
James Franco
Biography
James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in 127 Hours (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for appearing in films such as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat, Pray, Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). He frequently collaborates with fellow actor Seth Rogen, including in Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013), Sausage Party (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
Franco's first prominent acting role was on television. He starred as Daniel Desario on the short-lived ensemble comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), which developed a cult following. He portrayed the title character in the television biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award. Franco also had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera General Hospital (2009–2012) and starred in the limited series 11.22.63 (2016). He starred in the David Simon-created HBO drama The Deuce (2017–2019).
Gallery






Known For
Acting History
2026
Bunny-Man as Austin Boyd
2025Squali as Robert Price
2024Hey Joe as Dean Barry
2024The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure as Ezio Burntwood
2019Arctic Dogs as Lemmy (voice)
2019Pretenders as Maxwell
2019Zeroville as Vikar
2019Don't Come Back from the Moon as Roman Smalley
2018The Ballad of Buster Scruggs as Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")
2018Kin as Taylor Balik
2018Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary as Self
2018Future World as Warlord
2018Mississippi Requiem as Homer Barron
2018Oh, Hi Mark: Making a Disaster as Self
2017Marcians as Self - Interviewee
2017Drugs, Skate & Violence: Filmmaker Harmony Korine as Self - Archive Footage
2017The Show as Male Host
2017The Deuce as Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino
2017The Vault as Ed Mass
2017Alien: Covenant - Master Class: Ridley Scott as Self
2017Dumpster Diving as El Diablo
2017Blood Heist as Farmer Simon
2017The Mad Whale as Edward Fry
2017Alien: Covenant as Jacob Branson (uncredited)
2017The Disaster Artist as Tommy / 'Johnny'
2017Actors Anonymous as Jake Lamont
2017The Institute as Dr. Cairn
2017Alien: Covenant - Prologue: Last Supper as Branson
2017High School Lover as Rick Winters
2016Why Him? as Laird Mayhew
2016The Labyrinth as Narrator (voice)
2016Blood Surf as Metalhead Troy
2016King Cobra as Joe Kerekes
2016In Dubious Battle as Mac McLeod
2016Goat as Mitch
2016Sausage Party as Druggie (voice)
2016Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? as Director
2016The Caged Pillows as David D-R+
2016Burn Country as Lindsay
2016The Adderall Diaries as Stephen Elliott
2016Memoria as Mr. Wyckoff
2016The 4%: Film's Gender Problem as Self
201611.22.63 as Jake Epping
2016Angie Tribeca as Sgt. Eddie Pepper
2016Yosemite as Phil
2015Richard Peter Johnson as James Franco
2015The Night Before as Self
2015A Walk in Winter as Conrad
2015The Sound and the Fury as Benjy Compson
2015Queen of the Desert as Henry Cadogan
2015Call Me Lucky as Self
2015Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
2015The Little Prince as The Fox (voice)
2015Black Dog, Red Dog as Leo
2015Wild Horses as Ben Briggs
2015Killing Animals as Mr. Hurston
2015True Story as Christian Longo
2015Every Thing Will Be Fine as Tomas Eldan
2015The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards as Conrad
2015Hot Ones as Self
2015I Am Michael as Michael Glatze
2015Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha as Pasamonte
2014The Interview as Dave Skylark
2014Future Relic 02 as The Searcher
2014National Theatre Live: Of Mice and Men as George
2014Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special as David Skylark
2014Good People as Tom Reed
2014Third Person as Rick
2014Obituaries as Felix Mitchum
2014Behind the Scenes of Palo Alto as Self
2014Palo Alto as Mr. B
2014Child of God as Jerry
2014Deadbeat as Johnny
2014Veronica Mars as James Franco (uncredited)
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
2013Seth Rogen & James Franco Bound 3
2013Homefront as Morgan 'Gator' Bodine
2013Playtime as The Art Dealer
2013Sal as Milton Katselas
2013As I Lay Dying as Darl Bundren
2013Interior. Leather Bar. as James
2013Here Comes the Night Time as Man on Phone
2013Mademoiselle C as Self
2013What Is Cinema? as Self
2013Comedy Central Roast of James Franco as Self
2013Venice 70: Future Reloaded
2013A Fuller Life as Self - Reader (segment "Copy Boy")
2013Lovelace as Hugh Hefner
2013Roast of James Franco: Red Carpet Pre-Show as Self
2013This Is the End as James Franco
2013The Frame as Will Rodman
2013Oz the Great and Powerful as Oz
2013Spring Breakers as Alien
2012The Color of Time as C.K. Williams (age 40)
2012The Mindy Project as Paul Leotard
2012The Letter as Tyrone
2012The Iceman as Marty Freeman
2012Maladies as James
2012Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present as Self
2012The Broken Tower as Hart Crane
2012Hart Crane: An Exegesis as Self
2012About Cherry as Francis
2011Eames: The Architect and the Painter as Self - Narrator (voice)
2011Rise of the Planet of the Apes as Will Rodman
2011Hamish and Andy's Gap Year as Self
2011Caput
2011Your Highness as Fabious
2011Saturday Night Live: The Best of '09/'10
2011The Green Hornet as Danny Crystal Cleer (uncredited)
2010127 Hours as Aron Ralston
2010Conan as Self
2010Howl as Allen Ginsberg
2010Catblock (The Ultimate Co%kblock) as James Franco (Image Only)
2010Love and Distrust as Travis (segment "Grasshopper")
2010Eat Pray Love as David
2010With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story as Self
2010Masculinity & Me
2010Saturday Night as Self
2010Shadows & Lies as William Vincent
2010Date Night as Taste
2009SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas as (archive footage)
2009The Room Before and After - Part 1: James Franco
2009Erased James Franco as Self
2008Milk as Scott Smith
2008Good Time Max as Max
2008Nights in Rodanthe as Mark Flanner (uncredited)
2008Pineapple Express as Saul Silver
2008Camille as Silias
2008Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis as Self
2007The Hills with James Franco and Mila Kunis as Justin Bobby
2007In the Valley of Elah as Sergeant Carnelli
2007An American Crime as Andy
2007Interview as Boyfriend on Phone (voice)
2007Knocked Up as Self (uncredited)
2007Spider-Man 3 as New Goblin / Harry Osborn
2007Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee as Dean Silo
2006The Holiday as James Franco (uncredited)
2006The Dead Girl as Derek
200630 Rock as James Franco
2006Grasshopper as Travis
2006Flyboys as Blaine Rawlings
2006The Wicker Man as Bar Guy #1
2006Tristan & Isolde as Tristan
2006Annapolis as Jake Huard
2005The Colbert Report
2005The Great Raid as Captain Prince
2005The Ape as Harry Walker
2005Fool's Gold as Brent
2004The Tony Danza Show as Self
2004Spider-Man 2 as Harry Osborn
2003The Company as Josh
2003The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
2003Blind Spot as Danny
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
2002Sonny as Sonny
2002City by the Sea as Joey
2002Mother Ghost as Skateboarder guy
2002You Always Stalk the Ones You Love
2002The Car Kid
2002Deuces Wild as Tino
2002Spider-Man as Harry Osborn
2002Spider-Mania as Self
2002Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man' as Self
2001James Dean as James Dean
2001Some Body as Apartment Guy #3
2001Mean People Suck as Casey
2000At Any Cost as Mike
2000Whatever It Takes as Chris Campbell
2000If Tomorrow Comes as Devin
1999The Early Show as Self
1999Freaks and Geeks as Daniel Desario
1999Never Been Kissed as Jason
1999To Serve and Protect as Matt Carr
1999To Serve and Protect as Matt Carr
1996Profiler as Stevie
1996The Daily Show as Self
1996Pacific Blue as Brian
1993The X-Files as Officer #2
1992The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
—The Razor's Edge as Dante
—Naya: Legend of the Golden Dolphin as Finn (voice)
—Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde as Fidel Castro
—The Long Home as Dallas Hardin
—Kill the Czar
—Golden State Killer
—Love Meets in the Sunshine
—Toad
—Turnbuckle
—Foster as Donald 'Don' Foster
—Jesse Heiman: World's Greatest Extra as Self








