James Franciscus
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| James Franciscus | |||||||
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| Born | James Grover Franciscus January 31, 1934 Clayton, Missouri |
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| Died | July 8, 1991 (aged 57) North Hollywood, California |
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| Other name(s) | James Francicus | ||||||
| Years active | 1961-1991 | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Carla Ankney Franciscus (1980-1991; his death) Kathleen Wellman (1960-19??) (div) |
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James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was a leading and supporting American actor. He was born in Clayton, Missouri. His first big role was as Detective Jim Halloran in the TV version of The Naked City.
Although he performed in many feature films and television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including a minor role in an episode of The Twilight Zone titled Judgment Night in 1959. Franciscus is probably best known for his title roles in two TV series, Mr. Novak (1963–65) and Longstreet (1971–72), and for his vocal performance in the big-screen version of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973). In 1976, he starred another TV series, Hunter, a series about espionage where Franciscus played a secret agent (not to be confused with the detective series Hunter, which starred Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer).
He was also frequently seen in feature films of the 1960s and 1970s such as Snow Treasure, The Amazing Dobermans, Marooned, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, City on Fire, and When Time Ran Out.
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 Margheritti'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 writer on the TV program 29th Street; it was his final project.
[edit] Death
He died, aged 57, from emphysema in North Hollywood, California.
