James Franciscus
Encyclopedia
James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in the series The Naked City
and The Investigators, and in feature films.
, 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
, graduating 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 was thereafter the lead star in the 13-week series The Investigators, which aired on CBS from October 5 to December 28, 1961. He played the insurance
investigator Russ Andrews, with James Philbrook
as a co-star. Franciscus also appeared in the role of Tom Grover in the 1961 episode "The Empty Heart" of CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson
.
He performed in many feature film
s and television program
s throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including a minor role in an episode of The Twilight Zone
titled Judgment Night
in 1959. He starred in I Passed for White
, a 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 two television series, 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 the TV series, Hunter, a series about espionage
in which he played a secret agent.
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
. 1979 saw him appear in Antonio Margheriti
's Killer Fish, and in 1980 he starred in director Enzo G. Castellari
's notorious Jaws rip-off, 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 from emphysema
in North Hollywood, California, aged 57, in 1991.
Naked City (TV series)
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
and The Investigators, and in feature films.
Life and career
Franciscus was born in Clayton, MissouriClayton, Missouri
Clayton is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis and the county seat of St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 15,939 at the 2010 census. The city was organized in 1877 and is named after Ralph Clayton, who donated the land for the courthouse.-Geography:...
, the son of Loraine (née Grover) and John Allen Franciscus, who was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1957, Franciscus received a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in English and theatre arts from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, graduating magna cum laude.
His first major role was as Detective Jim Halloran in the half-hour version of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Naked City
Naked City (TV series)
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
television series. Franciscus was thereafter the lead star in the 13-week series The Investigators, which aired on CBS from October 5 to December 28, 1961. He played the insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
investigator Russ Andrews, with James Philbrook
James Philbrook
James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in three short-lived television series between 1959 and 1963: The Islanders on ABC and The Investigators and The New Loretta Young Show, both on CBS...
as a co-star. Franciscus also appeared in the role of Tom Grover in the 1961 episode "The Empty Heart" of CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959 to April 3, 1961 with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961...
.
He performed in many feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s and television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including a minor role in an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
titled Judgment Night
Judgment Night
"Judgment Night" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:A somewhat nervous passenger by the name of Carl Lanser appears aboard a British ship in 1942. As the story opens, it becomes clear that Lanser has no idea of how he got aboard or who he really...
in 1959. He starred in I Passed for White
I Passed for White
I Passed for White is a 1960 film directed and adapted for the screen by Fred M. Wilcox from a novel of the same name by Reba Lee "as told to" Mary Hastings Bradley. The film stars Sonya Wilde, James Franciscus, Patricia Michon, and Isabel Cooley...
, a 1960, and in 1963, he appeared as Mike Norris in the episode "Hang By One Hand" on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
about psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)
The Eleventh Hour is an American medical drama about psychiatry starring Wendell Corey, Jack Ging, and Ralph Bellamy, which aired sixty-two new episodes plus selected rebroadcasts on NBC from October 3, 1962, to September 9, 1964.-Series premise:...
, Combat! and Miracle of the White Stallions
Miracle of the White Stallions
Miracle of the White Stallions is a 1963 film released by Walt Disney starring Robert Taylor , Lilli Palmer, and Eddie Albert. It is the story of the evacuation of the Lipizzaner horses from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during World War II.Major parts of the movie were shot in the...
.
Franciscus may be best-remembered for his title roles in two television series, NBC's Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak is an American dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role, which aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965.-Overview:...
(1963–65) and ABC's Longstreet
Longstreet (TV series)
Longstreet is an American crime drama series that was broadcast on the ABC in the 1971-1972 season . A 90-minute pilot movie of the same name aired prior to the debut of the series as an ABC Movie of the Week.-Synopsis:...
(1971–72), and for his vocal performance in the big-screen version of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (film)
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a 1973 American film directed by Hall Bartlett, adapted from the novella by Richard Bach. The film, which has no human actors on screen, tells the story of a young seabird who, after being outcast by his stern flock, goes on an odyssey to discover how to break the...
(1973). In 1976, he starred in the TV series, Hunter, a series about espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
in which he played a secret agent.
He was also frequently seen in feature films of the 1960s and 1970s such as Youngblood Hawke, Snow Treasure, The Amazing Dobermans, Marooned
Marooned (film)
Marooned is a 1969 American film directed by John Sturges and starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, James Franciscus, and Gene Hackman....
, Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs...
, City on Fire
City on Fire (1979 film)
City on Fire is a 1979 disaster film directed by Alvin Rakoff and featuring an “all-star cast,” as was the custom for that time. The film’s plot revolves around a disgruntled employee who sets fire to an oil refinery, setting off a blaze which engulfs an entire city. Various people try to either...
, When Time Ran Out
When Time Ran Out
When Time Ran Out... is a disaster film released in 1980, starring Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, James Franciscus, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortese, Veronica Hamel, Pat Morita, Edward Albert, and Barbara Carrera.Produced by the "Master of...
and The Valley of Gwangi
The Valley of Gwangi
The Valley of Gwangi is a 1969 American western-fantasy film directed by Jim O'Connolly and written by William Bast. The film is also known as Gwangi, The Lost Valley, The Valley Time Forgot, and The Valley Where Time Stood Still...
. Over the years, Franciscus found film work with Italian cinema. In 1971 he accepted the lead role in Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
's second film, The Cat o' Nine Tails
The Cat o' Nine Tails
The Cat o' Nine Tails is a 1971 Italian giallo thriller film written and directed by Dario Argento; it was his second film as director....
. 1979 saw him appear in Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti
Antonio Margheriti , also known under the pseudonym Anthony M. Dawson, was a prolific Italian filmmaker. He was born in Rome and died in 2002 from a heart attack in Monterosi, Viterbo, near Rome at the age of 72....
's Killer Fish, and in 1980 he starred in director Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo G. Castellari is an Italian film director. He became famous during the 1960s by directing several spaghetti westerns with such titles as Go Kill and Come Back Enzo G. Castellari (born July 29, 1938) is an Italian film director. He became famous during the 1960s by directing several spaghetti...
's notorious Jaws rip-off, Great White
Great White (film)
Great White is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring James Franciscus and Vic Morrow. The film is extremely similar to Steven Spielberg's Jaws.-Plot:...
.
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
29th Street (film)
29th Street is a 1991 American comedy-drama film. It was written and directed by George Gallo and was adapted from the story by Frank Pesce and James Franciscus.- Plot :...
starring Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
and Danny Aiello
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
; 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
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
from Kathleen, he married the former Carla Ankney in 1980. They were still married at the time of Franciscus's death from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
in North Hollywood, California, aged 57, in 1991.