About
Shawn Darnell “Solo” Fonteno (born April 8, 1968) is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for playing Franklin Clinton in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V, a role he reprised in 2021 for Grand Theft Auto Online. Aside from his portrayal of Franklin Clinton, Fonteno has acted in films such as The Wash.
Fonteno was born and raised in Watts, Los Angeles. He didn’t know his father up until the age of 8, he met him in the hospital after his father had been shot in an armed robbery shootout. He joined the Crips street gang at a young age, dealing drugs and beginning to rise through the ranks before several near-fatal shootings and kidnapping attempts on his family inspired him to leave the gang. Fonteno was at one point the vice-president of an African American motorcycle club called the Choppers MC. He was still committing criminal acts with his crew but eventually decided to settle down and leave the MC life behind in good standing.
His rapping career was under the name Solo, from his gangster nickname OG Solo. Fonteno was affiliated with several record companies including DJ Pooh’s Lench Mob, Death Row Records, and Priority…
Born On This Day
Bio and photo via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons licensing.