James Franco: Snapshot
- Name
- James Franco
- Date of Birth
- April 19, 1978
- Birth Place
- Palo Alto, Calif.
The California native got his break on Judd Apatow's short-lived series Freaks and Geeks before winning a Golden Globe for his title role in 2001's made-for-TV biopic James Dean. On the tails of his critical acclaim, Franco cashed in as frenemy Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy.
Most recently, Franco was praised for playing Sean Penn's lover in Milk, and has relocated to New York City to pursue his graduate degree in fiction writing and film.
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James Franco: Five Fun Facts
- James Franco began acting in high school plays to get back at a girlfriend who kissed another boy on stage.
- James Franco practiced foreign accents on female customers while working at a McDonald's drive-thru. "I'd be French and then Italian. One girl who liked me came around the drive-thru again and said, 'Could you give me some Italian lessons?,'" he told the Chicago Sun Times.
- James Franco learned how to jump from one horse to another during the eight months of training he underwent for 2006's Tristan & Isolde.
- Of his onscreen kisses with Fast Times at Ridgemont High's Sean Penn in Milk, James Franco told GQ, "You couldn't help thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm kissing Spicoli.'"
- For his part in 2008's Pineapple Express, James Franco did not actually smoke an illegal substance. "They had this pot with the THC removed," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Sort of like Near Beer or decaffeinated coffee."
James Franco: Biography 
- 1997
A California Boy
The eldest of Betsy and Doug Franco's three sons, James Franco drops out of UCLA after his freshman year to study acting at Robert Carnegie's Playhouse West. "All my friends looked at me with pity thinking I made a pretty poor move," Franco recalls to the Chicago Sun-Times. "But after you take the leap, you know in your heart if you made the right move or not."
- 1999
James the Actor
Franco lands on the small screen in Judd Apatow's cult-hit series Freaks and Geeks, alongside comedic actors Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. He also makes his film debut with a bit part in the Drew Barrymore comedy Never Been Kissed and lands his first lead role in 2000's Whatever It Takes. Although the latter flops, Franco falls for costar Marla Sokoloff.
- 2001
Playing James Dean
With his striking resemblance to screen icon James Dean, Franco headlines the eponymous TV biopic. "I took up smoking, like Dean, and cut off most of my friends," Franco tells the New York Times. "I'm doing everything I can to approximate his life." His performance earns him a lead actor Golden Globe, as well as an Emmy and Screen Actor Guild Award nominations.
Photo Credits
Top Left: Steve Granitz/WireImage
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Yearbook Library; Everett Collection
James Franco: Photos
