James Franco Biography

James Franco
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

James Franco

Franco at the Spider-Man 3 premiere, April 2007
Born James Edward Franco
April 19, 1978 (1978-04-19) (age 30)
Palo Alto, California, United States
Occupation actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, artist
Years active 1999-present

James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is a Golden Globe-winning American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. He began acting during the late 1990s, appearing on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and starring in several teen films. In 2001, he received worldwide attention and praise for his portrayal of James Dean in the made for television biographical film James Dean, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

He became well known since the early 2000s when he was cast as Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man films. In 2005, he starred in the war film The Great Raid, in which he played Robert Prince, captain of a Ranger Battalion who rescued prisoners of war from the Cabanatuan prison camp during World War II. The following year, he had starring roles in three movies, Tristan & Isolde, Annapolis, and Flyboys. In 2008, he starred in the comedy/stoner film Pineapple Express opposite his Freaks and Geeks co-star Seth Rogen. He has appeared in Nights in Rodanthe and will play a prominent role in the upcoming film Milk.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Franco was born April 19, 1978 in Palo Alto, California, the son of Betsy (née Verne), a poet, author and editor, and Doug Franco.1 His maternal grandmother, Mitzi Levine Verne, runs the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland, Ohio.2 Franco's father is of Portuguese and Swedish descent3 and Franco's mother is Jewish,45 a descendant of immigrants from Russia.1 Franco grew up in California with his two younger brothers, Tom and Dave, and graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he was elected by his senior class as the student with the "best smile".1 He then enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major, and studied acting. 6 He dropped out after his freshman year and chose to pursue a professional career as an actor, taking acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at Playhouse West.1

Career

After fifteen months of training, he began auditioning in Los Angeles, California, and got his first break in 1999, after he was cast in a leading role on the short-lived but well-reviewed television series Freaks and Geeks.7 Franco has since described the series as "one of the most fun" work experiences that he has had.8 Franco's first major film was the romantic comedy Whatever It Takes (2000), where he met his co-star, now ex-girlfriend Marla Sokoloff.910 He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell's 2001 TV biopic James Dean.1112 Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean, but instead gets under the skin of this insecure, rootless young man."13 He was distinguished with a Golden Globe Award,14 as well as being nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.1516

Franco was originally considered for the lead role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the film version of Spider-Man, but was instead cast in the supporting role of Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin.1718 The success of the Spider-Man film led him to reprise the role in two sequels, Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).1920 Franco was cast in the 2002 drama City by the Sea.121 Franco has also co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's The Company (2003).22 He appeared in the 2005 war film The Great Raid, in which he portrayed Robert Prince, a captain in the United States' Army elite in the sixth Ranger Battalion, to plan the rescue of prisoners of war from the Cabanatuan prison camp.2324

In 2006, Franco co-starred with Tyrese Gibson in Annapolis25 and played legendary hero Tristan in Tristan & Isolde, a dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring English actress Sophia Myles.26 He then trained with the stunt team "The Blue Angels" and received a pilot's license in preparation for his role in Flyboys,27 which was released in September of 2006; the same month, Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man, a horror film starring Nicolas Cage, who directed him in Sonny.28 Franco made cameo appearances in The Holiday and Knocked Up.1229 He was also featured in the mockumentary, "Finding Ben Stone", on the two-disc edition of Knocked Up, where he gets fired from the lead role.30

He starred in the 2008 film Pineapple Express, a comedy co-starring and co-written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow, both of whom worked with Franco on Freaks and Geeks.831 In the New York Times review of the film, critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "He’s delightful as Saul, loosey-goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy, despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor). It’s an unshowy, generous performance and it greatly humanizes a movie that, as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise, becomes disappointingly sober and self-serious."32

Franco has been signed to star opposite Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Emile Hirsch in Gus Van Sant's upcoming Harvey Milk bio-pic Milk.33 On September 20, 2008, James hosted Saturday Night Live.34

Personal life

In 2008, Franco received his undergraduate degree in English from UCLA.35 He moved to New York to attend graduate school at Columbia University's MFA Writing Program and New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.36373839

Franco has also starred in a number of humorous viral videos. One such video purports to show the actor being fired from the 2007 film Knocked Up, which was directed by Judd Apatow.40 He also hosts a satirical series of acting lessons, Acting with James Franco, also featured on the website.41 In October 2008, Franco starred in a viral comedy video that appears to be a parody of a Hollywood tribute.42

Art—painting in particular—is a talent Franco developed during his high school years while attending a rigorous summer school for the arts, California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA).1 Franco has said that painting was the "outlet" he needed in high school, and that he "has actually been painting longer than he has been acting."43 His paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, California from January 7, 2006 through February 11, 2006.144 Franco can also be seen painting in a scene in Spider-Man 3.45

Filmography

Franco visits Palo Alto High School in November 2007
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Never Been Kissed Jason Way
Freaks and Geeks Daniel Desario series actor
2000 Whatever It Takes Chris Campbell
2001 James Dean James Dean TNT Cable Movie
2002 Sonny Sonny Phillips limited release
City By The Sea Joey
Spider-Man Harry Osborn
Deuces Wild Tino
2003 The Company Josh
2004 Spider-Man 2 Harry Osborn
2005 The Ape Harry Walker direct-to-video
The Great Raid Captain Prince
Fool's Gold Brent director, writer
2006 Tristan & Isolde Tristan
Annapolis Jake Huard
The Wicker Man Bar guy #1
Flyboys Blaine Rawlings
The Holiday Himself (uncredited cameo)
The Dead Girl Derek
2007 Spider-Man 3 Harry Osborn / New Goblin
Knocked Up Himself (uncredited cameo)
In the Valley of Elah Sergeant Dan Carnelli
Finishing the Game Dean Silo/"Rob Force"
An American Crime Andy
Camille Silias
Good Time Max Max Verbinski
2008 Pineapple Express Saul Silver
Nights in Rodanthe Mark Flanner
Milk Scott Smith awaiting release
2009 Sympathy for Delicious pre-production

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "James Franco Biography". Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  2. ^ "Case Western Reserve University". Admission Case. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  3. ^ "LatinoReview.com". Franco Talks Annapolis!. Retrieved on May 9, 2006.
  4. ^ "the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California". Celebrity Jews. Retrieved on May 9, 2006.
  5. ^ "James Franco News". The Insider.
  6. ^ Posner, Michael (2008-08-05). "Top of the food chain". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  7. ^ "Shout! Factory - Freaks And Geeks". Shout Factory. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  8. ^ a b "United Press International". Franco to reunite with Freaks pals. United Press International. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
  9. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (2000-03-31). "What It Takes Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  10. ^ Scott, A.O. (2000-03-24). "Whatever It Takes Review". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  11. ^ Carter, Kelly (2001-07-27). "James Franco: The next James Dean". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  12. ^ a b Lee, Chris (2008-08-06). "James Franco plays against type in 'Pineapple Express'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  13. ^ Tucker, Ken (2001-08-03). "James Dean TV Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
  14. ^ "HFPA - Awards Search". Golden Globes. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  15. ^ "8th Annual SAG Awards Nominee - Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAG Awards. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  16. ^ "2002 Emmys". CNN. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  17. ^ Caryotakis, Carissa (2007-06-09). "James Franco tells Voice about his work on "Spiderman"", The Paly Voice. Retrieved on 4 October 2007. 
  18. ^ "Mike Clark review". USA Today (2002-05-03). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
  19. ^ Turan, Kenneth (2004-06-29). "Turan reviews Spider-Man 2", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 29 May 2007. 
  20. ^ Mark Schilling; Dave McNary (2007-03-04). "Spider-Man 3 to premiere May 1", Variety. Retrieved on 5 March 2007. 
  21. ^ Winfield, Monica (2003-01-10). "BBC Films - City by the Sea Review". BBC. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  22. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (2003-12-25). "The Company Review". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  23. ^ Ebert, Roger (2005-08-12). "The Great Raid Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
  24. ^ Otto, Jeff (2005-08-11). "IGN: The Great Raid Review". IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
  25. ^ Ebert, Roger (2006-01-27). "Annapolis Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  26. ^ Leydon, Joe (2006-01-12). "Tristan and Isolde Review". Variety. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  27. ^ "ContactMusic". FRANCO TAKES OFF WITH STUNT SQUAD. Retrieved on September 23, 2006.
  28. ^ (2006). The Wicker Man [DVD]. Warner Bros..
  29. ^ "Lohan's Rehab Blamed on Her Obsession With Little-Known Spider-Man Actor". Us Magazine (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  30. ^ Tucker, Reed (2007-09-23). "Knocked Up". New York Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  31. ^ Travers, Peter (2008-08-07). "Pineapple Express Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  32. ^ Dargis, Manohla (2008-08-06). "'Pineapple Express' - Stoners Who Put the Bud in Buddies". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
  33. ^ Freydkin, Donna (2008-08-03). "'Pineaple' star Franco digs deep, plays stoner and serious". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  34. ^ Boedeker, Hal (2008-09-21). ""Saturday Night Live" with James Franco improves in week two, but still far from its peak", The Orlando Sentinel, blogs.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved on 21 September 2008. 
  35. ^ O'Connor, Pauline (2007-11-01). "Hit the town, read a book", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 3 November 2007. dead link
  36. ^ "For James Franco, it's lights! camera! education!". New York Daily News (2008-07-10). Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  37. ^ Evans, Sean; Shallon Lester (2008-08-06). "Side Dish: Write on, James Franco", New York Daily News, nydailynews.com. Retrieved on 21 September 2008. 
  38. ^ Froelich, Paula; Bill Hoffmann (2008-09-10). "No Ogling!", New York Post, nypost.com. Retrieved on 21 September 2008. 
  39. ^ "Academia: James Franco To Sexify Morningside Heights", Gawker.com. Retrieved on 21 September 2008. 
  40. ^ "James Franco gets "fired" from lead role in Knocked Up on Funny Or Die". Funny or Die.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.
  41. ^ "Acting With James Franco on Funny Or Die". Funny Or Die.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.
  42. ^ James Franco Salutes Aidan Weinglas
  43. ^ "Lindzi.com Your Connection to the Stars". James Franco. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
  44. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (2002-08-14). "Celebrities pour passion into artwork". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
  45. ^ (2007). Spider-Man 3 [DVD]. Sony Pictures.

External links

Wikiquote
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
James Franco
Awards
Preceded by
Brian Dennehy
for Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman		 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Mini-series
2002
for James Dean		 Succeeded by
Albert Finney
for The Gathering Storm


Persondata
NAME Franco, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Film actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Palo Alto, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH