James Franciscus 4109099 222499372 2008-06-29T17:46:33Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{Infobox actor | bgcolour = | name = James Franciscus | image = Replace this image male.svg | caption = | birthname = James Grover Franciscus | birthdate = {{birth date|1934|01|31}} | location = [[Clayton, Missouri|Clayton]], [[Missouri]] | deathdate = {{death date and age|1991|07|8|1934|07|8}} | deathplace = [[North Hollywood]], [[California]] | yearsactive = [[1921 in film|1961]]-[[1941 in film|1991]] | othername = James Francicus | spouse = Carla Ankney Franciscus (1980-1991; his death)<br> Kathleen Wellman (1960-19??) (div) | awards = '''[[Golden Apple Award]]'''<br>1963 Least Cooperative Actor}} '''James Grover Franciscus''' ([[January 31]] [[1934]] – [[July 8]] [[1991]]) was a leading and supporting [[United States|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 film]]s and [[television program]]s throughout the [[1960s]] and [[1970s]], Franciscus is probably best known for his title roles in two TV series, ''[[Mr. Novak]]'' ([[1963]]&ndash;65) and ''[[Longstreet (TV series)|Longstreet]]'' ([[1971]]&ndash;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 (TV series)|Hunter]]'', which starred [[Fred Dryer]] and [[Stepfanie Kramer]]). [[Image:James Franciscus.jpg|left|thumb|James Franciscus in ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]'']] He was also frequently seen in feature films of the 1960s and 1970s such as ''Snow Treasure'', ''The Amazing Dobermans'', ''[[Marooned (film)|Marooned]]'', ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]'', ''[[City on Fire (1979 film)|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 (film)|Great White]]''. This movie was pulled from distribution after Universal Studios successfully sued for copyright infringement, and to this day it has never received an official video release in the United States. {{Fact|date=June 2008}} 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. ==Other activities== He was a co-founder of a successful production company that began in the 1960s, and was known to raise money for charity with the sport of tennis. {{Fact|date=June 2008}} ==Death== He died, aged 57, from [[emphysema]] in [[North Hollywood]], [[California]]. ==External links== *{{imdb name | id=0002082 | name=James Franciscus}} *[http://www.nndb.com/people/410/000092134/ Entry at NNDB] *[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21491 Photo] *[http://www.geocities.com/franciscus1934/ James Franciscus fan information site] *[http://www.tv.com/james-franciscus/person/70345/biography.html James Franciscus 1964 interview] {{DEFAULTSORT:Franciscus, James}} [[Category:American film actors]] [[Category:American television actors]] [[Category:People from St. Louis County, Missouri]] [[Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area]] [[Category:Deaths from emphysema]] [[Category:1934 births]] [[Category:1991 deaths]] [[de:James Franciscus]] [[fr:James Franciscus]] [[pt:James Franciscus]]