Tony Franciosa | |
|---|---|
 Franciosa in 1969 | |
| Born | Anthony George Papaleo (1928-10-25)October 25, 1928 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2006(2006-01-19) (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Tony Franciosa |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1996 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1956A Hatful of Rain Volpi Cup for Best Actor 1960Career |
Anthony George Franciosa (néPapaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most oftenbilled asTony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of the drug addict in the playA Hatful of Rain, which earned him a nomination for theTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He reprised his role in itssubsequent film adaptation, for which he won the 1957Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.[1]
After relocating to Hollywood he made numerous feature films, includingA Face in the Crowd (1957),The Long, Hot Summer (1958), andCareer (1959), for which he won theGolden Globe for Best Actor.[2] In television, he played lead roles in five television series: the sitcomValentine's Day (1964–65), dramaThe Name of the Game (1968–71),Search (1972–73),Matt Helm (1975), andFinder of Lost Loves (1984).[3] Later in his career, he acted primarily in Europe, starring in the erotic dramaThe Cricket (1980) andDario Argento'sgialloTenebrae (1982).
He was born in theLittle Italy district of New York to an Italian-American family. His grandparents emigrated fromMelfi, Basilicata, in the center of the boot of Southern Italy, in 1890.[4] His parents separated when he was one and he was raised by his mother and aunt, adopting his mother's maiden name Franciosa.[5]
After high school he worked as a welder, ship steward and cook. At the age of 18 he was doing free dancing lessons at the YMCA, where he was offered a role in a production ofThe Seagull, and the experience made him want to be an actor.[3][6]
Franciosa studied privately for two years with Joseph Geigler. He got a four-year scholarship at the Dramatic Workshop which led to the New York Repertory Theatre.[7]
In 1948, Franciosa joined theCherry Lane Theatre Groupoff Broadway (at the same time as actressBea Arthur). Within two years, he had been accepted as a member of theActors Studio, which would prove an invaluable resource throughout his career[8] but it would be a few years more before Franciosa could make a living from acting. In the meantime, he accepted a variety of jobs which included being a waiter, dishwasher, day laborer, and messenger boy at CBD.[specify] He worked in Theatre of the Sky on Lake Tahoe. In 1950 he was in a San Francisco production ofDetective Story.[9][10]
In 1953, Franciosa made his Broadway debut inEnd as a Man alongsideBen Gazzara, and the following year inWedding Breakfast (1954).[11]
Franciosa began guest starring on TV shows such asStudio One in Hollywood,Kraft Theatre,Ford Star Jubilee (an adaptation ofThis Happy Breed withNoël Coward), andGoodyear Playhouse.[12]
Franciosa's breakthrough role came when cast in the Actors Studio production ofA Hatful of Rain (1955–56) under the direction ofElia Kazan. He played Polo, the brother of the drug addicted Johnny (Ben Gazzara).Shelley Winters played Johnny's wife and she would marry Franciosa the following year. Franciosa was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.[3]
Franciosa made his film debut inElia Kazan'sA Face in the Crowd (1957) alongsideAndy Griffith,Patricia Neal, andLee Remick. He followed it in MGM'sThis Could Be the Night (1957) as the romantic interest forJean Simmons, under the direction ofRobert Wise.
Franciosa reprised his role inA Hatful of Rain in the film version, directed byFred Zinnemann at 20th Century Fox, with Don Murray andEva Marie Saint playing the roles originated by Gazzara and Winters.Hedda Hopper pointed out that these three films were made before the first one had been released.[10]Franciosa's performance inHatful of Rain earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Actor.[1]
Franciosa supportedAnna Magnani andAnthony Quinn inWild Is the Wind (1957) directed byGeorge Cukor, produced byHal B. Wallis who put Franciosa under a multi-film contract.
He then appeared withPaul Newman andJoanne Woodward inThe Long Hot Summer (1958), playing Jody Varner. one of the two children of Will Varner (Orson Welles), directed byMartin Ritt at Fox.[13]
In December 1957, he spent 10 days in jail for hitting a press photographer in April of that year.[14][15] However he was much in demand: In an interview in December, he said he owed Fox and MGM three films each over five years, Kazan two more films, and Wallis one film a year over seven years.[7]
He playedFrancisco Goya in MGM'sThe Naked Maja (1958) withAva Gardner, which earned Franciosa $250,000 in acting fees due to production delays. He made a second film for Wallis,Career (1959) withDean Martin andShirley MacLaine,[16][17] thenThe Story on Page One (1959) withRita Hayworth forClifford Odets at Fox.
He was meant to star inOrpheus Descending (which becameThe Fugitive Kind) withAnna Magnani, but the producers decided to cast Marlon Brando, and Franciosa was paid out $75,000. He was mentioned as a possibility for one of the roles inThe Magnificent Seven and for the title role in a proposedSimon Bolivar biopic thatDino De Laurentiis was going to make.[18]
In 1959, he served 30 days at an open-prison farm for possession of marijuana. The same year, he was in a car accident.[19]
Franciosa returned to TV to appear inHeaven Can Wait an adaptation ofHere Comes Mr Jordan (1960), then inCradle Song (1960).[20]
He supportedGina Lollobrigida in MGM'sGo Naked in the World (1961), which lost money. He was top-billed in the ItalianCareless (1962) withClaudia Cardinale and MGM'sPeriod of Adjustment (1962) withJane Fonda, Franciosa's first film for that studio which made a profit. In August 1963, he addressed a civil rights rally in Alabama alongsideMarlon Brando andPaul Newman.[21]
Franciosa guest starred onThe DuPont Show of the Week,Arrest and Trial,Breaking Point,The Greatest Show on Earth, andBob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. He had supporting parts in two films for Fox:Rio Conchos (1964) withStuart Whitman andRichard Boone, andThe Pleasure Seekers (1964) withAnn-Margret andCarol Lynley.[22]
He starred in a TV seriesValentine's Day (1964–65).[23] When that ended he had support parts inA Man Could Get Killed (1966) withJames Garner andAssault on a Queen (1966) withFrank Sinatra. He wasleading man toAnn-Margret inThe Swinger (1966) at Paramount[22] andRaquel Welch inFathom (1967) at Fox.
In a 1966 interview he confessed that Hollywood stardom had come a little too early: "It was an incredible amount of attention, and I wasn't quite mature enough psychologically or emotionally for it."[3]
He starred in a phenomenally highly rated TV movie, billed on countless lead-up commercials as the first movie made for television, Universal'sFame Is the Name of the Game (1966), then a spaghetti Western at Universal,A Man Called Gannon (1968), a drama withJacqueline Bisset at Fox,The Sweet Ride (1968), and a war film at Universal,In Enemy Country (1968).
ProducerDavid Dortort was on the verge of casting him asCameron Mitchell's best friend and brother-in-law, Manolito Montoya, on thewestern,The High Chaparral, ifHenry Darrow did not make it to the set in time. Darrow did.[24]
Tony Franciosa returned to regular series withThe Name of the Game (1968–71) (based onFame Is the Name of the Game), as lead role of charismatic but doggedly determined star reporter Jeff Dillon, alternating the regular lead spot withGene Barry andRobert Stack. The three leading actors were never onscreen at the same time at any point in the series. He was fired from the show in 1970 because of his temper.
He was inWeb of the Spider (1971), an Italian horror film, then a series of TV movies:The Deadly Hunt (1971),Earth II (1971), andThe Catcher (1972). He had a support part in the action filmAcross 110th Street (1972).
Franciosa had a further alternating lead role in a TV series, this time rotating withHugh O'Brian andDoug McClure, as agent Nick Bianco inSearch (1972). When that ended he supportedPeter Sellers inGhost in the Noonday Sun (1973), then had support roles inThis Is the West That Was (1974) for TV andThe Drowning Pool (1975) withPaul Newman.[25]
He had his own series withMatt Helm (1975), a television version of the spy-spoof theatrical films that starredDean Martin, but it only lasted 14 episodes.
He was inCurse of the Black Widow (1977), a television miniseriesAspen (1977) withSam Elliott,Wheels (1978),Firepower (1979),The World Is Full of Married Men (1979),The Cricket (1980),Help Me to Dream (1981), an episode ofTales of the Unexpected,Side Show (1981),Death Wish II (1982),Kiss My Grits (1982),Tenebrae (1982) fromDario Argento,Julie Darling (1983), and an episode ofMasquerade. In his memoir,From I Love Lucy to Shōgun and Beyond: Tales from the Other Side of the Camera,Jerry London stated that Franciosa could not remember his lines during the shooting of the television movieWheels, so co-starRock Hudson had to hold up cue cards for him during one scene in a car.[26]
Franciosa starred in theAaron Spelling-produced seriesFinder of Lost Loves (1984–85). He could be seen inStagecoach (1986) and episodes ofHotel,The Love Boat, andJake and the Fatman.[27]
In the 1985 revival ofThe Twilight Zone, he appeared in the third-season episode "Crazy as a Soup Sandwich," playing a gangster who is revealed to be the ultimate demon.
Later performances includedBlood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife (1987),Death House (1988), Fashion Crime (1989),Ghost Writer (1989),Backstreet Dreams (1990), and Double Threat (1992). In 1990–91, he portrayed Colonel Doctor Otternschlag in the U.S. national tour of the musicalGrand Hotel at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and other national tour locations.[28][29]
Franciosa's final film wasCity Hall, a 1996 drama starringAl Pacino andJohn Cusack, in which he portrayed a crime boss.[30]
In his autobiographyThe Garner Files, actorJames Garner stated that Franciosa, on the set ofA Man Could Get Killed, constantly abused the stunt crew by not pulling punches in fight scenes, resulting in a physical confrontation with Garner.[31]
Franciosa was married four times, and had three children. His first marriage to Beatrice Bakalyar in 1952 ended in divorce in 1957. On May 4, 1957, he married actressShelley Winters; the couple divorced in 1960.[22]
He next wed the formerJudith Balaban, daughter ofBarney Balaban, and author of the bookThe Bridesmaids about her friendPrincess Grace of Monaco, in whose wedding she served as a bridesmaid. This union produced Franciosa's only daughter, Nina.[6]
His fourth and final marriage was to Rita Thiel on November 27, 1970 -- coincidentally, the day his final episode ofThe Name Of The Game aired. The marriage lasted until his death in 2006. The pair had two sons, organic farmer Marco and actor Christopher.[6]
When asked about Franciosa's hair-trigger temper, Thiel said "He was never taught how to control his temper ... I changed him a lot ... We still have good fights once in a while, but I can scream back at him."[32]
Franciosa, reflecting about Thiel's influence on him, said
During his later years, Franciosa lived in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He died on January 19, 2006, five days after the death of his second wife Shelley Winters, at age 77 at nearby UCLA Medical Center after suffering a massive stroke.[22]
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | A Hatful of Rain | Nominated |
| 1956 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Won | |
| 1956 | Theatre World Award | Won | ||
| 1957 | Venice Film Festival | Volpi Cup for Best Actor | Won | |
| 1957 | New Cinema Award | Won | ||
| 1958 | Golden Globe | Best Actor – Drama | Nominated | |
| 1958 | Academy Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
| 1958 | Laurel Award | Top New Male Personality | Nominated | |
| 1960 | Golden Globe | Best Actor – Drama | Career | Won |
| 1965 | Rio Conchos | Nominated |
By 22, Anthony Franciosa (he had taken his mother's maiden name) was studying at the Actors Studio. At 25, he made his Broadway debut in End as a Man.
