James Franco
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Franco on how "Freaks and Geeks" writers approach his character: "They don't want it to be another cool kid. They really just wanna display all our faults out there in the open and just make them more real people, not some icon." --quoted in the ULTIMATE TV feature "Who's Hot", November 12, 1999
Biography
During the late 1990s, actor James Franco broke out as one of the era's go-to guys by playing sports heroes, disaffected pretty boys and rebellious burnouts with equal appeal. His career began in the brilliant-but-canceled television comedy series "Freaks and Geeks" (NBC, 1999-2000), and while Franco's portrayal of a moody dreamboat on the series won him a legion of love-struck teenage fans, it was his impressive portrayal of legendary Hollywood bad boy James Dean in the made-for-cable biopic "James Dean" (TNT, 2001) that cemented Franco's status as a serious actor. Keeping one foot in commercial waters, Franco landed a high-profile supporting role as the son of the villainous Green Goblin in director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" film series (2002, 2004, 2007), as Peter Parker's best friend and romantic rival, Harry Osborne. Franco's Independent Spirit Award-nominated turn as a gay civil rights activist in the biopic "Milk" (2008) and his popularity in the stoner buddy comedy "Pineapple Express" (2008) confirmed his versatility, as well as his appeal with both mainstream and art house audiences. Although his trip to Port Charles as a recurring villain on the soap "General Hospital" (ABC, 1963- ) was a head-scratcher, it just solidified Franco's reputation as a guy up for anything. His career really took off with his Oscar-nominated performance as trapped mountain climber Aron Ralston in the gut-wrenching "127 Hours" (2010), though his co-hosting duties with Anne Hathaway during those same Academy Awards were critically derided. The critically praised "The Disaster Artist" (2017), which Franco directed and produced as well as starred in, was another success for him. Based on the true story of the production of Tommy Wiseau's infamous cult classic "The Room" (2003), the film garnered widespread critical and audience praise, and was widely recognized during the 2017-2018 awards season. Unafraid to veer between high-profile popcorn flicks like "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013) and quirky arthouse fare, much of which he wrote and/or directed himself, Franco remained one of Hollywood's more enigmatic, yet appealing, young actors.
Born in Palo Alto, CA on April 19, 1978, James Edward Franco was the firstborn son of Portuguese-Swedish father, Doug Franco, and a Jewish mother, Betsy Levine. Voted the student with the "best smile" during his senior year, Franco graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996 before enrolling at UCLA as an English major. Much to his parents' disapproval, however, Franco dropped out of college after his freshman year to pursue a career as a professional actor. After an intense year of training under the tutelage of noted drama coach Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West in North Hollywood, Franco found an agent and began auditioning for small roles in film and television. Franco first appeared on the big screen in the charming teen comedy "Never Been Kissed" (1999), starring Drew Barrymore. The following year, Franco solidified his appeal with a starring role in "Whatever It Takes" (2000), a modern-day update of the classic play, Cyrano de Bergerac. As the popular, but sensitive jock, Chris Campbell, Franco won the hearts of teenage girls all across America - especially one in particular. During the filming of the movie, Franco met and fell in love with his longtime girlfriend-to-be, actress Marla Sokoloff.
Franco's best-known work up until that time, however, was on the short-lived high school comedy series, "Freaks and Geeks." In it, Franco portrayed Daniel Desario, a nihilistic outsider with a troubled family life. Forced to grow up quickly and see the world with a resigned fatalism, the actor's brooding take on the character won over former good girl Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) on the show - not to mention the admiration of young viewers. Following the show's cancellation, Franco was cast by director Mark Rydell in the title role of his biopic, "James Dean" (TNT, 2001). The critically lauded biopic would mark a watershed moment for the young actor, both personally and professionally. As a testament to his dedication, Franco - who was, in fact, a Dean look-alike on film - became so immersed in the character of the tragic icon, he went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, mirroring the legendary Dean's penchant for excess. The role brought Franco significant acclaim. In addition to receiving an Emmy nod and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his work, Franco took home the Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. Most importantly, "James Dean" made the actor a household name.
Having firmly established his acting credentials, Franco next turned his eye toward more commercial fare. In 2002, Franco hit the proverbial jackpot with roles in two high-profile features. The first - the depressing mystery-drama, "City by the Sea" (2002), was a box-office misfire, but afforded Franco valuable screen time opposite heavy hitters Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand. His follow-up, however - director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" - was a colossal hit both commercially and artistically. Cast as Peter Parker's best friend and romantic rival, Harry Osborne, Franco created one of his most complex characters to date. An outwardly confident, but inwardly emotionally fragile individual, Franco's Osborne would find his screen time increasing in subsequent sequels. The young actor returned as a bitter, more driven Osborne in "Spider-Man 2" (2004), also directed by Raimi. While still not a true villain, per se, it was Franco's character that would set the wheels in motion for the hero's battle with the film's true heavy, Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina).
Balancing his commercial projects with more prestigious ventures, Franco appeared in director Robert Altman's ballet-themed ensemble comedy, "The Company" (2003). Though filmed in 2002, his next film, "The Great Raid," was released in August 2005. In it, Franco played Captain Robert Prince, leader of the 6th Ranger Battalion team that went 30 miles behind Japanese lines to rescue 500 POWs from the notorious Cabanatuan prison camp during World War II. Through a steely gaze and clenched jaw, Franco played his character straight - minus his trademark nuance and intensity. Ultimately a failure, "The Great Raid" took in a paltry $3 million its opening weekend. Franco had scant better luck with his next big picture, "Flyboys" (2006) - a turn-of-the-century "Top Gun" adventure that bombed at the box office. Despite occasional missteps, Franco could always depend on the Marvel Comics universe to keep him front and center. Still obsessed by his irrational hatred for Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) - whom he blamed for the death of his father (Willem Dafoe) in the first movie - the exacting of Harry's revenge served as a major plot point for the film. Having inherited his late father's vast wealth and state-of-the-art weaponry, the movie's sub-plot dealt with Harry assuming the identity of the New Goblin, one of three super-villains out to kill everyone's favorite web slinger. Directed once again by the gifted Raimi, "Spider-Man 3" (2007) was billed as the last outing for the film's principal cast of Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Franco.
Following a supporting turn as Sergeant Dan Carnelli in "In the Valley of Elah" (2007), he played a laconic pot dealer who goes on the run with one of his clients (Seth Rogen) after witnessing a murder committed by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) in "Pineapple Express" (2008), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical category. Then in the dark romantic comedy "Camille" (2008), he was a conniving petty thief whose marriage of convenience to a sweet, naïve girl (Sienna Miller) and honeymoon to Niagara Falls results in her death, though neither will let that stop them from having a good time and falling in love. Franco next delivered a strong co-starring role in "Milk" (2008), playing the lover of the openly gay activist and San Francisco County Supervisor, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). Though most of the critical and award plaudits when to Penn for his powerful performance, Franco earned his share of accolades when he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male. In the fall of 2009, the established film star elicited plenty of head scratching within the blogosphere when he took a guest starring stint on the soap opera "General Hospital" (ABC, 1963- ). While the actor expressed an interest in doing something new and challenging by taking on the grueling shooting schedule of a soap opera, other reports suggested that Franco's daytime run as a mysterious assassin was part of a documentary film project about the actor.
Following a guest starring turn as himself to carry on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) on an episode of "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-13), Franco had a supporting role opposite Julia Roberts in the dramatic adaptation "Eat Pray Love" (2010). He next portrayed Beat Generation luminary Allen Ginsberg in the experimental film, "Howl" (2010), which explored the 1957 obscenity trial following the release of a famed book of poems. Franco went on to deliver arguably the best performance of his career to date in director Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" (2010), playing real life mountain climber, Aron Ralston, whose arm became trapped under a boulder while climbing alone in an isolated Utah canyon and led to five days of struggling to survive before amputating his hand. Both gut-wrenching and inspirational, Franco's performance drew high praise from critics and earned the actor a slew of award nominations for Best Actor, including Golden Globes and Oscar. Meanwhile, Franco was tapped to co-host alongside Ann Hathaway the same Academy Awards for which he was nominated - an obvious effort by the Academy to draw ratings from the younger demographic. Derided by critics, the decision to use the two actors proved to be a disaster, as Franco seemed distant throughout most of the ceremony - some thought he was actually stoned - leaving an ill-suited Hathaway to carry the night. Back on the big screen, Franco starred in the surprising hit prequel, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011) and played the dashing Fabious in the medieval stoner comedy "Your Highness" (2011). About this time, Franco's five-year relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly came to an end.
Always busy, Franco starred in one movie after another, playing a wealthy lawyer connected to the porn industry in the indie film "About Cherry" (2012) and the former student of a playwright (Winona Ryder) suffering from paranoid delusions in the psychological thriller "The Letter" (2012). From there, he was one of several actors to play poet C.K Williams at various stages of his life in the student-made experimental film "Tar" (2012). Of course, Franco was seen in major studio films as well and enjoyed being the star of 2013's first blockbuster hit, "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013), a prequel of sorts to "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), where he played Oscar Diggs, a womanizing con artist and stage musician who finds himself magically whisked away on the wings of a violent storm to the Land of Oz, where his ambitions are stymied by a war between three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams). Though receiving mixed reviews, "Oz" earned a big $80 million haul during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, he delivered one of his best and most bizarre performances in Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers" (2013), where he played a Florida drug hustler who tries to seduce four unassuming college girls (Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine) on spring break. Franco cleverly tweaked his public persona in "This Is The End" (2013), a broad comedy about the apocalypse written and directed by his longtime pals Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film starred Rogen, Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride as fictionalized versions of themselves trapped in Franco's garish Hollywood Hills mansion during the end of the world. This was followed by Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto" (2013), based on Franco's own short stories, and the Sylvester Stallone-penned action film "Homefront" (2013), starring Jason Statham. Franco went behind the camera for "The Sound and the Fury" (2014), based on the William Faulkner novel. Franco's next major project, "The Interview" (2014), turned into one of the most controversial films of the decade. An action comedy about a pair of hapless TV journalists asked by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, "The Interview" became a political hot potato after it was implicated in a large-scale hacking of Sony Pictures that was claimed to have been carried out by a North Korea-backed hacker group. Following further threats, the studio pulled the film from wide release, then quickly allowed roughly 300 indie theaters to show the film beginning on Christmas Day 2014. Franco continued his breathless pace the following year, starring in the thriller "True Story" (2015), social drama "I Am Michael" (2015), Wim Wenders' "Everything Will Be Fine" (2015), Robert Duvall's "Wild Horses" (2015), and stop-motion animated film "The Little Prince" (2015), as well as a cameo in Rogen's "The Night Before" (2015).
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Cinematography (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Editing (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1999
Appeared in teen comedy "Never Been Kissed"
1999
Featured in NBC miniseries "To Serve and Protect"
1999
Had breakout role of rebel Daniel Desario on Judd Apatow's formative classic "Freaks and Geeks"
2000
Had first major film role in the romantic high school comedy "Whatever It Takes"
2001
Portrayed the titular legend in director Mark Rydell's biographical TV movie "James Dean" (TNT)
2002
Played Robert De Niro's son in drama "City by the Sea"
2002
Was cast in the supporting role of Harry Osborn, son of the villainous Green Goblin, in director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man"
2003
Co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's "The Company"
2004
Reprised role of Harry Osborn for "Spider-Man 2"
2005
Co-starred in WWII drama "The Great Raid"
2006
Made directorial debut with "The Ape"; originally co-wrote as a one-act play and later released on video
2006
Portrayed legendary hero Tristan opposite Sophia Myles in Tristan & Isolde"
2006
Played lead role in WWI adventure "Flyboys"
2007
Once again teamed with Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi to play Harry Osborn in "Spider-Man 3"
2007
Made cameo appearance in Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up"
2008
Portrayed Harvey Milk's (Sean Penn) lover in director Gus Van Sant's biopic "Milk"
2008
Co-starred with Seth Rogen in "Pineapple Express," co-written and co-produced by Rogen and Judd Apatow
2009
Joined cast of ABC's "General Hospital" with recurring role of serial killer Franco
2010
Co-starred with Julia Roberts in "Eat Pray Love," based on Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir; Roberts portrayed the author who, after a painful divorce, goes on a life-changing journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia
2010
Guest starred on episode of NBC's "30 Rock" as himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski)
2010
Starred in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" as Aron Ralston, the American mountain climber who was trapped by a boulder for nearly five days before amputating his own arm
2011
Co-hosted 83rd Annual Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway
2011
Co-starred with John Lithgow in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
2013
Co-directed "Interior. Leather Bar." with Travis Mathews; film re-imagined lost 40 minutes from"Cruising" (1980)
2013
Played title role in fantasy adventure "Oz the Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi
2013
Appeared as himself in the Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen-helmed comedy "This Is the End"
2013
Had a multi-episode guest role on "The Mindy Project"
2014
Directed and starred in the Faulker adaptation, "The Sound and the Fury"
2014
Appeared in Goldberg and Rogen's controversial but unremarkable comedy "The Interview"
2014
Continued his string of literary adaptations with a co-starring role in the National Theater Live production of "Of Mice and Men"
2015
Again returned to classic literature with an appearance in David Beier and Dave Dorsey's "Don Quixote" adaptation
2015
Portrayed a tormented writer in Pamela Romanowsky's "The Adderall Diaries"
2015
Appeared opposite Rogen in holiday comedy "The Night Before"
2015
Co-starred with Jonah Hill in crime drama "True Story"
2015
Voiced the Fox in "The Little Prince"
2016
Voiced Druggie in the adults-only animated feature "Sausage Party"
2016
Appeared as Sgt. Eddie Pepper on "Angie Tribeca"
2016
Played a time traveling high school teacher on alternate history mini-series "11.22.63"
2017
Appeared in Bruce Chung's "Don't Come Back from the Moon"
2017
Had a bafflingly brief (and uncredited) appearance in Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenant"
2017
Directed and starred as mysterious film personality Tommy Wiseau in the biopic "The Disaster Artist"
2017
Portrayed dual roles on the HBO drama "The Deuce"
2017
Starred in the drama "The Mad Whale"
2018
Directed and starred in "The Long Home"
2018
Co-directed and starred Chung's sci-fi drama "Future World"
2018
Directed and starred in Hollywood-themed dramedy "Zeroville"
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Franco on how "Freaks and Geeks" writers approach his character: "They don't want it to be another cool kid. They really just wanna display all our faults out there in the open and just make them more real people, not some icon." --quoted in the ULTIMATE TV feature "Who's Hot", November 12, 1999
