James Franco's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Freaks and Geeks Daniel Desa… 83rd Academy Awards Host - Jame…

Main Movie Roles 2011 - Your Highness 2010 - 127 Hours 2010 - Eat, Pray, Love 2010 - Date Night 2008 - Milk 2008 - Pineapple Express 2008 - Nights in Rodanthe 2007 - Camille 2007 - Good Time Max 2007 - In the Valley of Elah 2007 - Knocked Up 2007 - An American Crime 2007 - Spider-Man 3 2006 - The Wicker Man 2006 - The Holiday 2006 - Annapolis 2006 - Flyboys 2005 - The Great Raid 2004 - Spider-Man 2 2002 - Spider-Man 2002 - Deuces Wild 2002 - City By The Sea 2000 - Whatever It Takes 1999 - Never Been Kissed

BIOGRAPHY:

Best known for his breakthrough starring role on "Freaks and Geeks" (1999), James Franco was born in Palo Alto, California on April 19, 1978. Growing up with his two younger brothers, James graduated from Palo Alto high school in 1996 and went on to attend UCLA, majoring in English. To overcome his shyness, he got into acting while studying there, which, much to his parents' dismay, he left after only one year. After fifteen months of intensive study at Robert Carnegie's Playhouse West, James began actively pursuing his dream of finding work as an actor in Hollywood. In that short time, he landed himself a starring role on "Freaks and Geeks" (1999). The show, however, was not a hit to its viewers at the time, and was canceled after its first year. Now, it has become a cult-hit. Prior to joining "Freaks and Geeks" (1999), Franco starred in the TV miniseries _"To Serve and Protect" (1999) (mini). After that he had a starring role in Whatever It Takes (2000), which is where he met his future girlfriend, Marla Sokoloff.

Although he'd been working steadily, it wasn't until the TNT made-for-television movie, James Dean (2001) (TV) that James rose to fan-magazine fame and got to show off his talent. Since then he has been working non-stop. After losing the lead role to Tobey Maguire, James settled for the part of Harry Osborne, Spider-Man's best friend in the summer 2002 major hit Spider-Man (2002).

Next was Deuces Wild (2002) and City by the Sea (2002), in which Robert De Niro personally had him cast, after viewing his performance in James Dean (2001) (TV). Definitely growing out of his shyness James Franco is turning into a legend of his own.


TRIVIA:

• (2000-2004) In a relationship with 'Marla Sokoloff' (qv). They met on the set of _Whatever It Takes (2000)_ (qv).
• In his spare time he likes to paint
• Auditioned for the role of Peter Parker in _Spider-Man (2002)_ (qv), but was given the part of Harry Osbourne.
• Shares a birthday with 'Hayden Christensen' (qv).
• His grandmother, Mitzie Verne, is an artist.
• Was named one of Salon.com's "10 men who might just inspire the rebirth of Jewish male cool."
• While a guest on her NPR program "Fresh Air," Franco told interviewer Terry Gross that when he went back to UCLA to finish his undergraduate degree in creative writing, he was worried that his classmates and professors might think of him as "sliding by" because of his acting career, so he took a lot of extra courses to make sure they knew he was serious. He told Gross that the cap on the number of units that a student is allowed to take in a quarter was 19, but in his last quarter he took 62 units - which as far as he knows is a record for a single student.
• Franco told interviewer Terry Gross that when he was in junior high school, he was arrested for shoplifting cologne from a department store and reselling it with his friends at the school. He noted to Gross the irony that in 2008 he shot an advertising campaign in which he became the face of Gucci cologne.