Frank Buffay Sr.

This article is about Phoebe Buffay's father. For her half brother see Frank Buffay Jr., for one of triplets she gave birth to see Frank Buffay Jr. Jr.

Frank Buffay Sr.
Name	Frank Buffay
Gender	Male
Occupation	Pharmacist
Relatives	Biological: Phoebe Buffay (daughter) Ursula Buffay (daughter) Frank Buffay Jr. (son) Frank Buffay Jr. Jr. (grandson) Chandler Buffay (granddaughter) Leslie Buffay (granddaughter) Marital: Lily Buffay (ex-wife) † Mrs. Buffay (second wife, abandoned) Mike Hannigan (son-in-law) Duncan (ex-son-in-law) Frances (ex-mother-in-law) † Unnamed ex-father-in-law † Alice Knight (daughter-in-law)
Relationships	Phoebe Abbott (ex-girlfriend)
Information
Episode	The One With Joey's Bag
Portrayed by	Bob Balaban

Frank Buffay is the father of Phoebe, Ursula, and Frank Buffay Jr.. He was portrayed by Bob Balaban.

Quick Answers

What is the relationship between Frank Buffay Sr. and Phoebe Buffay?

Frank Buffay Sr., known as Phoebe's dad in the series 'Friends', is the biological father of Phoebe Buffay. He and Phoebe Abbott had a relationship that resulted in the birth of twins, Phoebe and Ursula. Unable to handle motherhood, Phoebe Abbott gave the twins to Lily and Frank Buffay Sr. However, Frank abandoned the family, causing a significant impact on their lives.

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Who are the children of Frank Buffay Sr. in Friends?

Frank Buffay Sr. has two children, Phoebe Buffay and Frank Buffay Jr. His son, Frank Buffay Jr., is the father of triplets: Frank Buffay Jr. Jr., Leslie Buffay, and Chandler Buffay, with Phoebe Buffay acting as the surrogate mother.

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Why did Frank Buffay Sr. leave his family in Friends?

In the TV series Friends, Phoebe's dad, Frank Buffay Sr., abandoned his family after the birth of his daughters, Phoebe and Ursula. He was previously in a relationship with Lily and Phoebe Abbott, leading to the twins' birth. Despite marrying Lily with plans to raise the children, he left when they were infants. He remarried, fathered Frank Buffay Jr., but eventually abandoned this family too.

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Who were the women Frank Buffay Sr. had a relationship with in Friends?

In Friends, Frank Buffay Sr. was involved with two women. His first relationship was with the mother of Phoebe Buffay, and his second relationship was with Mrs. Buffay, the mother of Frank Buffay Jr. and stepmother to Phoebe and Ursula Buffay.

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History

Frank had a consensual relationship with both Lily and Phoebe Abbott at the same time, which resulted in the latter falling pregnant with Phoebe and Ursula. Frank and Lily married and planned on raising the twins together. However, he walked out on his family and divorced Lily when the twins were just babies. He later remarried and had a son, Frank Buffay Jr, who along with his second wife he eventually abandoned as well.

Frank is central to Season 2 episode "The One With Phoebe's Dad", but appears only once and more than three years later, when Phoebe's grandmother (Lily's mother), Frances, dies in "The One With Joey's Bag". He introduces himself at the funeral for the grandmother, which makes Phoebe gasp. He quickly says his name is Joe and rushes out. She catches up to him and claims she is the executor of Frances' estate, so he agrees to meet her at Central Perk after the funeral. Frank also did not know that Lily was dead, so he wanted to see her asking Phoebe to give her a letter he wrote to her. Phoebe then reveals to him that Lily is dead and also that she is actually Phoebe. He apologizes to her for abandoning her and it turns out that he sang her a lullaby as a baby to the same melody as "Smelly Cat". Phoebe smiles as he recites it ("Sleepy girl, sleepy girl, why won't you go to sleep; sleepy girl, sleepy girl, you're keeping me up.") At the end of the episode, Phoebe is not ready to forgive her birth father yet, but slowly warms up to him. They sit on the couch and talk for a while.

Appearance

• "The One With Joey's Bag"

Trivia

• It is unknown if Phoebe ever told her brother about meeting their father. It is also unknown if Frank Sr. reconnected with his son's family and met his grandchildren.
• In a deleted scene, Phoebe tells Ursula she met their father, but Ursula thinks John Glenn is their dad and cannot be convinced otherwise.