Francis Joseph “Frank” Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) is a fictional character from the Netflix web television series House of Cards. He is the series protagonist and is a variation of Francis Urquhart, the main character from the British novel and television series House of Cards from which the American Netflix series is adapted. He is married to Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), but also had a sexual relationship with Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) in season 1. Underwood made his first appearance in the series' pilot episode, "Chapter 1". Underwood is from Gaffney, South Carolina. He graduated from The Sentinel, a fictionalized version of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and Harvard Law School. Some of Underwood's dialogue throughout the series is presented in a direct address to the audience, a narrative technique that breaks the fourth wall. The character speaks in a Southern dialect. During season 1, he is the Democratic Majority Whip in the United States House ...