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"When I was a child, I wanted to be an actor but I had really bad buckteeth. I didn't want to get braces, but my mom said I couldn't be an actor if I didn't get the braces. So, I got the braces."
--- James Franco
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer and artist. He began acting during the 1990s, appearing on the short-lived television series "Freaks and Geeks" and starring in several teen films. Although he'd been working steadily, it wasn't until the TNT made-for-television movie, James Dean (2001) (TV) that James rose to fan-magazine fame and got to show off his talent.
"Acting is an art form and you want to take roles that are challenged and it's more of a challenge I think to play dark characters. Not that I want to always play those, but it is a challenge and challenges are rewarding and fun."
--- James Franco
Franco was born April 19, 1978 in Palo Alto, California, the son of Betsy (née Verne), a poet, author and editor, and Doug Franco. His maternal grandmother, Mitzi Levine Verne, runs the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. Franco's father is of Portuguese and Swedish and Franco's mother is Jewish, a descendant of immigrants from Russia. Franco grew up in California with his two younger brothers, Tom and Dave, and graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996. He then enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major. 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.
"I worked at a McDonald's drive-through. I could always tell when girls were interested: They'd drive around again and say, "I forgot something"
--- James Franco
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. His first major film was the romantic comedy "Whatever It Takes" (2000), where he co-starred with now ex-girlfriend Marla Sokoloff. He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell's 2001 TV biopic "James Dean". He received high praise for his performance and he was distinguished with a Golden Globe Award, as well as being nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
"I needed an outlet in high school and came across painting. I've actually been painting longer than I've been acting. A movie is a collaborative effort, and with painting you just have yourself."
--- James Franco
In the 2002 superhero film "Spider-Man", the most successful film of his career to date, Franco played Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and best friend of the title character (Tobey Maguire). Originally, Franco was considered for the lead role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the film. Even though the lead went to Tobey Maguire, Todd McCarthy of "Variety" noted that there are "good moments" between Maguire and Franco in the film. In this same year, Franco was cast in the drama "City by the Sea" (2002). The following year he co-starred alongside Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's "The Company" (2003). The success of the first "Spider-Man" film led Franco to reprise the role in the 2004 sequel, "Spider-Man 2". The following year 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. In 2006, Franco co-starred with Tyrese Gibson in “Annapolis” and played legendary hero Tristan in “Tristan & Isolde”, a dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring English actress Sophia Myles. He then trained with the stunt team "The Blue Angels" and received a pilot's license in preparation for his role in “Flyboys”, 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”.
[About finding time to relax] "Never. It's impossibility. I don't even like to sleep. I feel as if there's too much to do."
--- James Franco
In 2007 he again played Harry Osborn in “Spider-Man 3”. With a total worldwide gross of $891million, it stands as the most successful film in the series and Franco's highest grossing film to the end of 2008. In this same year, Franco made cameo appearances in the films “The Holiday” and “Knocked Up”. He starred in the 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”. Franco's performance in the film earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the category for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. In 2008 he also appeared in two films by American artist Carter exhibited at the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris. On September 20, 2008, James hosted “Saturday Night Live”. Franco starred opposite Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Emile Hirsch in Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk bio-pic “Milk” (2008). In the film, he played Scott Smith, a lover of Harvey Milk (Penn). For his performance in the film, Franco won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award in the category for Best Supporting Actor.
"You know, directors kind of want different things. Some of them think that if they just are always talking to you and keeping your spirits up and everything that it helps you, and then some leave you alone and give you your space."
--- James Franco
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| Birthname: James Edward Franco
| Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
| Trade Mark: His smile and James-Dean looks
| Zodiac: Aries
| | Education: University of California, Los Angeles, CA (BA in English, 2008) | Family: Douglas Franco (Father)
Betsy Franco (Mother)
Daniel Verne (Grandfather)
Mitzie Verne (Grandmother)
Michael Verne (Uncle)
| Resides in: Los Angeles
| Personal interests/hobbies: Paiting, poetry writing
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In 2008, Franco was named as the new face of Gucci's men fragrance line
| James Franco's Last 3 Movies |
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drzook07posted 10 days ago
