James Edward Franco was born on April 19th, 1978 to Betsy Lou (née Verne) and Douglas Eugene "Doug" Franco, who met as students at Stanford University. James has two brothers, Tom and Dave. He initially wanted to pursue a career as a marine biologist before he went into acting.
Acting career
Franco did a couple of roles on TV before getting a breakthrough by starring in the NBC TV series "Freaks and Geeks" as Daniel Desario. His next memorable role would be playing Hollywood actor James Dean in 2001 for which he received much acclaim. In 2002, James starred in "Spider-Man" and the sequels of that initial trilogy.
Franco received his second Golden Globe nomination in 2009 for his role in the movie "Pineapple Express" in the category for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. In the year 2010, he played probably the most memorable role of his life in the movie "127 Hours" which was directed by Danny Boyle and ended up being nominated for an Academy Award. In this movie he played the role of real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston. The movie revolves around Ralston's struggle for survival after he becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering in Utah.
Some other movies in which Franco appeared are: "Oz the Great and Powerful," "As I Lay Dying," "This Is The End," and countless others. While james franco has become known in recent years for his work in comedy films, he also has a good balance of dramatic and serious roles as well.
Other work
Apart from pursuing his career as an actor and director, James Franco also published a collection of short stories in the year 2010 and named it after his hometown, "Palo Alto." In February 2011, Franco hosted the 83rd Academy Awards along with Anne Hathaway. He has also been appointed as a Lecturer at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television since 2012, and is currently working on his PhD.
at Yale University. He is also very active in charitable work, and, in January 2011, at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles, Franco was acknowledged for his work, as he received the Spirit of Elysium accolade.
