James Franco biography
James Franco is an American actor (born 1978), born on 19 April 1978 in Palo Alto.
James Franco's screen career began in 1997 with Pacific Blue, playing Brian.
James Franco has appeared in 111 films and 27 television or streaming titles.
The most recent films are Squali (2025), The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure (2024), Hey Joe (2024).
Honours include Indiana Film Journalists Association Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor , Miniseries or Television Film and Golden Shell.
Coming up next: Confession (2026), John Rambo (2027), Kill the Czar.
- Also known as
- James Edward Franco
- Born
- 19 April 1978 (age 48)
- Birthplace
- Palo Alto
- Work
- Actor, Television actor, Film actor, Film director, Film producer
- Film industries
- Hollywood and beyond
- Awards
- Indiana Film Journalists Association Award for Best Actor
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor , Miniseries or Television Film
- Golden Shell
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
James Franco filmography
125 films and 27 television or streaming titles, newest first.
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Home | Jake | Post-production | ||
| Turnbuckle | Meat Daddy | Post-production | ||
| Toad | Filming | |||
| The Razor's Edge | Dante | Post-production | ||
| The Long Home | Dallas Hardin | Post-production | ||
| Runaway | Post-production | |||
| Love Meets The Sunshine | Jacob | Post-production | ||
| Kill the Czar | TBA | Post-production | ||
| Golden State Killer | Detective | Post-production | ||
| Foster | Donald "Don" Foster | Post-production | ||
| Castro's Daughter | Fidel Castro | Post-production | ||
| Bukowski | Post-production | |||
| 2027 | John Rambo | TBA | Post-production | |
| 2026 | Confession | Vladimir | Post-production | |
| 2025 | Squali | Robert Price | ||
| 2024 | The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure | Ezio Burntwood | ||
| 2024 | Hey Joe | Dean Barry | ||
| 2019 | Zeroville | Ike "Vikar" Jerome | ||
| 2019 | Arctic Dogs | Lemmy | Voice | |
| 2018 | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Cowboy | Segment: "Near Algodones" | |
| 2018 | Kin | Taylor Balik | ||
| 2018 | Future World | The Warlord | ||
| 2018 | Pretenders | Maxwell | ||
| 2017 | The Vault | Ed Maas | ||
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant | Jacob Branson | Uncredited cameo |
Show all 125 films
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | This Is Your Death | English | ||
| 2017 | The Institute | Dr. Cairn | ||
| 2017 | The Disaster Artist | Tommy Wiseau | ||
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant , Prologue: Last Supper | Jacob Branson | Short film | |
| 2017 | The Show | Male Host | ||
| 2017 | The Mad Whale | Edward Fry | ||
| 2017 | The Labyrinth | Narrator | Voice | |
| 2017 | Don't Come Back from the Moon | Roman Smalley | ||
| 2017 | Actors Anonymous | Jake Lamont | ||
| 2016 | Why Him? | Laird Mayhew | ||
| 2016 | In Dubious Battle | Mac McLeod | ||
| 2016 | Burn Country | Lindsay | ||
| 2016 | King Cobra | Joseph "Joe" Kerekes | ||
| 2016 | Goat | Mitch | ||
| 2016 | The Caged Pillows | David Del Rosario | Voice, short film | |
| 2016 | Sausage Party | Druggie | Voice | |
| 2016 | L.A. Series | Executive producer | ||
| 2015 | The Night Before | English | ||
| 2015 | Memoria | Mr. Wyckoff | ||
| 2015 | The Adderall Diaries | Stephen Elliott | ||
| 2015 | I Am Michael | Michael Glatze | ||
| 2015 | Yosemite | Phil | ||
| 2015 | Wild Horses | Ben Briggs | ||
| 2015 | Queen of the Desert | Henry Cadogan | ||
| 2015 | Every Thing Will Be Fine | Tomas Eldan | ||
| 2015 | Don Quixote | English | ||
| 2015 | True Story | Christian Longo | ||
| 2015 | The Little Prince | The Fox | Voice | |
| 2015 | The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards | Conrad | ||
| 2015 | Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha | Pasamonte | ||
| 2014 | Lennon or McCartney | English | ||
| 2014 | The Sound and the Fury | Benjy Compson | ||
| 2014 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Will Rodman | Uncredited cameo | |
| 2014 | Veronica Mars | English | ||
| 2014 | Good People | Tom Wright | ||
| 2014 | The Interview | Dave Skylark | ||
| 2013 | Mademoiselle C. | English | ||
| 2013 | Third Person | Richard "Rick" Weiss | ||
| 2013 | Child of God | Jerry | ||
| 2013 | This Is the End | English | ||
| 2013 | As I Lay Dying | Darl Bundren | ||
| 2013 | Oz the Great and Powerful | Oscar Diggs | ||
| 2013 | Lovelace | Hugh Hefner | ||
| 2013 | Interior. Leather Bar | Co-directed with Travis Mathews Also cinematographer | ||
| 2013 | Palo Alto | Mr. B | Based on his own book | |
| 2013 | Homefront | Morgan "Gator" Bodine | ||
| 2013 | Kink | Documentary | ||
| 2012 | Spring Breakers | Alien | ||
| 2012 | About Cherry | Francis | ||
| 2012 | The Letter | Tyrone | ||
| 2012 | The Iceman | Marty Freeman | ||
| 2012 | Tar | English | ||
| 2012 | The Color of Time (aka Tar) | C. K. Williams | ||
| 2012 | Maladies | James | ||
| 2011 | Sal | Milton Katselas | ||
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Will Rodman | ||
| 2011 | The Broken Tower | Hart Crane | ||
| 2011 | The Green Hornet | Danny "Crystal" Clear | Uncredited cameo | |
| 2011 | Your Highness | Prince Fabious | ||
| 2011 | My Own Private River | |||
| 2010 | 127 Hours | Aron Ralston | ||
| 2010 | Eat Pray Love | David Piccolo | ||
| 2010 | Date Night | Tom "Taste" Felton | ||
| 2010 | Saturday Night | Documentary | ||
| 2010 | Shadows and Lies | William Vincent | ||
| 2010 | Love & Distrust | Travis | Segment: "Grasshopper" | |
| 2010 | Howl | Allen Ginsberg | ||
| 2009 | The Feast of Stephen | Short film | ||
| 2008 | Nights in Rodanthe | Dr. Mark Flanner | Uncredited | |
| 2008 | Pineapple Express | Saul Silver | ||
| 2008 | Milk | Scott Smith | ||
| 2008 | Camille | Silas Parker | ||
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Harry Osborn / New Goblin | ||
| 2007 | Good Time Max | Max | ||
| 2007 | Knocked Up | English | ||
| 2007 | Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse | English | ||
| 2007 | Interview | Voice on phone | Voice, cameo | |
| 2007 | In the Valley of Elah | Sergeant Dan Carnelli | ||
| 2007 | Finishing the Game | Rob Force | ||
| 2007 | An American Crime | Andy Gordon | ||
| 2006 | The Holiday | English | ||
| 2006 | The Wicker Man | Bar Guy #1 | ||
| 2006 | Tristan & Isolde | Prince Tristan | ||
| 2006 | The Dead Girl | Derek | ||
| 2006 | Flyboys | Blaine Rawlings | ||
| 2006 | Annapolis | Jake Huard | ||
| 2005 | The Great Raid | Cpt. Robert Prince | ||
| 2005 | The Ape | Harry Walker | ||
| 2005 | Fool's Gold | Brent | ||
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Harry Osborn | ||
| 2003 | The Company | Josh Williams | ||
| 2002 | City by the Sea | Joey LaMarca | ||
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Harry Osborn | ||
| 2002 | Sonny | Sonny Phillips | ||
| 2002 | Deuces Wild | Tino Verona | ||
| 2002 | Mother Ghost | Skateboarder Guy | ||
| 2001 | Mean People Suck | Casey Mitchell | Short film | |
| 2000 | Whatever It Takes | Chris Campbell | ||
| 2000 | If Tomorrow Comes | Devin | ||
| 1999 | Never Been Kissed | Jason Way |
Television and streaming
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Love, Lies & Frank | Jimmy Frank | Vertical drama | |
| 2017 | High School Lover | Rick Winters | Television film; also executive producer | |
| 2017 | The Deuce | Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino | 25 episodes; also executive producer and directed 4 episodes | |
| 2016 | Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? | Play Director | Television film; also writer | |
| 2016 | The Day in Question | |||
| 2016 | Soldier Boy | |||
| 2016 | Happy Birthday, Lee Harvey Oswald | |||
| 2016 | The Truth | |||
| 2016 | The Eyes of Texas | |||
| 2016 | Other Voices, Other Rooms | |||
| 2016 | The Kill Floor | |||
| 2016 | The Rabbit Hole | |||
| 2016 | Angie Tribeca | Sgt. Eddie Pepper | 6 episodes | |
| 2016 | 11.22.63 | Jake Epping | 8 episodes; also producer and directed episode: "The Truth" | |
| 2015 | Deadbeat | Johnny Penis | Episode: "The Polaroid Flasher" | |
| 2013 | The Mindy Project | Dr. Paul Leotard | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Comedy Central Roast of James Franco | Roastee | Television special | |
| 2012 | Hollywood Heights | Osborne "Oz" Silver | Recurring role | |
| 2012 | FCU: Fact Checkers Unit | James | Episode: "James Franco Is Preggers" | |
| 2009 | General Hospital | Franco | 20 episodes | |
| 2007 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Franco | 13 episodes | |
| 2001 | James Dean | James Dean | Television film | |
| 2000 | At Any Cost | Mike Roberts | Television film | |
| 1999 | Profiler | Stevie | Episode: "Three Carat Crisis" | |
| 1999 | Freaks and Geeks | Daniel Desario | 18 episodes |
Show all 27 titles
| Year | Title | Role | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | To Serve and Protect | Kristin Carter | Television film | |
| 1997 | Pacific Blue | Brian | Episode: "Matters of the Heart" |