Rise to Success: Career Highlights of James Franco
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how James Franco made an impact.
James Franco is an American actor and filmmaker known for his diverse roles in both mainstream and independent films. He gained prominence in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and has since starred in a wide range of movies, including Milk, Eat Pray Love, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He frequently collaborates with Seth Rogen, notably in Pineapple Express and The Disaster Artist, the latter earning him a Golden Globe. Franco received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in 127 Hours, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and accomplished actor.
1999: Starring in Freaks and Geeks
In 1999, James Franco played Daniel Desario on the television series Freaks and Geeks.
1999: Breakthrough Role in Freaks and Geeks
In 1999, James Franco's first break came after he was cast in a leading role on the NBC television series Freaks and Geeks.
2000: Freaks and Geeks Ended
In 2000, Freaks and Geeks ended. It developed a cult following.
2000: Film Debut in Never Been Kissed
In 2000, James Franco made his film debut in Never Been Kissed and played a role in Whatever It Takes.
2001: Portraying James Dean
In 2001, James Franco portrayed the title character in the television biographical film James Dean, winning a Golden Globe Award.
2001: Cast in James Dean TV Film
In 2001, James Franco was cast in the title role in director Mark Rydell's TV biographical film James Dean. He immersed himself in the role by changing his habits and studying Dean's life and work. He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG).
2002: Rising to Worldwide Fame in Spider-Man
In 2002, James Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention for his role as Harry Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man.
2002: Starring in Spider-Man
In 2002, James Franco starred in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man as Harry Osborn.
2002: Starring in Sonny and City by the Sea
In 2002, James Franco starred in Sonny, directed by Nicolas Cage, and played a homeless drug addict in City by the Sea.
2003: Co-starring in The Company
In 2003, James Franco co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's ballet movie The Company.
2004: Reprising Role in Spider-Man 2
In 2004, James Franco reprised his role in Spider-Man 2, which became a financial success.
2005: Starring in The Ape and The Great Raid
In 2005, James Franco starred in the black comedy The Ape and the war film The Great Raid, portraying Robert Prince.
February 11, 2006: First Public Painting Display
On February 11, 2006, James Franco's paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, marking his entry into the art world.
September 2006: Release of Flyboys and Appearance in The Wicker Man
In September 2006, James Franco completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in Flyboys, which was released. He also appeared briefly in The Wicker Man remake.
2007: Starring in Spider-Man 3 and Knocked Up
In 2007, James Franco played Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3 and made a cameo appearance in Knocked Up. He also wrote, directed, and starred in Good Time Max, which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
2007: Starring in Spider-Man 3
In 2007, James Franco reprised his role as Harry Osborn in Spider-Man 3.
June 2008: Undergraduate Degree from UCLA
In June 2008, James Franco received his undergraduate degree from UCLA with a GPA of 3.5/4.0, completing his departmental honors thesis as a novel.
September 20, 2008: Hosting Saturday Night Live for the First Time
On September 20, 2008, James Franco hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the first time.
2008: Starring in Milk
In 2008, James Franco starred in Gus Van Sant's Milk as Scott Smith, the boyfriend of Harvey Milk. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
2008: Acting in Milk and Pineapple Express
In 2008, James Franco starred in Milk and Pineapple Express, collaborating with Seth Rogen in Pineapple Express.
2008: Face of Gucci fragrance line
In 2008, James Franco was named as the face of Gucci's men's fragrance line.
June 12, 2009: Withdrawal from UCLA Commencement Speech
James Franco was initially selected to be the commencement speaker at UCLA on June 12, 2009, but withdrew due to a date conflict with film pre-production.
December 19, 2009: Hosting Saturday Night Live for the Second Time
On December 19, 2009, James Franco hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the second time.
2009: Recurring Role on General Hospital
From 2009, James Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.
2009: Joining General Hospital
In 2009, James Franco joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital on a recurring basis, playing a multimedia artist.
May 2010: Cast in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
In May 2010, James Franco was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", a reboot of the Planet of the Apes series.
May 2010: Maryland Film Festival Presentation
In May 2010, James Franco's short films as director "The Feast of Stephen" and "Herbert White" were both presented within the Maryland Film Festival.
June 2010: First solo exhibition
In June 2010, James Franco presented his first solo exhibition, "The Dangerous Book Four Boys", presented at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City. The show featured video, drawings, sculptures and installation.
September 2010: Acquired rights to The Adderall Diaries
At the end of September 2010, James Franco acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott's "The Adderall Diaries", with the intention to adapt, direct, and star in the film.
October 19, 2010: Publication of Palo Alto
On October 19, 2010, Scribner published a collection of short stories, "Palo Alto", by James Franco. The book consists of life in the city of Palo Alto as experienced by a series of teenagers.
November 5, 2010: Limited release of 127 Hours
On November 5, 2010, the movie "127 Hours", starring James Franco as Aron Ralston, was given a limited release. The film, directed by Danny Boyle, portrays Ralston's ordeal of being trapped in a ravine and resorting to amputating his arm to survive.
2010: Appearing on 30 Rock and Starring in Howl
In 2010, James Franco appeared on the sitcom 30 Rock, starred in Date Night and Eat Pray Love, and played Allen Ginsberg in the drama Howl, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.
2010: Short film adaptation
In 2010, James Franco made a short film based on the poem Directing Herbert White by Frank Bidart.
2010: M.F.A. from Columbia University
In 2010, James Franco received his M.F.A. from Columbia University, while also attending graduate school at multiple institutions including NYU and Brooklyn College, and studying at Warren Wilson College and Yale University.
2010: Starring in Eat Pray Love and Receiving Academy Award Nomination
In 2010, James Franco starred in Eat Pray Love and received a Best Actor nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards for his performance in 127 Hours.
2010: Franco held an exhibit based on General Hospital
In the summer of 2010, the real James Franco held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles based on his experiences on the soap opera General Hospital, while the fictional Franco from General Hospital held an exhibit at the museum.
January 2011: Plans to star in and direct The Night Stalker
In January 2011, James Franco planned to star in and direct himself in "The Night Stalker", a film version of Philip Carlo's book about the 1980s serial killer, Richard Ramirez.
January 2011: Screened multimedia project at Sundance Film Festival
In January 2011, James Franco screened his multimedia project, entitled "Three's Company The Drama", in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
January 2011: Franco Honored at Art of Elysium Gala
In January 2011, at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles, James Franco was honored for his work at the hospital, receiving the Spirit of Elysium accolade.
January 26, 2011: Satirical Video Release on Funny or Die
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.
February 23, 2011: Cameo on Minute to Win It
On February 23, 2011, James Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC's "Minute to Win It," where Aron Ralston, the real-life person Franco portrayed in "127 Hours," was a contestant playing for charity.
February 27, 2011: Hosted the 83rd Academy Awards
On February 27, 2011, James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted the 83rd Academy Awards. The show was widely panned, and Franco was criticized for his lack of energy.
March 31, 2011: James Franco at 826DC Dinner Benefit
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. Franco became involved with Dave Eggers' 826 National after Eggers asked him to do a conceptual idea for the program, and he directed a documentary for them and has since been a supporter of them. At the event, he spoke about how he thought schools needed to be more original with their literature programs.
April 2011: Franco Supports Japanese Tsunami Relief
In April 2011, James Franco autographed a T-shirt to be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation, with the proceeds donated for Japanese tsunami relief.
July 2011: Filming of Oz the Great and Powerful began
In July 2011, filming began for "Oz the Great and Powerful", a Disney prequel to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", starring James Franco.
August 5, 2011: Release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
On August 5, 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", starring James Franco, was released. Franco starred in the reboot of the Planet of the Apes series which had a $93 million budget.
2011: European Art Exhibition in Berlin
In 2011, James Franco launched his first European art exhibition at Peres Projects in Berlin.
2011: Directorial Debut and Filmmaking
In 2011, James Franco made his dance-theater directorial debut with "Collage" at New York's Stella Adler Studios. He also directed two short films for R.E.M. and screened his docudrama, The Broken Tower, at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
2011: Starring in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
In 2011, James Franco starred in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
2011: Teaching film course at NYU
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, attracting actors like Seth MacFarlane and Natalie Portman for student projects.
February 2012: Began shooting Child of God
In February 2012, James Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's 1973 novella "Child of God", which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard.
September 2012: Release of Daddy's first single
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.
2012: Starring in Spring Breakers
In 2012, James Franco starred in Spring Breakers.
2012: The Broken Tower DVD Release
In 2012, The Broken Tower, James Franco's docudrama about poet Hart Crane, was released on DVD.
March 8, 2013: Release of Oz the Great and Powerful
On March 8, 2013, the Disney prequel to L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", titled "Oz the Great and Powerful", was released, starring James Franco.
March 2013: Featured in UCLA Advertisements
In March 2013, James Franco was featured in UCLA advertisements as a "prolific academic," celebrating his achievements as an alumnus.
March 2013: Franco set to debut on Broadway in Of Mice and Men
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".
July 9, 2013: Announcement as Comedy Central Roast Roastee
On July 9, 2013, James Franco announced that he would be the featured roastee on the next Comedy Central Roast.
September 2, 2013: Comedy Central Roast Air Date
On September 2, 2013, James Franco's Comedy Central Roast aired.
September 2013: Campaign for Oscar nomination for Spring Breakers
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".
October 2013: Appeared in music video for City of Angels
In October 2013, James Franco appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
December 2013: Explanation of self-portraits
In December 2013, James Franco wrote an explanatory article for The New York Times about his frequent publishing of "selfies."
2013: Starring in Oz the Great and Powerful and This Is the End
In 2013, James Franco starred in Oz the Great and Powerful and This Is the End, collaborating with Seth Rogen in This Is the End.
2013: Starred in This Is the End
In late 2013, James Franco starred in "This Is the End" as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with other fictionalized versions of actors.
February 2014: Support for Shia LaBeouf's performance art
In February 2014, James Franco wrote an article in The New York Times in support of Shia LaBeouf's metamodernist performance art.
April 2014: Publication of poetry collection
In April 2014, Graywolf Press issued James Franco's first collection of poetry, Directing Herbert White. The title references a poem by Frank Bidart.
April 2014: Directed and appeared in Techno Color Sunglasses
In April 2014, James Franco directed and appeared in "Techno Color Sunglasses", a promotional film for Gucci's eyewear collection.
April 2014: Franco Presents at Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet Competition
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".
June 2014: Franco Performs in Broadway Bares
In June 2014, James Franco performed in the BC/EFA benefit Broadway Bares.
April 2015: I Am Michael and True Story shown at Sundance Film Festival
In April 2015, two of James Franco's projects, titled "I Am Michael" and "True Story", were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
2015: Published Editorial about McDonald's Experience
In 2015, James Franco published a Washington Post editorial titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was", nostalgically recalling his experience working at McDonald's.
February 15, 2016: Premiere of 11.22.63
On February 15, 2016, the eight-episode Hulu limited series "11.22.63", based on the novel by Stephen King and starring James Franco, premiered.
December 2016: Release of Why Him?
In December 2016, the comedy "Why Him?" was released, starring James Franco as an immature tech-billionaire.
2016: Franco directed and starred in The Disaster Artist
In 2016, James Franco directed, co-produced, and starred in "The Disaster Artist", a film about the making of "The Room."
2016: Starring in Sausage Party
In 2016, James Franco starred in Sausage Party, collaborating with Seth Rogen.
2016: Starring in 11.22.63
In 2016, James Franco starred in the limited series 11.22.63.
May 19, 2017: Release of Alien: Covenant
On May 19, 2017, James Franco briefly appeared in the Alien prequel, "Alien: Covenant" as Branson, the captain of the Covenant ship.
December 1, 2017: Release of The Disaster Artist
On December 1, 2017, "The Disaster Artist" was released to positive reviews with near-universal praise for James Franco's portrayal of Tommy Wiseau.
2017: Starring in The Disaster Artist and Winning a Golden Globe
In 2017, James Franco starred in The Disaster Artist, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
2019: Ending Role in The Deuce
In 2019, James Franco ended his role in The Deuce.
August 2022: Cast as Fidel Castro in Alina in Cuba
In August 2022, James Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in "Alina in Cuba", a casting decision that was supported by Fidel Castro's daughter.
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