Actor
· Acting
James Franco
Born 1978-04-19
📍 Palo Alto, California, USA
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).
Filmography 177
Bunny-Man
as Austin Boyd
2026
Squali
as Robert Price
2025
Hey Joe
as Dean Barry
2024
Largo Winch: The Price of Money
as Ezio Burntwood
2024
Arctic Dogs
as Lemmy (voice)
2019
Pretenders
as Maxwell
2019
Zeroville
as Vikar
2019
Don't Come Back from the Moon
as Roman Smalley
2019
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
as Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")
2018
Kin
as Taylor Balik
2018
Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary
as Self
2018
Cultureshock
as Self
2018
Future World
as Warlord
2018
Mississippi Requiem
as Homer Barron
2018
Oh, Hi Mark: Making a Disaster
as Self
2018
Marcians
as Self - Interviewee
2017
Drugs, Skate & Violence: Filmmaker Harmony Korine
as Self - Archive Footage
2017
The Show
as Male Host
2017
The Deuce
as Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino
2017
The Vault
as Ed Mass
2017
Blood Heist
as Farmer Simon
2017
The Mad Whale
as Edward Fry
2017
Alien: Covenant
as Jacob Branson (uncredited)
2017
The Disaster Artist
as Tommy / 'Johnny'
2017
Actors Anonymous
as Jake Lamont
2017
The Institute
as Dr. Cairn
2017
High School Lover
as Rick Winters
2017
Why Him?
as Laird Mayhew
2016
The Labyrinth
as Narrator (voice)
2016
Blood Surf
as Metalhead Troy
2016
King Cobra
as Joe Kerekes
2016
In Dubious Battle
as Mac McLeod
2016
Goat
as Mitch
2016
Sausage Party
as Druggie (voice)
2016
Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?
as Director
2016
Burn Country
as Lindsay
2016
The Adderall Diaries
as Stephen Elliott
2016
Memoria
as Mr. Wyckoff
2016
The 4%: Film's Gender Problem
as Self
2016
11.22.63
as Jake Epping
2016
Angie Tribeca
as Sgt. Eddie Pepper
2016
Yosemite
as Phil
2016
Richard Peter Johnson
as James Franco
2015
The Night Before
as Self
2015
A Walk in Winter
as Conrad
2015
The Sound and the Fury
as Benjy Compson
2015
Queen of the Desert
as Henry Cadogan
2015
Call Me Lucky
as Self
2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self
2015
The Little Prince
as The Fox (voice)
2015
Black Dog, Red Dog
as Leo
2015
Wild Horses
as Ben Briggs
2015
Killing Animals
as Mr. Hurston
2015
True Story
as Christian Longo
2015
Every Thing Will Be Fine
as Tomas Eldan
2015
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards
as Conrad
2015
Hot Ones
as Self
2015
I Am Michael
as Michael Glatze
2015
Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
as Pasamonte
2015
The Interview
as Dave Skylark
2014
Future Relic 02
as The Searcher
2014
National Theatre Live: Of Mice and Men
as George
2014
Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special
as David Skylark
2014
Good People
as Tom Reed
2014
Third Person
as Rick
2014
Obituaries
as Felix Mitchum
2014
Behind the Scenes of Palo Alto
as Self
2014
Palo Alto
as Mr. B
2014
Child of God
as Jerry
2014
Deadbeat
as Johnny
2014
Veronica Mars
as James Franco (uncredited)
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self
2014
Homefront
as Morgan 'Gator' Bodine
2013
Playtime
as The Art Dealer
2013
Sal
as Milton Katselas
2013
As I Lay Dying
as Darl Bundren
2013
Interior. Leather Bar.
as James
2013
Here Comes the Night Time
as Man on Phone
2013
Mademoiselle C
as Self
2013
What Is Cinema?
as Self
2013
Comedy Central Roast of James Franco
as Self
2013
A Fuller Life
as Self - Reader (segment "Copy Boy")
2013
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
as Self (segment James Franco)
2013
Lovelace
as Hugh Hefner
2013
This Is the End
as James Franco
2013
My Journey in Oz
as Self
2013
The Frame
as Will Rodman
2013
Oz the Great and Powerful
as Oz
2013
Spring Breakers
as Alien
2013
The Color of Time
as C.K. Williams (age 40)
2012
The Mindy Project
as Paul Leotard
2012
The Letter
as Tyrone
2012
The Iceman
as Marty Freeman
2012
Maladies
as James
2012
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
as Self
2012
The Broken Tower
as Hart Crane
2012
Hart Crane: An Exegesis
as Self
2012
About Cherry
as Francis
2012
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
as Will Rodman
2011
Hamish and Andy's Gap Year
as Self
2011
Caput
2011
Your Highness
as Fabious
2011
Two Films, One Legacy
2011
Saturday Night Live: The Best of '09/'10
2011
The Green Hornet
as Danny Crystal Cleer (uncredited)
2011
127 Hours
as Aron Ralston
2010
Conan
as Self
2010
Howl
as Allen Ginsberg
2010
Love and Distrust
as Travis (segment "Grasshopper")
2010
Eat Pray Love
as David
2010
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
as Self
2010
Saturday Night
as Self
2010
Shadows & Lies
as William Vincent
2010
Date Night
as Taste
2010
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
as (archive footage)
2009
The Room Before and After - Part 1: James Franco
2009
Erased James Franco
as Self
2009
Milk
as Scott Smith
2008
Good Time Max
as Max
2008
Nights in Rodanthe
as Mark Flanner (uncredited)
2008
Pineapple Express
as Saul Silver
2008
Camille
as Silias
2008
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
as Self
2008
The Hills with James Franco and Mila Kunis
as Justin Bobby
2007
In the Valley of Elah
as Sergeant Carnelli
2007
An American Crime
as Andy
2007
Interview
as Boyfriend on Phone (voice)
2007
Knocked Up
as Sol (uncredited)
2007
Spider-Man 3
as New Goblin / Harry Osborn
2007
Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee
as Dean Silo
2007
The Holiday
as James Franco (uncredited)
2006
The Dead Girl
as Derek
2006
30 Rock
as James Franco
2006
Flyboys
as Blaine Rawlings
2006
The Wicker Man
as Bar Guy #1
2006
Tristan & Isolde
as Tristan
2006
Annapolis
as Jake Huard
2006
The Colbert Report
2005
The Colbert Report
as Self (uncredited)
2005
The Great Raid
as Captain Prince
2005
The Ape
as Harry Walker
2005
Fool's Gold
as Brent
2005
Spider-Man 2
as Harry Osborn
2004
The Company
as Josh
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest
2003
Sonny
as Sonny
2002
City by the Sea
as Joey
2002
Mother Ghost
as Skateboarder guy
2002
The Car Kid
2002
Deuces Wild
as Tino
2002
Spider-Man
as Harry Osborn
2002
Spider-Mania
as Self
2002
Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man'
as Self
2002
James Dean
as James Dean
2001
At Any Cost
as Mike
2000
Whatever It Takes
as Chris Campbell
2000
If Tomorrow Comes
as Devin
2000
The Early Show
as Self
1999
Freaks and Geeks
as Daniel Desario
1999
Never Been Kissed
as Jason
1999
To Serve and Protect
as Matt Carr
1999
To Serve and Protect
as Matt Carr
1999
Profiler
as Stevie
1996
The Daily Show
as Self
1996
Pacific Blue
as Brian
1996
The X-Files
as Officer #2
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self
1988
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
1975
Naya: Legend of the Golden Dolphin
as Finn (voice)
The Razor's Edge
as Dante
Toad