same name. On stage from 1903, Frank was a classically-trained actor who acted in both Shakespearean and modern plays. According to contemporary reviews, he essayed a particularly noteworthy Macbeth in 1923. He was also fond of playing Hamlet and Shylock. He toured extensively (Europe, South Africa from 1915-19, America, West Indies etc.) and latterly turned to directing at London's West End. In films, he was more often than not seen as menacing or unsympathetic characters in melodramas or murder mysteries, at his most effective in The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935) and New York Express (1937).