1 – 1 1 ) ▁ ▁Vern on ▁Francis ▁" Fran k " ▁Gall ag her ▁( born ▁ 1 2 ▁March ▁ 1 9 6 0 ) ▁is ▁the ▁main ▁protagon ist ▁of ▁Sh am eless . ▁He ▁appeared ▁in ▁ 1 3 6 ▁episodes ▁in ▁total . ▁ ▁Frank ' s ▁hall marks ▁are ▁d run ken ▁r ants ▁on ▁a ▁wide ▁variety ▁of ▁literary , ▁historical ▁and ▁philosoph ical ▁subjects , ▁usually ▁returning ▁to ▁how ▁decent , ▁hard - working ▁people , ▁among ▁whom ▁he ▁err one ously ▁seems ▁to ▁count ▁himself , ▁are ▁disc rimin ated ▁against . ▁Frank ▁frequently ▁quotes ▁Shakespeare , ▁the ▁Bible , ▁references ▁international ▁current ▁events ▁and ▁uses ▁poetry ▁and ▁sol ilo qu y ▁to ▁express ▁his ▁feelings ▁or ▁view , ▁as ▁he ▁does ▁at ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁each ▁episode . ▁Thus , ▁in ▁spite ▁of ▁his ▁d run ken ▁r amb lings , ▁sometimes ▁he ▁does ▁come ▁across ▁as ▁being ▁well - ed uc ated ▁ow ing ▁to ▁the ▁issues ▁he ▁ra ises ▁during ▁his ▁interactions ▁with ▁others . ▁ ▁Frank ▁is ▁an ▁un emp loy ed ▁alco hol ic , ▁and ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Ne ville ▁( John ▁Wood v ine ) ▁and ▁Sarah ▁Elizabeth ▁Gall ag her ▁( 1 9 3 5 – 1 9 7 2 ). ▁He ▁was ▁married ▁to ▁Mon ica ▁( An n abel le ▁A ps ion ), ▁with ▁whom ▁he ▁has ▁six ▁children : ▁F iona ▁( An ne - Marie ▁D uff ), ▁Lip ▁(