James Edward Franco
(born April 19, 1978)
American actor
film director
producer
screenwriter
author
painter
performance artist
professor at New York University
left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s
landed a lead part on the short-lived cult hit television program Freaks and Geeks
achieved recognition for playing the titular character in the TV biographical film James Dean (2001), for which he was awarded a Golden Globe Award
achieved international fame with his portrayals of Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
critically acclaimed as an actor
has done both dramatic and comedic work in projects and has appeared in an eclectic range of projects since the 2000s, ranging from period to contemporary pieces, and from major Hollywood productions to less publicized indie films, as well as fantasy movies to biopics and soap operas
other notable films include Pineapple Express, a stoner comedy that earned him his second Golden Globes nomination, the Harvey Milk-biopic Milk (both 2008) as well as Danny Boyle's 2010 movie 127 Hours, about real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston's struggle to free his hand from a boulder. His performance in 127 Hours earned him nominations for many high-profile awards, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe and SAG Awards.
Franco has hosted Saturday Night Live twice as well as the 83rd Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway. He volunteers for the Art of Elysium charity.
Franco is currently teaching a class at New York University about transferring poetry to film.
