Date of Birth: April 19, 1978

James Franco grew up the oldest of three brothers in Palo Alto, California. "I did a lot of painting when I was a kid," he explains, adding that he's graduated from coloring between the lines to his own style of artistic expression.

Franco started acting in high school. "My girlfriend was in the drama club. Some geek wrote a romantic one-act play and asked her to be in it, and they made out onstage. I begged her not to do it, but she did it anyway. So, to get her back, I joined the drama club."

After working in the drive-thru at McDonalds, Franco landed roles in the mini-series To Serve and Protect (1999), and the Drew Barrymore feature, Never Been Kissed (1999). From there, he was given a role on the TV sitcom, Freaks and Geeks, playing the so-laid-back-it-hurts Daniel. Unfortunately, despite strong reviews, the show never found an audience and was dumped by the network. However, Franco bounded back with a starring role in the teen comedy Whatever It Takes (2000), followed by roles in other major Hollywood releases such as the blockbuster Spider-Man (2002) and City By The Sea (2002), opposite Robert De Niro. In 2002, he won a Golden Globe when he appeared in a role tailor made for him -- that of James Dean in the TV movie of the same name.

Offscreen, Franco is an artsy loner -- by his own confession. When not in front of the camera, he has taken to writing screenplays, having finished one screenplay and is penning another.

FILMOGRAPHY:

Milk (2008)
Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
Pineapple Express (2008)
In the Valley of Elah (2007)
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Annapolis (2006)
Tristan & Isolde (2006)
Flyboys (2006)
Fool's Gold (2005)
Paint (2005)
The Great Raid (2005)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Company (2003)
Sonny (2002)
Spider-Man (2002)
Deuces Wild (2002)
City By The Sea (2002)
Blind Spot (2002)
Some Body (2001) (uncredited)
Mean People Suck (2001)
If Tomorrow Comes (2000)
Whatever It Takes (2000)
Never Been Kissed (1999)