James Franco is an American actor and filmmaker known for his diverse roles in both mainstream and independent cinema. He gained recognition for his roles in the Spider-Man trilogy, Milk, and 127 Hours, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He frequently collaborates with Seth Rogen, appearing in comedies like Pineapple Express, This Is the End, and The Interview. Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist, which he also directed. Beyond acting, he has directed and produced numerous films.
In 1900, L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published. This book served as the basis for the later film "Oz the Great and Powerful", starring James Franco in 2013.
Sometime after 1940, James Franco's maternal grandfather, Daniel Verovitz, changed his surname to Verne.
In 1947, Betsy Lou, James Franco's mother, was born. She is a children's book author and actress.
In 1948, Douglas Eugene Franco, James Franco's father, was born. He ran a Silicon Valley business.
In 1973, Cormac McCarthy's novella "Child of God" was published. The story would later be adapted into a film starring Scott Haze in 2012, directed by James Franco.
James Edward Franco was born on April 19, 1978, in Palo Alto, California. His mother is a children's book author, and his father ran a Silicon Valley business.
James Edward Franco was born on April 19, 1978. He is an American actor and filmmaker.
In 1991, the movie "My Own Private Idaho" was released. James Franco reunited with director Van Sant to make Unfinished, a project that features two movies based on unused footage from the 1991 movie "My Own Private Idaho".
In 1996, James Franco graduated from Palo Alto High School where he acted in plays.
In 1998, James Franco attended CSSSA for theater studies.
In 1999, James Franco played Daniel Desario on the television show Freaks and Geeks.
In 1999, James Franco was cast in a leading role on the NBC television series Freaks and Geeks.
In 2000, Freaks and Geeks ended. It later developed a cult following.
In 2000, James Franco played Chris in Whatever It Takes.
In 2001, James Franco portrayed James Dean in a biographical film, winning a Golden Globe Award and receiving nominations for other awards.
In 2001, James Franco was cast as James Dean in director Mark Rydell's TV biographical film James Dean. He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) for his performance.
In 2002, James Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention in the superhero film Spider-Man, playing Harry Osborn.
In 2002, James Franco starred in Sonny, directed by Nicolas Cage, and played a drug addict in City by the Sea after Robert De Niro saw his work in James Dean.
In 2003, James Franco co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's ballet movie The Company.
In 2004, James Franco reprised his role in Spider-Man 2.
In 2005, James Franco made and starred in The Ape and the war film The Great Raid.
On February 11, 2006, James Franco's paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, the exhibit had started on January 7.
In September 2006, Flyboys was released and James Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man.
In autumn 2006, James Franco, feeling dissatisfied with his career's direction, reenrolled at UCLA as an English major with a creative writing concentration. He was permitted to take up to 62 course credits per quarter, which was significantly more than the typical 19-credit limit, while still acting.
In 2007, James Franco played Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3, made a cameo appearance in Knocked Up, co-starred in Camille, and appeared in a voice-only role in Interview. He also wrote, directed, and starred in Good Time Max.
In 2007, James Franco reprised his role as Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3. He also made cameo appearances in Knocked Up.
In June 2008, James Franco received his undergraduate degree from UCLA with a GPA of 3.5/4.0. For his degree, Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson.
On September 20, 2008, James Franco hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL).
In 2008, James Franco starred in Gus Van Sant's Milk.
In 2008, James Franco starred in Milk and Pineapple Express.
In 2008, James Franco starred in Pineapple Express and hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) on September 20, 2008.
In 2008, James Franco was named as the face of Gucci's men's fragrance line.
On June 12, 2009, James Franco was selected as the commencement speaker at UCLA, but withdrew citing a date conflict with location pre-production on a film.
On December 19, 2009, James Franco hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the second time.
In 2009, James Franco had a recurring role on General Hospital.
In 2009, James Franco was named the Sexiest Man Living by Salon.
In late 2009, James Franco joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital on a recurring basis, playing Franco, a multimedia artist.
In May 2010, James Franco was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".
In May 2010, James Franco's short films as director "The Feast of Stephen" and "Herbert White" were both presented within Maryland Film Festival.
In June 2010, James Franco presented his first solo exhibition, "The Dangerous Book Four Boys", at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City. The show featured video, drawings, sculptures, and installation.
In September 2010, James Franco acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott's "The Adderall Diaries", with plans to adapt, direct, and star in the film.
On September 23, 2010, James Franco erroneously announced on Showbiz411 that he received a "D" grade in an "Acting" class at the NYU Graduate Film School. He had, in fact, received that grade in a "Directing the Actor" class.
On October 19, 2010, Scribner published "Palo Alto", a collection of short stories by James Franco.
On November 5, 2010, "127 Hours", directed by Danny Boyle and starring James Franco as Aron Ralston, was given a limited release. The film focuses on Ralston's struggle to survive after his hand becomes trapped under a boulder, and his eventual amputation of his arm.
In 2010, James Franco appeared on the sitcom "30 Rock" playing himself and having a fake romance with Jenna Maroney. He also starred in the commercial successes "Date Night" and "Eat Pray Love", and played Allen Ginsberg in the drama "Howl", which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2010.
In 2010, James Franco made a short film for the poem (made by Franco into a 2010 short film) by Frank Bidart
In 2010, James Franco produced and directed a documentary titled "Saturday Night". Also in the summer of 2010, the fictional Franco from "General Hospital" held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, while the real Franco held an exhibit at the museum based on his experiences on the soap opera.
In 2010, James Franco received his M.F.A. from Columbia University School of the Arts.
In 2010, James Franco starred in Eat Pray Love and 127 Hours.
In January 2011, James Franco announced plans to direct and star in "The Night Stalker", a film based on Philip Carlo's book about serial killer Richard Ramirez.
In January 2011, James Franco screened his multimedia project, "Three's Company The Drama", at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
In January 2011, James Franco was honored at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles for his volunteer work with the charity, which helps children with serious medical conditions. He received the Spirit of Elysium accolade.
On January 26, 2011, James Franco and the Harvard Lampoon released a satirical video on Funny or Die mocking his last-minute cancellation of the UCLA commencement speech.
On February 23, 2011, James Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC's "Minute to Win It", where Aron Ralston was participating as a contestant playing for charity.
On February 27, 2011, James Franco co-hosted the 83rd Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway. The choice of Franco and Hathaway was meant to attract a younger demographic, but Franco's performance was largely criticized for his perceived lack of enthusiasm and energy. The show itself received negative reviews, and Franco addressed the criticism in later interviews, discussing his lack of high expectations for the job and denying allegations of being under the influence.
On March 31, 2011, James Franco participated in "An Evening with James Franco", a Washington D.C. dinner benefit for 826DC, a non-profit after-school literature program. He spoke about the need for more originality in school literature programs.
In April 2011, James Franco autographed a T-shirt to be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation, with the proceeds being donated for Japanese tsunami relief.
In July 2011, filming began for "Oz the Great and Powerful", starring James Franco.
On August 5, 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series starring James Franco, was released.
In an interview for Playboy magazine's August 2011 issue, James Franco confirmed his separation from actress Ahna O'Reilly, citing his interest in education as a factor.
In 2011, Douglas Eugene Franco, James Franco's father, passed away.
In 2011, James Franco launched his first European art exhibition at Peres Projects in Berlin.
In 2011, James Franco made his dance-theater directorial debut with "Collage" at Stella Adler Studios in New York. Additionally, he directed two short films for R.E.M.'s songs "Blue" and "That Someone Is You" from their album Collapse into Now. He also directed 'The Broken Tower' about poet Hart Crane, which was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
In 2011, James Franco starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
In 2011, James Franco taught a graduate-level film course at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He also taught film classes at USC and UCLA and a screenwriting class on Skillshare. He assisted his students' film projects by attracting actors, including Seth MacFarlane, Kate Mara, Natalie Portman, Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde.
In a 2011 interview, James Franco addressed frequent media coverage regarding his interest in attending colleges and claimed to have been strongly misquoted by reports in the media, which led to him being parodied on SNL.
In February 2012, James Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's "Child of God", starring Scott Haze. The film depicts the violent impulses of Lester Ballard.
In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked James Franco and his brother, Dave, together as number two on its list of 50 talented and attractive Jewish men.
In September 2012, James Franco announced the release of his band Daddy's first single "Love in the Old Days" and their first EP "MotorCity".
In September 2012, José Angel Santana filed a lawsuit against James Franco for defamation, claiming that Franco's comments about his teaching had led to Santana's termination.
In 2012, James Franco starred in Spring Breakers and had a recurring role on General Hospital.
In 2012, James Franco's film, The Broken Tower, a docudrama about the poet Hart Crane, was released on DVD.
On March 8, 2013, "Oz the Great and Powerful", a Disney prequel to L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", starring James Franco, was released.
In March 2013, James Franco was featured in half-page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA, which celebrated him as a "prolific academic" with the tagline: "Some A-Listers Actually Get A's".
In March 2013, it was announced that James Franco was set to make his 2014 Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".
On July 9, 2013, it was announced that James Franco would be the featured roastee on the next Comedy Central Roast.
On September 2, 2013, the Comedy Central Roast of James Franco aired.
In September 2013, A24 films began a campaign in support of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for James Franco's performance in "Spring Breakers".
In September 2013, James Franco and José Angel Santana settled the defamation lawsuit out of court.
In October 2013, James Franco appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
In December 2013, James Franco wrote an explanatory article for The New York Times about his deliberate garnering of a reputation for publishing "selfies".
In 2013, James Franco directed a film version of William Faulkner's novel "As I Lay Dying", which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He also starred in "This Is the End" as a fictionalized version of himself.
In 2013, James Franco starred in Oz the Great and Powerful and This Is the End.
In 2013, James Franco was featured as the cover model and featured focus in the men's magazine "Man of the World".
In February 2014, James Franco wrote an article in The New York Times in support of Shia LaBeouf's metamodernist performance art, describing it as an attempt to reclaim his public persona.
In April 2014, Graywolf Press published James Franco's first collection of poetry, "Directing Herbert White".
In April 2014, James Franco directed and appeared in "Techno Color Sunglasses", promoting Gucci's eyewear collection. Also in 2014, he starred in the controversial comedy thriller, "The Interview".
In April 2014, James Franco presented at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Leighton Meester and Chris O'Dowd, after raising donations at his Broadway show 'Of Mice and Men'.
In June 2014, James Franco performed in the BC/EFA benefit Broadway Bares.
In 2014, James Franco made his Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men".
In 2014, James Franco starred in The Interview.
In 2014, a seventeen-year-old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and James Franco on Instagram. Franco admitted to writing the messages and faced criticism for attempting to meet her in a hotel room after she disclosed her age. He later expressed embarrassment and stated he had learned his lesson.
In 2014, screenshots of alleged messages between a 17-year-old girl and James Franco were posted on Instagram, showing Franco attempting to meet her in a hotel room.
In a March 2015 interview with Four Two Nine magazine, James Franco opened up about his sexuality, expressing his views on how homosexuality was defined in the past and his own perspective on his sexuality in his art and life.
In April 2015, James Franco's films "I Am Michael" and "True Story" were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. In "I Am Michael", Franco plays a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality. In "True Story", Franco plays Christian Longo, a man who murdered his family.
In 2015, James Franco had an official bar mitzvah ceremony, presided over by a rabbi.
In 2015, James Franco published an editorial in the Washington Post titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was", reflecting on his time working there.
In 2015, James Franco was cast in the lead role for the Hulu limited series "11.22.63", based on the novel by Stephen King.
In 2015, Under the Gun Theater, a Chicago-based theater company, developed a show inspired by and titled after Franco. The production "Dear James Franco" used, parodied and deconstructed letters penned to or by celebrities, and used improvisation to satirize their subject matter.
On February 15, 2016, the eight-episode series "11.22.63", starring James Franco and based on the novel by Stephen King, premiered on Hulu.
In December 2016, the comedy "Why Him?", starring James Franco, was released. Franco played an immature tech-billionaire.
In 2016, James Franco directed, co-produced, and starred in "The Disaster Artist", based on Greg Sestero's book about the making of "The Room". Franco portrayed Tommy Wiseau.
In 2016, James Franco starred in Sausage Party.
In 2016, James Franco starred in the limited series 11.22.63.
Since 2016, James Franco underwent treatment for sexual addiction.
On May 19, 2017, "Alien: Covenant" was released. James Franco played Branson, the captain of the Covenant ship.
On December 1, 2017, "The Disaster Artist" was released to positive reviews, with James Franco's portrayal of Tommy Wiseau gaining praise. The role won him a Golden Globe Award.
At the end of 2017, James Franco, almost 40, stated that he was slowing down to focus on himself.
In 2017, James Franco starred in The Deuce, an HBO drama created by David Simon.
In 2017, James Franco starred in The Disaster Artist, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
On January 9, 2018, The New York Times canceled a planned event with James Franco, citing the controversy surrounding recent allegations of sexual misconduct. The event was intended to be a discussion of the making of the film, 'The Disaster Artist'.
On January 11, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women were accusing James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when he was serving as their acting teacher or mentor. Franco's attorney disputed the allegations.
At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, James Franco wore a Time's Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement, but his actions drew immediate criticism. Actress Ally Sheedy hinted at a negative experience working with him, and a former girlfriend, Violet Paley, alleged that he had forced her to perform oral sex.
In 2018, Busy Philipps alleged in her memoir that James Franco screamed at her and violently shoved her to the ground while they were on the set of 'Freaks and Geeks'.
In 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that five women accused James Franco of inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior.
On October 3, 2019, two former students of James Franco's defunct film and acting school, Studio 4, filed a lawsuit alleging sexual exploitation and a "boy's club" culture. The lawsuit claimed students were subjected to sexually exploitative auditions, film shoots, and pressure to perform simulated sexual acts, with students being pressured to audition nude or partially nude if a scene called for nudity. The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages.
In 2019, The Deuce, in which James Franco starred, ended.
On February 21, 2021, it was reported that the lawsuit against Franco by two former students had been settled, with the students agreeing to drop their individual claims, according to documents filed on February 11. The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval.
On March 15, 2021, the settlement deal in the lawsuit against James Franco was submitted for preliminary court approval, following the agreement by the two former students to drop their individual claims.
In April 2021, Charlyne Yi stated that after they attempted to quit the film 'The Disaster Artist' over the allegations against James Franco, the filmmakers responded by offering them a larger role. Yi viewed this as an attempted bribe and also accused Seth Rogen of enabling Franco's behavior.
In June 2021, the terms of the settlement in the lawsuit against James Franco were revealed. Franco was to pay more than $2.2 million, pending a judge's approval, to resolve two legal disputes.
On December 23, 2021, James Franco gave his first interview in nearly four years when he appeared on an episode of the Jess Cagle Podcast.
In 2021, James Franco stated that he had, at one time, entered recovery for substance abuse.
In 2021, the lawsuit against James Franco alleging sexual harassment and fraud was settled for $2.2 million.
In August 2022, James Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in "Alina in Cuba" (later retitled "Castro's Daughter").
In October 2024, "Hey Joe" starring James Franco premiered at the Rome Film Festival.
On November 28, 2024, the film "Hey Joe" starring James Franco opened in Italian cinemas.
In 2024, James Franco appeared in the French thriller "The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure".
In 2024, it was reported that James Franco had been dating Izabel Pakzad since 2017.
In May 2025, Deadline reported that Lionsgate’s partner Grindstone acquired U.S. distribution for the true-crime feature Golden State Killer (retitled from The Policeman), starring Vincent Gallo as Joseph James DeAngelo and Franco as the detective trying to catch him.
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