James Franciscus
| James Franciscus | |
|---|---|
 James Franciscus in 1977. |
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| Born | James Grover Franciscus January 31, 1934 Clayton, St. Louis County Missouri, USA |
| Died | July 8, 1991 (aged 57) North Hollywood, California |
| Other names | James Francicus |
| Years active | 1961-1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Carla Ankney Franciscus (1980-1991; his death) Kathleen Wellman (1960-1977; divorced; 4 children) |
Not to be confused with Tony Franciosa.
James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in feature films and in four television series, Mr. Novak, The Naked City, The Investigators, and Longstreet.
Life and career [edit]
Franciscus was born in Clayton in suburban St. Louis County, Missouri, the son of Loraine (née Grover) and John Allen Franciscus, who was killed in action in World War II. In 1957, Franciscus received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre arts from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, from which he graduated magna cum laude.
His first major role was as Detective Jim Halloran in the half-hour version of ABC's The Naked City television series. Franciscus guest starred on the CBS military sitcom/drama Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper, and on the NBC drama about family conflicts in the American Civil War entitled The Americans. CBS soon cast him in the lead in the 13-week series The Investigators, which aired from October 5 to December 28, 1961. He played the insurance investigator Russ Andrews, with James Philbrook as a co-star. Franciscus was also cast in the role of Tom Grover in the 1961 episode "The Empty Heart" of the CBS anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson.
He performed in many feature films and television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, preceded by a minor role in an episode of The Twilight Zone titled Judgment Night in 1959, and a major role in an episode titled Summer Shade in 1961.[1][2] He starred in I Passed for White, in 1960, and in 1963, he appeared as Mike Norris in the episode "Hang By One Hand" on the NBC medical drama about psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour, Combat! and Miracle of the White Stallions.
Franciscus may be best-remembered for his title roles in NBC's Mr. Novak (1963–65) and ABC's Longstreet (1971–72), and for his vocal performance in the big-screen version of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973). In 1976, he starred in his fifth television series, the short-lived Hunter, not to be confused with a later series of the same name starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer. This Hunter is an espionage drama, and Franciscus played a secret agent.[3]
He was also frequently seen in feature films of the 1960s and 1970s such as Youngblood Hawke, Snow Treasure, The Amazing Dobermans, Marooned, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, City on Fire, When Time Ran Out and The Valley of Gwangi. Over the years, Franciscus found film work with Italian cinema. In 1971 he accepted the lead role in Dario Argento's second film, The Cat o' Nine Tails. In 1979, he appeared in Antonio Margheriti's Killer Fish, and in 1980 he starred in director Enzo G. Castellari's Jaws-inspired Great White.
He continued appearing in roles on the screen and television. When less important roles were offered, Franciscus turned to writing screenplays and producing. In 1991, the year of his death, he worked as an associate producer and screenwriter on the movie 29th Street starring Anthony LaPaglia and Danny Aiello; it was his final project.
On March 28, 1960, Franciscus married Kathleen "Kitty" Wellman, the daughter of film director William Wellman. They had four children: Jamie, Kellie, Korie and Jolie. After his divorce from Kathleen, he married the former Carla Ankney in 1980. They were still married at the time of Franciscus's death in 1991 from emphysema in North Hollywood, California, at the age of fifty-seven.[4]
References [edit]
- ^ "Judgement Night". IMDB. Retrieved 07 January 2013.
- ^ "Summer Shade". IMDB. Retrieved 07 January 2013.
- ^ "Hunter". IMDB. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Profile at www.hollywood.com
External links [edit]
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