Frank Gianini

Claire (niece)

## Appearances

The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries, Vol. II: Princess in the Spotlight

The Princess Diaries, Vol. III: Princess in Love

The Princess Diaries, Vol. IV: Princess in Waiting

The Princess Diaries, Vol. IV and a Half: Project Princess

The Princess Diaries, Vol. V: Princess in Pink

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VI: Princess in Training

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VI and a Half: The Princess Present

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VII: Party Princess

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VII and a Half: Sweet Sixteen Princess

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VII and 3/4ths: Valentine Princess

The Princess Diaries, Vol. VIII: Princess on the Brink

The Princess Diaries, Vol. IX: Princess Mia

The Princess Diaries, Vol. X: Forever Princess

MiaThermopolis.com

Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel

From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess: Royal Crush

Perfect Princess: A Princess Diaries Book

Holiday Princess: A Princess Diaries Book

**Frank Gianini,** also known as **Mr. Gianini** or **Mr. G,** (May, 1964 - May, 2014) is the husband of Helen Thermopolis, father of Rocky Thermopolis-Gianini and step-father and Algebra teacher of Mia Thermopolis.

## Biography

### Early Life

Frank is from Long Island. He has one sister, who is married with two children. Frank lives in Brooklyn.

### Mia's Freshman Year

Mr. Gianini is Mia's freshman algebra teacher. She does poorly in this class and within a month calls Helen Thermopolis in for a parent-teacher conference. Sometime during this conference he asks Helen out on a date. Mr. G also has Mia stay after school every day to work on her algebra, without being paid any extra or overtime.

#### Princess Diaries

Mr. Gianini and Helen's first date is on Friday, September 26, 2003. They continue dating, and on Sunday, October 12 Mia came downstairs to find Mr. G in his underwear - Helen having believed Mia was spending the night at Lilly's. At one point, Mr. Gianini suggests Mia should play the lead in *My Fair Lady*, embarrassing her. When the story about Mia breaks to the Post, Mr. G is the first one to realize and calls Helen, who does not answer, eventually calling Phillipe, who has Mr. G take Mia to the principal's office. Phillipe suspects Mr. G of leaking the information to the Post. Mr. G also helps Lars get Mia out of the school unscathed at the end of the day.

The morning of the Cultural Diversity Dance Mr. Gianini overhears Mia asking Helen if Josh has called, and informs Helen that he doesn't approve, saying that Josh is "fast," however when Grandmère shows up at the loft to take Mia to get her dress she says something to Mr. G and Helen that causes them to blush and look at the ground.

At the dance, Mr. G sends Tina and Lilly to the bathroom to check on Mia, and later tells her she has raised her grade from an F to a D. When Mia calls her mom to ask if she can spend the night at the Moscovitzs' house Mia suspects that Mr. G has already told her mother what occurred at the dance with her and Josh.

#### Princess in the Spotlight

Helen discovers the Monday after the Cultural Diversity Dance that she is pregnant, when she tells him she is expecting they decide to get married. When Mamaw and Papaw Thermopolis come to town with Hank, Mr. G takes them out for steaks, wanting to get to know his in-laws. Mr. G moves into the loft, bringing his drum set, a foozball table, and a pinball machine, which delights Mia. On Halloween, the day of Helen and Frank's intended wedding, Mr. G does not show up to Mia's algebra class and Helen is not at the loft when Mia arrives home after school. Phillipe reveals at the wedding that Helen and Frank eloped to Cancun, Mexico.

#### Princess in Love

Mia goes to Thanksgiving at Mr. and Mrs. Gianini's (Frank's parents) house, in Long Island. Mia leaves algebra with a hall pass on the day of the proposed walk out, and instead pulls the fire alarm to stop it. Frank later asks her if she saw anything, implying that he knows that she did it. After Mia smashes Lana Weinberger's cell phone for threatening to reveal that she pulled the fire alarm, Mr. G sends Mia to the office where she is suspended. That same day Mr. G brings home a real, live Chistmas tree, not knowing Mia's opposition, to make her feel better. While everyone is over at the loft to study Mr. G begins practicing his drums, which contributes to the group going to get Chinese food instead. At the end of the term he gives Mia a B- in algebra. When Mia is outside on the fire escape Mr. G tries to coax her inside by offering her some chili that he has made, and that he has left the meat out of it, just for her, but he does not succeed.

#### Princess in Waiting

When Mia returns from her Genovia after her winter break she finds out that Mr. G has cleared out the third bedroom that was formerly Helen's photography darkroom in order to make it a nursery for the baby. Helen intends to paint important celebrity scenes, but Mr. G assures Mia that he will have it painted over once Helen goes into labor. Mr. G later asks if anyone has seen his corduroy pants, leading to the revelation that they have had their laundry stolen. It is later revealed that Ronnie picked up their laundry by mistake before she went on vacation, when she returns home she apologizes and delivers the laundry back. When Lana Weinberger finds out that Mia and Michael are dating she makes a call on her cell, but Mr. G takes her cell phone away, as students are not allowed to use them during class. Later when Lana gets her hair caught in Mia's book Mr. G tells her to keep her hair to herself and does not punish Mia for slamming her book shut.

#### Valentine Princess

Mia asks Mr. G and Helen what they plan on doing for Valentine's Day. Helen says nothing, which Mr. G strenuously objects to. He says they will be doing something, even if it is just ordering in food. The next day Mia asks Mr. G if he has always believed in celebrating Valentine's Day. He tells her he didn't used to, but he likes it now that he's with Helen. Mia confides in him about Michael. Mr. G tells her that it doesn't matter if he believes in Valentine's Day as long as they care about each other.

#### Project Princess

Helen thinks that Mia is trying to join a cult, but Mr. G explains that Housing for the Hopeful is not a cult and he has gone on the spring break trip for the last 5 years, only skipping this year because Helen is pregnant.

#### Princess in Pink

Frank and Helen get Mia a cell phone for her birthday, so that they can call her when Helen goes into labor. Mr. G calls Mia into class after she gets a poor grade on a quiz to tell her that he thinks her relationship with Michael is distracting her from her schoolwork. Helen and Frank argue over what the baby's name should be - Helen wants Sartre if it's a boy and Simone if it's a girl, while Frank wants Rocky for a boy and Rose for a girl. They also argue about whether they should get supplies for Mia's party nearby or in New Jersey - Frank is afraid that the tunnel will get bombed and Helen will go into labor while they are trapped if they try to go to New Jersey. On the day of Mia's party they end up going to New Jersey to get everything they need for the party without any bombs going off, though Helen does have to pee badly by the time they get through traffic.

At the party Tina hides all the coke in the nursery so that Frank will have to go and get more. When he returns and opens the closet to put his coat away he finds Lilly and Jangbu making out inside and abruptly ends the party and sends everyone home. The next day Frank and Helen get up early to make waffles.

On Tuesday of the next week Mia gets a call that Helen has collapsed due to dehydration. She yells to Mr. G that Helen is in the hospital and he rides the subway with them to get to her.

Lilly comes to the loft after her and Jangbu fall apart and apologizes to Helen and Mr. G about the whole closet incident. Grandmère appears shortly after insisting on staying with them due to the strike. On the night of Prom, Mr. G goes out to "buy some lottery tickets" as a way to get out of the house and away from Grandmère when Helen unexpectedly goes into labor. Ronnie hails a cab while Verl runs to get Mr. G and they all ride in the cab together to the hospital where Rocky Thermopolis-Gianini is born, and Mr. G cries after holding his son. Clarisse offers to continue to stay at the loft to help, but Mr. G turns her down immediately.

### Mia's Sophomore Year

#### Princess in Training

When Mamaw and Papaw threaten to come back to New York, Helen and Mr. G decide to go to Indiana for a weekend instead so that they can meet Rocky. They arrange for Mia to stay at the Plaza while they are gone. In Versailles, Frank has to ride Papaw's tractor and he and Helen leave Rocky behind with Mamaw and Papaw while they go to a classic car show at the Kroger Sav-On. They return to find that Rocky cried the whole time they were gone and Mamaw and Papaw just left him, curing him of his crying for attention.

#### Party Princess

Mr. G keeps Helen from opening Mia's letter from *Sixteen* magazine before Mia gets home and can open it herself. He and Helen attend Aide de Ferme and engage in conversation with Leonard Nimoy.

#### Sweet Sixteen Princess

Mia asks Helen and Mr. G if they know anything about a party that Grandmère might be throwing for her 16th birthday. Mr. G says if she is he refuses to chaperone after all the grinding he had to see at that years Nondenominational Winter Dance. On Mia's birthday he makes pancakes and he, Helen, and Rocky sit while she opens her presents. Before Mia goes out with Michael for the night Helen and Mr. G take Rocky to a movie, but they secretly go to meet Mia at her surprise ice skating party. At the party they reveal that they were in on the party with Michael and Phillipe and had the job of keeping her in the dark about everything. They skate together with the rest of Mia's friends.

### Mia's Junior Year

#### Princess on the Brink

After Michael tells Mia he's moving to Japan Mia gets ice cream and cries while Helen tries to comfort her and Mr. G comes in to check on them. After the break up Helen tells Mia that she and Mr. G are ordering from Number One Noodle Son and offer to get something for her, but she surprises Helen by ordering meat dishes.

#### Princess Mia

Frank tries to bribe Mia into going to school after she misses a day with hot chocolate, but Mia doesn't go for it. Frank is one of the only people that initially knows Mia has been sent to therapy and while she is out he and Helen clean her room and remove her TV. Mr. G sits with Mia to help her with her makeup work after she misses most of a week of school.

### Mia's Senior Year

Mr. G, Helen, and Mia start water bombing the paparazzi when they stake out the loft, eventually developing good enough aim that the paparazzi leave the loft alone.

#### Forever Princess

Mr. Gianini is surprised when Mia tells him and Helen and she is not planning on going to prom. Mamaw and Papaw come to town and Mr. G and Helen arrange for them to take a bunch of tours so they have to see them as little as possible. Helen and Mr. G take Rocky to the zoo with Mamaw, Papaw, and Mia and go to Applebees for dinner after. On Mia's birthday Mr. G makes heart-shaped waffles for her. Mr. G sits through Mia's prom dress fashion show and attends graduation, dancing with Helen at the reception.

### Later Life

Mia visits Frank, Helen, and Rocky for Christmas and before summer break her freshman year of college before flying to Genovia. Mr. G carries on the tradition of making Mia waffles for her 21st birthday and she and Helen give Mia an iPad.

### Death and Legacy

Frank Gianini passed away due to congestive heart failure on a bus on his way to band practice in May, 2014. Frank had a substantial life insurance policy and 401(k) he was able to leave behind for Helen and Rocky. In his memory, Mia opened the Frank Gianini Community Center which is open to any students and provides tutoring after school.

Mia and Michael name their son Frank Renaldo after Mr. G.

## Physical Appearance

Mia describes Mr. G as being nice enough looking, but is concerned by the way his nostrils stick out. He is tall and has all of his hair. While Mia is in Genovia for her winter break freshman year he grows a goatee.

## Personality and Traits

Frank is an avid drummer.

His favorite movies are Animal House and Caddyshack.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Princess Diaries, Vol. III: Princess in Love
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Princess Diaries, Vol. II: Princess in the Spotlight
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Princess Diaries
4. ↑ The Princess Diaries, Vol. X: Forever Princess
5. ↑ MiaThermopolis.com
6. ↑ Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel
7. ↑ From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess: Royal Crush
8. ↑ The Princess Diaries, Vol. IV: Princess in Waiting
9. ↑ The Princess Diaries, Vol. VII: Party Princess