James Franco's Real Name: James Edward Franco

Quick answer: James Franco's birth name is James Edward Franco. He was born on April 19, 1978, in Palo Alto, California. He is an actor, director, and writer. He became known through Freaks and Geeks, the TV film James Dean, and his role as Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. He works under his birth name (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Franco, James, 1978-." Two of its citation notes give his birth name as James Edward Franco and his birthplace as Palo Alto. Edward is his middle name.

Britannica says he was the eldest of three children. He grew up in Palo Alto, where his mother was a children's book author and his father a businessman. He was a strong student but left the University of California, Los Angeles, after his first year to pursue acting, and he later graduated, as LOC notes. While studying at Playhouse West in Los Angeles he landed minor TV-movie and teen roles.

Career highlights

Playing a cocky slacker on the Judd Apatow-produced Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), later a cult favorite, brought him wider attention. His title role in the TV movie James Dean (2001) won a Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries or TV movie. As Harry Osborn, Peter Parker's best friend, he appeared in Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

He was praised for the stoner comedy Pineapple Express (2008) with Seth Rogen. He also played a lover of Harvey Milk in Milk (2008) and Allen Ginsberg in Howl (2010). In 127 Hours (2010) he played a climber forced to cut off his own arm, which earned his first Academy Award nomination for best actor. He co-hosted the 2011 Oscars with Anne Hathaway.

Later work includes Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), the title role in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), Spring Breakers, This Is the End, and Lovelace, where he played Hugh Hefner. He co-starred in The Interview (2014), which Sony pulled from wide release after a hack by people thought to be acting on North Korea's orders. In True Story (2015) he played Christian Longo, and he led the Hulu miniseries 11.22.63 (2016), based on Stephen King's time-travel novel. The LOC record also lists him as a published author.

Name notes for searchers

Franco is his family surname. He has no stage name, and his middle name, Edward, rarely appears in credits. Do not confuse him with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who shares the surname but is not related to the actor's story here. The LOC record also notes he studied at UCLA, where he eventually graduated.