He was born John Paul Salapatek in Blue Island, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago, on June 16, 1959.

As a child, Franklin had a growth hormone deficiency; as a result, his adult height is "barely 5 feet", or roughly 152 centimeters.

He co-starred with David Morse in the independent 1997 film George B. and with Steve Guttenberg in Disney’s TV movie Tower of Terror the same year.

Franklin formerly worked as an English teacher at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California.

[2][3] He explained, After the events of 9/11, I saw the shallowness of showbiz and felt a great desire to leave a greater legacy than just being Cousin Itt.