Matinee Classics - James Franciscus Biography & Filmography

James Franciscus ACTOR

PHOTOS

JAMES FRANCISCUS BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

James Franciscus was born on January 31st, 1934 in Clayton, Missouri with the middle name Grover, born to John Allen Franciscus and Loraine nee Grover. He had only one sibling, John Franciscus. After graduating magna cum laudde from Yale University with a bachelor of arts in English and drama in 1957, he went on to pursue a career as an actor.

His early roles in the industry were on, "Four Boys and a Gun" (1957) and "Have Gun - Will Travel" (1958), before he was cast in one of his most well known roles on the television series, "The Naked City" (1958-1959). Soon more prominent roles followed on such television series as, "Twilight Zone" (1959), "Father Knows Best" (1959), "The Rifleman" (1959), "Death Valley Days" (1959), "Wagon Train" (1960), "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1960-1961) and two roles he is also well known by on the series, "Longstreet" (1971-1972) and "Mr. Novak" (1963-1965).

Along with making a name for himself as a television actor he also worked in a number of feature films such as, "Youngblood Hawke" (1964), "Snow Treasure" (1968), "Marooned" (1969), "The Valley of Gwangi" (1969), "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970), "The Amazing Dobermans" (1976), "City on Fire" (1979) and "When Time Ran Out" (1980).

As his career in the industry progressed he focused less on acting and more on screenwriting and producing. He also co-founded Omnibus Productions which was responsible for producing such television films as, "Heidi" (1968), "Jane Eyre" (1970), "The Red Pony" (1973) and the feature films, "David Copperfield" (1986) and "Kidnapped" (1987).

In addition to his career as an actor, writer and producer, he was also a very good tennis player and started the James Franciscus Celebrity Tennis Tournament which helps raise funds for multiple sclerosis research.

James Franciscus married twice throughout his lifetime, first to Kathleen 'Kitty' Wellman in 1960 and they had four children together before they divorced in 1979. He then married Carla Ankney Franciscus in 1980 and they remained married until he passed away at the age of fifty seven on July 8th, 1991 in North Hollywood, California after suffering from emphysema. During the year of his death he was working as an associate producer for the film, "29th Street".