Richard Franklin (born 15 January 1936) is a British actor. He has had various roles in different television programmes including Crossroads (January – June 1969, as "Joe Townsend") and Emmerdale Farm (1988–89, as "Dennis Rigg"). However, his most significant role was that of "Captain Mike Yates", a member of UNIT, in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1971 to 1974. Franklin has stood for Parliament on several occasions and works today primarily as a theatre director.

He has also guest-starred in a number of Big Finish Productions audio plays including Professor Bernice Summerfield: Dragons' Wrath, Sapphire and Steel: The Surest Poison and I, Davros: Innocence.

His other acting television appearances include: Blake's 7, Dixon of Dock Green, The Saint, The Millicent Martin Show, Little Women, The Pathfinders, Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man (1995) and more recently Heartbeat (1997, as a Doctor). In terms of his political work, this has led to appearances on Campaign Calendar (Yorkshire TV) and an election speech at the Liberal Democrat Conference (broadcast by Sky TV in 1993).