

In another interview, Franco said: "When we were doing Freaks and Geeks, I didn't quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn't on me .
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He has since described the series as "one of the most fun" work experiences that he has had.


Later, the show became a cult hit among audiences. He found guest roles on television shows but his first break came in 1999, after he was cast in a leading role on the short-lived but well-reviewed NBC television series Freaks and Geeks, which ran for 18 episodes and was canceled due to low viewership. His first paid role was a television commercial for Pizza Hut, featuring a dancing Elvis Presley. Acting career 1997–2001Īfter 15 months of training, Franco began auditioning in Los Angeles. While working at the establishment, he would practice accents on customers, an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 Washington Post editorial titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was". He was a vegetarian for the year prior to working there. Around this time, he took up a late-night job at McDonald's to support himself because his parents refused to do so. He instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major, but dropped out after his first year (against his parents' wishes) to pursue a career as an actor, since he would have had to wait two years to audition for their acting program. I changed my ways just in time to get good grades." Īlthough the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him, Franco had always secretly wanted to become an actor but feared being rejected. He recalled of his troubles with the law, "It was teen angst. Facing the possibility of juvenile hall, he was given a second chance by the judge. These arrests led to Franco briefly becoming a ward of the state. In his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates. This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theater studies. He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he acted in plays. He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and did well on his SATs. A "math whiz", Franco interned at Lockheed Martin. He grew up in California with his two younger brothers, actors Tom and Dave. įranco's family upbringing was "academic, liberal, and largely secular". His maternal grandmother, Mitzie ( née Levine), owned the prominent Verne Art Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women. His paternal grandmother, Marjorie ( née Peterson), is a published author of young adult books. His maternal grandfather, Daniel, changed his surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne" some time after 1940. His father was of Portuguese (from Madeira) and Swedish ancestry, while his mother is Jewish, from a family of Russian-Jewish descent. His mother, Betsy Lou ( née Verne), is a children's book author and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business. James Edward Franco was born in Palo Alto, California on April 19, 1978.

5.4 Sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuit.He starred in the David Simon-created HBO drama The Deuce (2017–2019).įranco volunteers for The Art of Elysium charity and has taught film classes at New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Studio 4, Palo Alto High School, and Playhouse West. Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (2009–2012) and starred in the limited series 11.22.63 (2016). He portrayed the title character in the television biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, and received nominations for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award. He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen, having appeared in eight films and one television series with him, examples being Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), Sausage Party (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.įranco is also known for his work on television where his first prominent acting role was the character Daniel Desario on the short-lived ensemble comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), which developed a cult following. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat, Pray, Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). For his role in 127 Hours (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer.
