James Franco is an American actor, director, film producer, and screenwriter. His 2010 film, 127 Hours, about a hiker who was forced to cut off his arm to save his life, was released in November 2010.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/ He attended the University of California where he majored in English. However, he dropped out before earning his degree and enrolled at Playhouse West where he studied acting. Franco won a "Best Supporting Actor" Spirit Award for his work in the 2009 film Milk.
Several UCLA students took to Facebook in March of 2009 to protest Franco being chosen to speak at their upcoming graduation ceremony. The group of protesters stated "He is a very talented actor, and clearly did well enough at UCLA to get into Columbia. We merely protest that he is not an appropriate choice for our graduation speaker."http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/19/ucla-students-unite-to-expel-james-franco/ Franco was caught sleeping during a lecture at Columbia University in 2009.http://gawker.com/5167491/overworked-james-franco-sleeping-his-way-through-grad-school
Acting Career
In 1999, Franco landed a role in the television series Freaks and Geeks. A year later, he was awarded a role in the film Whatever It Takes. In 2001, Franco won a Golden Globe Award for the TNT movie James Dean. He went on to play in other films such as City By The Sea, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, The Great Raid, and Fool's Gold. His more recent works include Tristan & Isolde, Flyboys, Spider-Man 3, and An American Crime and the 2010 feature, 127 Hours.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/
Career Timeline (Notable TV Shows and Films)
- 1997: Pacific Blue (TV)
- 1999: Never Been Kissed
- 2000: Whatever It Takes
- 1999 - 2000: Freaks and Geeks (TV)
- 2001: James Dean (TV movie)
- 2002: Spider-Man
- 2002: City by the Sea
- 2003: The Company
- 2004: Spider-Man 2
- 2007: Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee
- 2007: Spider-Man 3
- 2008: Pineapple Express
- 2008: Milk
- 2010: Howl
- 2010: Date Night
- 2009 - 2010: General Hospital (TV)
- 2010: 127 Hourshttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/
Quotes
"Acting doesn't do very much for me, I put off school for it, but it's not like it was a sacrifice or anything. I really didn't miss school until I went back. Or maybe I missed it and nobody believed that, not even me. The work of it — and I have really great teachers — that's the stuff that adds up for me in a way that acting doesn't." — James Franco, interview with Esquirehttp://www.esquire.com/features/james-franco/james-franco-interview-0910
"I think in some ways, using my persona in some of these projects — even though it’s not really me, they just use my name in some of these shows and it’s supposed to be me, even if it’s really not — by doing that, it allows me to access different places in a certain way." — James Franco, interview with Movielinehttp://www.movieline.com/2010/01/james-franco-the-movieline-interview.php?page=3
Interview with the Cast of Pineapple Express
This is an interview with cast of the comedy film, "Pineapple Express." Seth Rogen speaks about the course in which James Franco got the role in the film. He talks about how they had a close relationship for a while, but then Franco went off and did a number of lackluster movies. They finally came back together to star in "Pineapple Express."
References
Fast Facts
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Born
April 19, 1978
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Birth name
James Edward Franco
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Birthplace
Palo Alto, California
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Debut Role
Pacific Blue (TV)
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Girlfriend
N/A
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Siblings
Tom Franco, Dave Franco
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Alma mater
University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia University (attending), New York University (attending)
