James Franciscus Biography

Fast Facts

• Came in eighth place for Top Male New Face at the 1964 Laurel Awards
• Graduated from Yae University magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre arts
• Died of emphysema at the Medical Center of North Hollywood at the age of 57
• Got his first taste of acting at The Fessenden School, an all boy prep school, playing a girl in his first production
• Worked briefly in summer stock theater in Massachusetts
• Quote: "[on playing the Devil] "I loved that part! It was the first time they let me play the bad guy! Always before, because of my light blonde hair, I'd been cast as the hero․ I relished the chance to be evil!""
• Best known for his television career, he starred in "Naked City," "Mr․ Novak" and "Longstreet․"
• As a television producer, he specialized in small-screen adaptations of classics like "Jane Eyre" and "The Red Pony․"
• As a child, he enjoyed fishing, trapping muskrats and skunks and building rafts with his brother
• Loved dogs, and his favorite dog from childhood was a Dalmatian named Randolph who would wait for him to get out of school, sometimes jumping through the classroom window when school ran late