James Franco

Biography

James Franco (born 19.04.1978) James Franco is an American actor who rose to fame with his role on the cult TV show 'Freaks and Geeks' 1999 but is best known for starring in 2001 biopic 'James Dean' and playing Harry Osborn in the 'Spider-Man' film trilogy that began in 2002.

Childhood: James Franco was born in Palo Alto, California. His parents are Betsy Lou, a poet and author, and Doug who was the owner of a shipping container security firm before he passed away in 2011. James was talented at mathematics and became an intern at the technology company Lockheed Martin. He attended Palo Alto High School and was arrested several times as a youngster for petty crimes. He attended the University of California in LA majoring in English but soon dropped out, preferring to chase his acting career. He took acting lessons whilst working an evening shift at McDonalds to fund it. In 2006, he enrolled at the university again and graduated in 2008.

Acting Career: James Franco made his first big break in 1999 with the comedy 'Freaks and Geeks'. In that year, he made an appearance in his first movie, 'Never Been Kissed'. In 2000, he took on a bigger role in 'Whatever it Takes'. James received true recognition when he was selected for the eponymous role in 'James Dean' in 2001. To get into character, he started smoking, riding a motorcycle and learned guitar. His efforts were duly awarded with a Golden Globe. In 2002, James became internationally famous when he played the role of Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's 'Spider Man' trilogy. In the same year, he was in the poorly reviewed crime drama 'Sonny' and played a drug addled tramp in 'City by the Sea'. James has been in several independent movies throughout his career including the 2003 ballet flick 'The Company' and fantasy drama 'Camille' in 2007. In 2008, he portrayed Harvey Milk, the first gay politician elected into public office, in the biopic 'Milk' and also became a stoner in the comedy 'Pineapple Express'. James received an Academy Award nomination for his leading role in '127 Hours' in 2010 and later landed a role in 'Planet of the Apes' remake 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' in 2011. He is set to star as the titular character in 'The Wizard of Oz' sequel 'Oz: The Great and Powerful' in 2013 and currently has a recurring role in ABC show 'General Hospital'. James Franco: Other Career Ventures James plans to direct movie versions of Stephen Elliott's 'The Adderall Diaries' and Philip Carlo's 'The Night Stalker' among others. He is currently adapting the film 'Child of God' from the book by Cormac McCarthy. He has directed projects before and even created several multimedia expeditions. He has written a gritty book about his teenage antics called 'Palo Alto: Stories' which was published in 2010.

Personal Life: James Franco has been in relationships with Marla Sokoloff and Ahna O'Reilly; the latter relationship ended in 2011 due to a clash of interests. There has been a lot of media speculation surrounding his sexuality because he has portrayed a number of gay characters in movies but he appears to deny these suggestions.

Biography by Contactmusic.com

James Franco Will Return To HBO's 'The Deuce' Season 2

By Daniel Falconer in Movies / TV / Theatre on 13 February 2018

James Franco

The actor is dealing with a number of sexual misconduct allegations.

James Franco's future in the entertainment industry has been up in the air ever since he was accused of sexual misconduct by a slew of women, but it would seem that show bosses and higher ups are putting their faith in him, as he's now been confirmed to be returning for the second season of hit HBO series, 'The Deuce'.

James Franco has been keeping a low profile since allegations of sexual misconduct were thrown his way

The news comes after Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance as Tommy Wiseau in critically-acclaimed movie 'The Disaster Artist', and after he was snubbed from being nominated for this year's upcoming Academy Awards. 'The Deuce' writer Megan Abbott isn't ready to give up on the actor yet, however.

Continue reading: James Franco Will Return To HBO's 'The Deuce' Season 2

Mural Painted By James Franco At His Old High School Removed

By Ed Biggs in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 02 February 2018

James Franco

In 2014, Franco revisited his old high school in Palo Alto and was invited to paint murals and hang artwork.

A mural at James Franco’s high school that the star painted in 2014 has been removed amid multiple claims of sexual misconduct made against the actor.

Four years ago, Franco returned to his alma mater from which he had graduated in 1996 for three days to paint two murals and hang over 20 paintings around the school. One of those murals was replaced by student artwork in February 2016, and paintings in the library were removed in 2017 during a renovation, but the second mural remained until last week.

On Thursday (February 1st), the Palo Alto Unified School District confirmed that the high school’s authorities had painted over the second mural. However, they did not mention anything about the current claims of sexual misconduct hanging over The Disaster Artist star.

Continue reading: Mural Painted By James Franco At His Old High School Removed

James Franco 'Digitally Scrubbed' From Vanity Fair's New Hollywood Portfolio Cover

By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 26 January 2018

James Franco

James Franco, the subject of sexual harassment allegations from five women, has reportedly been scrubbed from the new Vanity Fair cover.

The new Vanity Fair Hollywood edition cover has been making headlines for the inept digital alteration of Reese Witherspoon, but the publication also did something else with its front cover by digitally ‘scrubbing’ the actor James Franco.

Vanity Fair debuted its much-anticipated Hollywood Portfolio edition on Thursday evening (January 25th), with the headline on its website reading ’12 Extraordinary Stars, One Momentous Year’.

However, one more star was originally intended to be on the cover, but the effect of 2017’s most powerful online movement caused him to be removed at the last minute. Multiple sources familiar with what happened at the Annie Leibovitz-directed photo-shoot back in November said that James Franco sat for it and was interviewed.

Continue reading: James Franco 'Digitally Scrubbed' From Vanity Fair's New Hollywood Portfolio Cover

Scarlett Johansson Blasts James Franco In Impassioned Women's March Speech

By Holly Williams in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 22 January 2018

Scarlett Johansson James Franco

She has since been criticized and branded a hypocrite.

Fierce feminist and big-time supporter of the recent Time's Up movement Scarlett Johansson publicly slammed James Franco during a speech she made at the Women's March in Los Angeles over the weekend for his alleged involvement in a number of sexual assault cases.

Scarlett Johansson speaks out at the Women's March

The actress has always been outspoken on women's rights and Saturday's (January 20th 2018) March was no different. Without mentioning his name, she made a barely veiled dig at 'The Disaster Artist' star for his 'abuse of power'.

Continue reading: Scarlett Johansson Blasts James Franco In Impassioned Women's March Speech

James Franco Did Not Appear At The Critics' Choice To Collect His Award

By Charlotte Court in Movies / TV / Theatre on 12 January 2018

James Franco

The award-winning actor has been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour by several women

It was a big night for women at the Critics’ Choice Awards with the ceremony focusing their accolades on female-centric dramas including Big Little Lies, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. There was one notably absent winner, however, in actor James Franco - who has recently been accused of sexual misconduct by several different women.

James Franco did not appear at the Critics' Choice Awards

The 27 Hours star - who wore a TimesUp badge as part of a movement against sexual harassment at the recent Golden Globes - has denied sexual harassment by two women.

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James Franco Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By Five Women

By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 11 January 2018

James Franco

The L.A. Times published an article on Thursday detailing allegations by five women that Franco behaved inappropriately towards them.

Golden Globe winner James Franco has now been accused of sexual misconduct by five women – including four students and a former mentee – in a new report.

The 39 year old actor’s spokesperson has denied the fresh allegations, which were published on Thursday morning (January 11th) by the Los Angeles Times.

In addition to his Hollywood career, which has seen him star in blockbusters such as the Spider-Man trilogy and Rise of the Planet of the Apes in addition to acclaimed indie flicks such as Milk and Eat Pray Love, Franco has also been a teacher. He taught at Playhouse West in North Hollywood before opening his own film school, Studio 4, which has since gone out of operation.

Continue reading: James Franco Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By Five Women

James Franco Denies Sexual Misconduct Claims That Followed Golden Globe Win

By Holly Williams in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 10 January 2018

James Franco

His appearance at the Golden Globes upset a great many women on Twitter.

James Franco has been forced to respond to sexual misconduct allegations this week following his appearance at the 75th Golden Globe Awards where he was criticised for wearing a 'Times Up' pin in solidarity for women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted, particularly within Hollywood.

James Franco at the BAFTA Los Angeles tea party

You might remember when the 39-year-old actor - who won Best Actor at the Golden Globes for his role in 'The Disaster Artist' - was exposed for trying to pick up a 17-year-old and invite her to a hotel in New York via Instagram back in 2014. He seemed embarrassed and contrite about his questionable behaviour at the time, but not everyone has forgiven him.

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The Disaster Artist Review

Excellent

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the 2003 movie The Room, which is widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made, even as it has developed a cult following. Based on the book by The Room's star Greg Sestero, it takes a remarkably personal look at the antics of aspiring actor-filmmaker Tommy Wiseau, who is played by James Franco with gonzo charm.

In late-1990s San Francisco, Tommy meets Greg (played by Dave Franco) in an acting class. As they struggle to find work, they make a pact to support each other. After moving to Los Angeles, Tommy decides to fund his own movie from his mysterious fortune, with himself in the lead role opposite Greg. They hire a cast (including Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron and Jacki Weaver) and crew (including Seth Rogen and Paul Scheer) and set out to film Tommy's screenplay for The Room. But everyone has second thoughts, since Tommy has no discernible skill at acting, writing or directing.

The Room is indeed a terrible film, but it's remarkable simply for the fact that Wiseau managed to make it. And by accepting that the public saw his melodramatic romance as an awkward comedy, he has actually made money from it. The irony about this story is of course that the profoundly untalented Wiseau had enough cash to finance the project himself. Franco plays him with affection: he's a jerk to everyone, and refuses to admit his age, nationality or where he got his millions, but he's tenacious and loyal. It's a terrific performance that never winks at the camera. And the Franco brothers bring superb camaraderie to the screen in what becomes a surprisingly involving bromance.

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The Disaster Artist Trailer

Tommu Wiseau is an ever secretive and Louisiana-born filmmaker who directed, wrote and starred in the 2003 romantic drama 'The Room' with Greg Sestero. It's a movie that has become a cult hit among film-lovers for all the wrong reasons, as it's considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

It follows the love triangle between banker named Johnny (Tommy's character), his lying wife Lisa ( protrayed by Juliette Danielle) and his best friend Mark (who is played by Greg Sestero). Amongst the random subplots that seemingly have no relation to the plot itself, we see Johnny struggling to quash Lisa's stories that she is the victim of domestic abuse.

James Franco stars as the filmmaker while his brother Dave Franco plays Greg Sestero in 'The Disaster Artist'; a comedic retelling of Sestero's 2013 memoir and a look at the making of this iconic flick. Amusingly Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero also star in this new movie - though they portray characters Henry and the casting agent respectively. Plus, Sestero previously claimed that Wiseau would only agree to this adaptation if he would be played by either James Franco or Johnny Depp.

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The Vault Review

Weak

Filmmakers Dan Bush and Conal Byrne attempt a mash-up of a frantic heist movie with supernatural horror. It's a clever idea, but the script isn't nearly as smart as it's trying to be, falling back on feeble attempts to generate suspense by throwing every cliche imaginable at the screen. The watchable cast makes sure we don't get bored, but it isn't long before we begin to suspect that there's nothing to this film at all.

It's set in a bank that has a history of robberies, including one that turned extremely violent years ago. Now sisters Lea and Vee (Francesca Eastwood and Taryn Manning) are working with their dim but useful brother Michael (Scott Haze) and a couple of hotheaded thugs (Keith Loneker and Michael Milford) to stage a heist in broad daylight. But nothing goes as planned, especially as a detective (Clifton Collins Jr.) immediately turns up outside. Inside, assistant bank manager Ed (James Franco) is trying to cooperate, but head teller Susan (Q'orianka Kilcher) won't stop talking about how the bank is haunted.

James Franco stars in The Vault

Continue reading: The Vault Review

James Franco on the red carpet for his new movie 'In Dubious Battle' held at the Mill Valley Film Festival at CinéArts, Seqouia - California, United States - Sunday 9th October 2016

James Franco out and about with a friend in SoHo, Manhattan - New York, United States - Wednesday 28th September 2016

Justin Kelly, James Franco and Gus Van Sant at the 2016 Outfest Los Angeles Screening Of 'King Cobra' and the presentation of the James Schamus Ally Award at Director's Guild Of America. West Hollywood, California, United States - Sunday 17th July 2016

James Franco , Dave Franco - James Franco and his younger brother Dave Franco on set filming the upcoming comedy film 'The Disaster Artist,' which James is also directing. This is the first time the Francos are working together on a project. - Los Angeles, California, United States - Friday 11th December 2015