Frans Francken I, also known as Frans Francken the Elder, born in 1542 in Herentals and passing away in 1616 in Antwerp, was a prominent Flemish painter during the Counter-Reformation era. He was a key figure in the Antwerp art scene and a member of the renowned Francken dynasty of painters, which played a significant role in 17th-century Antwerp art.

The son of Nicholas Francken, an obscure painter from Herentals who later settled in Antwerp, Francken likely received his initial artistic training from his father. He became a master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1567 and served as its deacon in 1587. His brothers, Hieronymus Francken I and Ambrosius Francken I, also achieved success as painters. According to the early biographer Karel van Mander, Frans Francken the Elder was a pupil of the leading Antwerp Mannerist painter Frans Floris.

In 1571, Francken collaborated with his older brother Hieronymus on a large Adoration of the Magi triptych, now in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels and the Brompton Oratory in London. This work features the monograms of both Frans and his brother Hieronymus and includes their self-portraits.

Francken married Elisabeth Mertens and had several children who survived him, including Thomas, Frans, Hieronymus, Ambrosius II, Magdalena, and Elisabeth. His pupils included his son Frans, as well as Gortzius Geldorp, Herman van der Mast, and Jan de Wael. Francken's contributions to art, particularly his large altarpieces and allegorical paintings, have cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in Flemish painting.