James Franco
Known for: Acting
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
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014
Series
The Daily Show
Self
1996
Film
Spider-Man
Harry Osborn
2002
Series
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
Series
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
1993
Series
The X-Files
Officer #2
1993
Film
Spider-Man 3
New Goblin / Harry Osborn
2007
Series
Conan
Self
2010
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
Series
The Colbert Report
2005
Series
The Colbert Report
Self (uncredited)
2005
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
2003
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Series
Hot Ones
Self
2015
Series
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self
1988
Series
30 Rock
James Franco
2006
Film
Spider-Man 2
Harry Osborn
2004
Series
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
Series
The Mindy Project
Paul Leotard
2012
Series
Profiler
Stevie
1996
Series
11.22.63
Jake Epping
2016
Film
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Will Rodman
2014
Film
Alien: Covenant
Jacob Branson (uncredited)
2017
Film
The Interview
Dave Skylark
2014
Series
Pacific Blue
Brian
1996
Film
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Will Rodman
2011
Series
Angie Tribeca
Sgt. Eddie Pepper
2016
Series
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015
Series
The Deuce
Vincent Martino / Frankie Martino
2017
Series
Freaks and Geeks
Daniel Desario
1999
The Tony Danza Show
Self
2004
Film
Sausage Party
Druggie (voice)
2016
Film
This Is the End
James Franco
2013
Film
Homefront
Morgan 'Gator' Bodine
2013
Film
The Holiday
James Franco (uncredited)
2006
Film
The Little Prince
The Fox (voice)
2015
Film
127 Hours
Aron Ralston
2010
Film
The Green Hornet
Danny Crystal Cleer (uncredited)
2011
Film
Eat Pray Love
David
2010
Film
Pineapple Express
Saul Silver
2008
Film
Knocked Up
Sol (uncredited)
2007
Film
Oz the Great and Powerful
Oz
2013
Series
Marcians
Self - Interviewee
2017
Film
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Cowboy (segment "Near Algodones")
2018
Film
Why Him?
Laird Mayhew
2016
Film
Never Been Kissed
Jason
1999
Film
Arctic Dogs
Lemmy (voice)
2019
Film
The Wicker Man
Bar Guy #1
2006
Film
Spring Breakers
Alien
2013
Film
Your Highness
Fabious
2011
Film
Tristan & Isolde
Tristan
2006
Series
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Self
2008
Film
Date Night
Taste
2010
Film
Lovelace
Hugh Hefner
2013
Film
The Disaster Artist
Tommy / 'Johnny'
2017
Film
The Night Before
Self
2015
Film
Nights in Rodanthe
Mark Flanner (uncredited)
2008
Film
Milk
Scott Smith
2008
Film
The Great Raid
Captain Prince
2005
Film
Queen of the Desert
Henry Cadogan
2015
Series
Deadbeat
Johnny
2014
Film
The Iceman
Marty Freeman
2012
Film
Whatever It Takes
Chris Campbell
2000
Film
An American Crime
Andy
2007
Film
In Dubious Battle
Mac McLeod
2016
Film
Third Person
Rick
2014
Film
City by the Sea
Joey
2002
Series
The Frame
Will Rodman
2013
Film
Veronica Mars
James Franco (uncredited)
2014
Film
Good People
Tom Reed
2014
Film
About Cherry
Francis
2012
Film
Largo Winch: The Price of Money
Ezio Burntwood
2024
Film
Kin
Taylor Balik
2018
Film
Flyboys
Blaine Rawlings
2006
Film
True Story
Christian Longo
2015
Film
King Cobra
Joe Kerekes
2016
Film
In the Valley of Elah
Sergeant Carnelli
2007
Film
The Dead Girl
Derek
2006
Film
The Vault
Ed Mass
2017
Film
Future World
Warlord
2018
Film
Palo Alto
Mr. B
2014
Film
Annapolis
Jake Huard
2006
Film
The Institute
Dr. Cairn
2017
Series
The Early Show
Self
1999
Film
James Dean
James Dean
2001
Film
The Adderall Diaries
Stephen Elliott
2016
Film
Deuces Wild
Tino
2002
Film
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert
Self
2025
Series
Hamish and Andy's Gap Year
Self
2011
Film
As I Lay Dying
Darl Bundren
2013
Film
The Company
Josh
2003
Film
I Am Michael
Michael Glatze
2015
Film
The Show
Male Host
2017
Film
Zeroville
Vikar
2019
Series
Cultureshock
Self
2018
Film
Naya: Legend of the Golden Dolphin
Finn (voice)
Film
Saturday Night Live: The Best of '09/'10
2011
Film
The Letter
Tyrone
2012
Film
Wild Horses
Ben Briggs
2015
Film
Mademoiselle C
Self
2013
Film
Howl
Allen Ginsberg
2010
Film
Comedy Central Roast of James Franco
Self
2013
Film
Venice 70: Future Reloaded
Self (segment James Franco)
2013
Film
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
Self
2012
Film
John Rambo
2027
Film
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
Self
2010
Film
Goat
Mitch
2016
Film
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards
Conrad
2015
Film
Love and Distrust
Travis (segment "Grasshopper")
2010
Film
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
(archive footage)
2009
Film
Sonny
Sonny
2002
Film
Saturday Night
Self
2010
Film
Child of God
Jerry
2014
The Long Home
Dallas Hardin
Film
Call Me Lucky
Self
2015
Film
Camille
Silias
2008
Film
Good Time Max
Max
2008
Film
Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?
Director
2016
Film
Every Thing Will Be Fine
Tomas Eldan
2015
Film
Interview
Boyfriend on Phone (voice)
2007
Film
The Sound and the Fury
Benjy Compson
2015
Film
A Fuller Life
Self - Reader (segment "Copy Boy")
2013
Series
To Serve and Protect
Matt Carr
1999
Film
Interior. Leather Bar.
James
2013
Film
Actors Anonymous
Jake Lamont
2017
Runaway
Film
High School Lover
Rick Winters
2017
Film
Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
Pasamonte
2015
Film
The 4%: Film's Gender Problem
Self
2016
Film
Burn Country
Lindsay
2016
Film
Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary
Self
2018
Golden State Killer
Castro's Daughter
Fidel Castro
Film
Maladies
James
2012
Film
What Is Cinema?
Self
2013
Love Meets in the Sunshine
Jacob
Film
Shadows & Lies
William Vincent
2010
Film
Hey Joe
Dean Barry
2024
Film
The Color of Time
C.K. Williams (age 40)
2012
Some Body
Apartment Guy #3
2001
Film
Playtime
The Art Dealer
2013
Film
Black Dog, Red Dog
Leo
2015
Film
Here Comes the Night Time
Man on Phone
2013
Film
Spider-Mania
Self
2002
Film
My Journey in Oz
Self
2013
Film
The Mad Whale
Edward Fry
2017
Film
Bunny-Man
Austin Boyd
Film
Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man'
Self
2002
Film
Squali
Robert Price
2025
Film
National Theatre Live: Of Mice and Men
George
2014
Film
Drugs, Skate & Violence: Filmmaker Harmony Korine
Self - Archive Footage
2017
Film
Oh, Hi Mark: Making a Disaster
Self
2018
Film
Pretenders
Maxwell
2019
Film
The Labyrinth
Narrator (voice)
2016
Film
Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee
Dean Silo
2007
Film
Don't Come Back from the Moon
Roman Smalley
2019
Film
The Razor's Edge
Dante
Film
Yosemite
Phil
2016
Film
The Hills with James Franco and Mila Kunis
Justin Bobby
2007
Film
Dave Skylark's Very Special VMA Special
David Skylark
2014
Film
Toad
Film
Behind the Scenes of Palo Alto
Self
2014
Film
The Ape
Harry Walker
2005
Film
Mississippi Requiem
Homer Barron
2018
Roast of James Franco: Red Carpet Pre-Show
Self
2013
Film
Mother Ghost
Skateboarder guy
2002
You Always Stalk the Ones You Love
2002
Film
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
Self - Narrator (voice)
2011
Film
A Walk in Winter
Conrad
2015
Film
Memoria
Mr. Wyckoff
2016
Something's In There
Film
Two Films, One Legacy
2011
Film
Killing Animals
Mr. Hurston
2015
Series
Making A Scene With James Franco
2014
Film
Obituaries
Felix Mitchum
2014
Foster
Donald 'Don' Foster
Film
The Broken Tower
Hart Crane
2012
The Caged Pillows
David D-R+
2016
Film
Richard Peter Johnson
James Franco
2015
Dumpster Diving
El Diablo
2017
Film
Sal
Milton Katselas
2013
Film
At Any Cost
Mike
2000
Film
Future Relic 02
The Searcher
2014
Film
If Tomorrow Comes
Devin
2000
Blind Spot
Danny
2003
Jesse Heiman: World's Greatest Extra
Self
Catblock (The Ultimate Co%kblock)
James Franco (Image Only)
2010
Film
I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel
James Franco
2014
Film
Erased James Franco
Self
2009
Film
Fool's Gold
Brent
2005
Film
The Room Before and After - Part 1: James Franco
2009
Film
Blood Surf
Metalhead Troy
2016
Film
Caput
2011
Film
To Serve and Protect
Matt Carr
1999
Grasshopper
Travis
2006
Film
The Car Kid
2002
Film
Blood Heist
Farmer Simon
2017
Kill the Czar
Masculinity & Me
2010
Making A Scene
Himself
Mean People Suck
Casey
2001
Film
Hart Crane: An Exegesis
Self
2012