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Dave Franco | |
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.jpg) Franco in 2025 | |
| Born | David John Franco (1985-06-12)June 12, 1985 (age 40)[1] Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives |
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David John Franco (born June 12, 1985) is an American actor and filmmaker. He began his career with small roles in films such asSuperbad (2007) andCharlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring role in thefinal season of the comedy seriesScrubs (2009–2010), Franco had his film breakthrough with a supporting role in thebuddy comedy film21 Jump Street (2012).
Franco has also starred inFright Night (2011),Now You See Me (2013) and its sequelsNow You See Me 2 (2016) andNow You See Me: Now You Don't (2025) ,Neighbors (2014) and its sequelNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016),Nerve (2016),The Disaster Artist (2017), andDay Shift (2022). In 2020, he made his directorial debut withThe Rental, starring his wifeAlison Brie. The pair also starred together inTogether (2025).
David John Franco[citation needed] was born inPalo Alto, California[citation needed] to Betsy Lou (née Verne; born 1947), a poet, children's book author,[2] and editor, and Douglas Eugene Franco (1948–2011), who ran a nonprofit agency and a business;[2][3][4] the two met as students atStanford University.[5][6][7] Franco's father was ofPortuguese (fromMadeira) andSwedish descent.[8] Franco's mother isJewish (ofRussian Jewish descent);[9] her parents had changed the surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne". Franco's paternal grandmother, Marjorie (Peterson) Franco, is an author ofyoung adult books.[10][11] Franco's maternal grandmother, Mitzie (Levine) Verne, owned the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery inCleveland, and was an active member in theNational Council of Jewish Women.[12][13][14] Franco grew up in California with his two older brothers,James andTom, both of whom are also actors.[15]
Franco studied at theUniversity of Southern California, and originally envisioned himself as a high school teacher teachingcreative writing, until his sophomore year, when his brother James's manager guided him to a theater class, and he began to take an interest in acting.[16] Franco first became interested in filmmaking while working at a video rental store when he was 14; he was paid in free movie rentals, as he was under the legal working age.[17]
In 2006, Franco made his acting debut onThe CW drama television series7th Heaven. He subsequently appeared in television shows such asDo Not Disturb andYoung Justice. Franco also had noticeable roles in films, includingSuperbad andThe Shortcut. In May 2008, he was cast in a major occurring role in the CW teen drama television seriesPrivileged.[18] The series premiered on September 9, 2008, to 3.1 million viewers. Ratings continued to slip each week, with the series' sixth episode reaching 1.837 million viewers. The CW did not renew the series for a second season due to low ratings.[19][20]
In August 2009,Variety announced Franco had been cast in a regular role for the ninth season of theABC sitcomScrubs. Portraying the role of Cole Aaronson, Franco went on to appear in all thirteen episodes of the ninth season and received praise from critics for his performance; however, the ninth was the final season of the series.[21]
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MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named Franco one of its "Breakout Stars to Watch For" in 2011.[22] In August of 2011, Franco starred in the horror comedy filmFright Night alongsideColin Farrell andToni Collette; a remake of the1985 film of the same name which received positive reviews from critics and went on to make over $41 million worldwide.
In April 2012,Shalom Life ranked him and his brother James at number 2 on its list of "the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish men in the world".[23] In March 2012, Franco starred in theColumbia Pictures action comedy film21 Jump Street, based on the1987 television series of the same name.
In 2013, he co-starred in the zombie romance filmWarm Bodies, an adaptation of the best-sellingnovel of the same name.[24] The same year, Franco appeared in the ensemble crime thriller filmNow You See Me.[25]
Franco's 2014 roles included theSeth Rogen comedyNeighbors and a cameo appearance in22 Jump Street.[26][27] For the former, Franco won anMTV Movie Award forBest On-Screen Duo, alongsideZac Efron. A pre-planned skit performed during their acceptance speech, involving both of them dressed asRobert De Niro characters and squeezing each other's crotches, sparked media backlash.[28][29][30] In 2015, he co-starred withVince Vaughn andTom Wilkinson in the comedyUnfinished Business.[31]
In 2016, he reprised prior roles in the sequelsNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising, as Pete, andNow You See Me 2, as Jack Wilder.[32][33] The following year, Franco appeared in the well-received comedyThe Little Hours, and the acclaimed biographical comedy-drama,The Disaster Artist, which was directed by James Franco.
In 2018, Franco starred in the addiction drama6 Balloons oppositeAbbi Jacobson, forNetflix.[34] Franco then had a small role inIf Beale Street Could Talk, directed byBarry Jenkins.[35] In 2019, a film that had been shot in 2014 was released, titledZeroville; Franco portrayed the role of actorMontgomery Clift.[36] He next featured in the action-thriller6 Underground, directed byMichael Bay.[37]
In 2020, Franco made his directorial debut on the horror-thrillerThe Rental, from a screenplay he wrote alongsideJoe Swanberg.[38] It was released on July 24, 2020.[39] In 2022, Franco featured in the main cast of theApple TV+ mystery comedy seriesThe Afterparty.[40] The supernatural body horror filmTogether, which premiered at the2025 Sundance Film Festival, featured Franco and his wife,Alison Brie, in the leading roles.[41]
Franco began dating actressAlison Brie in 2012. In August 2015, the couple was engaged.[42][43] On March 13, 2017, representatives for the couple confirmed that they had married in a private ceremony.[44][45][46] Franco is Jewish.[47][48]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Superbad | Greg the Soccer Player | ||
| After Sex | Sam | |||
| 2008 | Milk | Telephone Tree #5 | ||
| 2009 | The Shortcut | Mark | ||
| A Fuchsia Elephant | Michael | Short; also executive producer | ||
| 2010 | Greenberg | Rich | ||
| Charlie St. Cloud | Sully | |||
| 2011 | The Broken Tower | Young Hart Crane | ||
| Fright Night | Mark | |||
| 2012 | Would You | Dave | Short; also writer | |
| 21 Jump Street | Eric Molson | |||
| 2013 | Warm Bodies | Perry Kelvin | ||
| Now You See Me | Jack Wilder | |||
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Wally | Voice | |
| Neighbors | Pete Regazolli | |||
| 22 Jump Street | Eric Molson | Uncredited cameo[49] | ||
| 2015 | Unfinished Business | Mike Pancake | ||
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Pete Regazolli | ||
| Now You See Me 2 | Jack Wilder | |||
| Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | Co-actor in the movie "Cube Theorem" | Uncredited cameo[50] | ||
| Nerve | Ian | |||
| 2017 | The Little Hours | Massetto | ||
| The Disaster Artist | Greg Sestero | |||
| The Lego Ninjago Movie | Lloyd Garmadon (voice) | |||
| 2018 | 6 Balloons | Seth | ||
| If Beale Street Could Talk | Levy | |||
| 2019 | Zeroville | Montgomery Clift | ||
| 6 Underground | David / Six (The Driver) | |||
| 2020 | The Rental | N/a | Producer, writer and director | |
| 2021 | Zola | N/a | Producer | |
| 2022 | Day Shift | Seth | ||
| 2023 | Somebody I Used to Know | N/a | Writer and director | |
| 2024 | Love Lies Bleeding | JJ Langston | ||
| 2025 | Bubble & Squeak[51] | Norman | ||
| Together | Tim Brassington | Also producer | ||
| Regretting You | Jonah Sullivan | Also executive producer | ||
| Now You See Me: Now You Don't | Jack Wilder | |||
| 2026 | The Shitheads | Mark | Also producer | |
| Hoppers | Insect king | Voice | ||
| Forgotten Island | TBA | Voice |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 7th Heaven | Benjamin Bainsworth | Episode: "Highway to Cell" | |
| 2008 | Do Not Disturb | Gus | 5 episodes | |
| 2008 | Greek | Brad “Gonzo” | 6 episodes | |
| 2008–2009 | Privileged | Zachary | 5 episodes | |
| 2009–2010 | Scrubs | Cole Aaronson | 13 episodes | |
| 2011–2012 | Young Justice | Edward Nigma / Riddler (voice) | Episodes: "Terrors" and "Usual Suspects" | |
| 2015 | Other Space | Chad Simpson | Episodes: "Into the Great Beyond... Beyond" and "Getting to Know You" | |
| 2016 | BoJack Horseman | Alexi Brosepheno (voice) | Episode: "Love And/Or Marriage" | |
| 2016–2017, 2019 | Easy | Jeff | 4 episodes | |
| 2018 | Little Big Awesome | Dave (voice) | Episode: "Bed Follows/Gotta Get a Gimmick" | |
| 2021 | The Now | Ed Poole | 14 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Afterparty | Xavier | 7 episodes | |
| Pam & Tommy | N/a | Executive producer only | ||
| 2023–2025 | Krapopolis | Broseidon (voice) | 7 episodes | |
| 2025 | The Studio | Himself | 3 episodes | |
| Long Story Short | Danny Wegbriet (voice) | 5 episodes |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Marvel Avengers Academy | Tony Stark / Iron Man[52] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | You're So Hot | Himself | Funny or Die short; also writer | |
| 2011 | Go F*ck Yourself | Himself | Funny or Die short; also writer | |
| 2012 | You're So Hot: Part Deux | Himself | Funny or Die short; also writer | |
| 2013 | Dream Girl | Himself | Funny or Die short; also writer and director | |
| 2013 | Real Life H-O-R-S-E! | Himself | Funny or Die short; also writer | |
| 2013 | Chris & Daves Epic Adventure | Himself | Funny or Die series | |
| 2014 | Hazing | Himself | Funny or Die short | |
| 2014 | You're So Hot: Vol. 3 | Beatrix Kiddo | Funny or Die short | |
| 2015 | Madden: The Movie | Blade Johnson | Madden NFL 16 promotional short |
| Association | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2022 | Best Film | Zola | Nominated | [53] |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 2015 | Best On-Screen Duo(shared withZac Efron) | Neighbors | Won | [54] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Pam & Tommy | Nominated | [55] |
| 2025 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | The Studio(episode: "CinemaCon") | Nominated |
