Dave Franco

Early life and education

David John Franco was born in Palo Alto, California to Betsy Lou (née Verne; born 1947), a poet, children's book author, and editor, and Douglas Eugene Franco (1948–2011), who ran a nonprofit agency and a business; the two met as students at Stanford University. Anderson, Sam. "The James Franco Project" New York, July 25, 2010. Franco's father was of Portuguese (from Madeira) and Swedish descent. Franco's mother is Jewish (of Russian Jewish descent); her parents had changed the surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne". Franco's paternal grandmother, Marjorie (Peterson) Franco, is an author of young adult books. Franco's maternal grandmother, Mitzie (Levine) Verne, owned the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland, and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women. Franco grew up in California with his two older brothers, James and Tom, both of whom are also actors.

Franco studied at the University of Southern California, and originally envisioned himself as a high school teacher teaching creative 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. 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.

Career

2000s

In 2006, Franco made his acting debut on The CW drama television series 7th Heaven. He subsequently appeared in television shows such as Do Not Disturb and Young Justice. Franco also had noticeable roles in films, including Superbad and The Shortcut. In May 2008, he was cast in a major occurring role in the CW teen drama television series Privileged. 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.

In August 2009, Variety announced Franco had been cast in a regular role for the ninth season of the ABC sitcom Scrubs. 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.

2010s

MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named Franco one of its "Breakout Stars to Watch For" in 2011. In August of 2011, Franco starred in the horror comedy film Fright Night alongside Colin Farrell and Toni Collette; a remake of the 1985 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". In March 2012, Franco starred in the Columbia Pictures action comedy film 21 Jump Street, based on the 1987 television series of the same name.

In 2013, he co-starred in the zombie romance film Warm Bodies, an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name. The same year, Franco appeared in the ensemble crime thriller film Now You See Me.

Franco's 2014 roles included the Seth Rogen comedy Neighbors and a cameo appearance in 22 Jump Street. For the former, Franco won an MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo, alongside Zac Efron. A pre-planned skit performed during their acceptance speech, involving both of them dressed as Robert De Niro characters and squeezing each other's crotches, sparked media backlash. In 2015, he co-starred with Vince Vaughn and Tom Wilkinson in the comedy Unfinished Business.

In 2016, he reprised prior roles in the sequels Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, as Pete, and Now You See Me 2, as Jack Wilder. The following year, Franco appeared in the well-received comedy The Little Hours, and the acclaimed biographical comedy-drama, The Disaster Artist, which was directed by James Franco.

In 2018, Franco starred in the addiction drama 6 Balloons opposite Abbi Jacobson, for Netflix. Franco then had a small role in If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins. In 2019, a film that had been shot in 2014 was released, titled Zeroville; Franco portrayed the role of actor Montgomery Clift. He next featured in the action-thriller 6 Underground, directed by Michael Bay.

2020s

In 2020, Franco made his directorial debut on the horror-thriller The Rental, from a screenplay he wrote alongside Joe Swanberg. It was released on July 24, 2020. In 2022, Franco featured in the main cast of the Apple TV+ mystery comedy series The Afterparty. The supernatural body horror film Together, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, featured Franco and his wife, Alison Brie, in the leading roles.

Personal life

Franco began dating actress Alison Brie in 2012. In August 2015, the couple was engaged. On March 13, 2017, representatives for the couple confirmed that they had married in a private ceremony. Franco is Jewish.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Web

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (12 June 2025). "Four Favorites with Dave Franco". Letterboxd.
2. "Management Team".
3. Stern, Claire. (November 17, 2017). "Dave Franco on Working with His Brother in The Disaster Artist—and That Time Alison Brie Walked in on James Naked". [[InStyle]].
4. "Case Western Reserve University". Admission Case.
5. Van Sant, Gus. "Jamesfranco". [[Interview (magazine).
6. Bans, Lauren. (March 16, 2012). "On the Cover: Dave Franco". [[GQ]].
7. (August 18, 2016). "Tipsy Talk with Dave Franco".
8. "Dave Franco biography and filmography {{!}} Dave Franco movies".
9. (2009-05-19). "Fall TV: The CW Is No Longer Feeling Privileged {{!}} TV Guide".
10. "Shows We Miss: Remembering The CW's Privileged".
11. Korbi Ghosh. (August 14, 2009). "'Scrubs' casts Dave Franco as the first of its new series regulars". Zap2it.
12. Evry, Max. (January 5, 2011). "25 Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011". Next Movie.
13. Ashley Baylen. (April 20, 2012). "Top 50 Hottest Jewish Men (10–1)". Shalom Life.
14. Becky Kirsch. (18 January 2013). "Dave Franco Talks Warm Bodies and Why He'd Make a Goofy Zombie". PopSugar.
15. Franco, Dave. (June 2013). "Dave Franco". The Bob Rivers Show.
16. Kevin P. Sullivan. (16 December 2013). "'22 Jump Street' NSFW Trailer: Watch Now". Viacom International Inc.
17. Movieed. (4 September 2013). "Neighbors - Official Red Band Trailer #1 HD (2014) - Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, Rose Byrne". Google, Inc.
18. (13 April 2023). "Zac Efron and Dave Franco indulge in some bulge-grabbing".
19. (12 April 2023). "See Zac Efron Get Kinda Shirtless, Punch Dave Franco's Junk".
20. (12 April 2023). "Was the punchline really just Efron grabbing Franco's balls?".
21. (26 November 2014). "Watch the Red-Band Trailer for Vince Vaughn's New Comedy 'Unfinished Business'".
22. (December 18, 2013). "MIDNIGHT SUN, the NOW YOU SEE ME Sequel, and More At TIFF 2013". Collider.
23. (9 June 2014). "Dave Franco Joining James Franco in Film Based on 'The Room'". Variety.
24. Coit, Casey. (October 11, 2016). "Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco and Jane Kaczmarek to Star in Netflix Heroin Drama '6 Balloons'".
25. (30 October 2017). "'If Beale Street Could Talk': Dave Franco & Ed Skrein Cast In Barry Jenkins' Film".
26. Fuster, Jeremy. (September 30, 2019). "James Franco's 'Zeroville' Bombs With Measly $8,900 on 80 Screens".
27. Kroll, Justin. (July 19, 2018). "Michael Bay's '6 Underground' Sets Ensemble to Join Ryan Reynolds (Exclusive)".
28. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (March 11, 2019). "Alison Brie, Dan Stevens To Star In Dave Franco Directing Debut 'The Rental'".
29. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (April 9, 2020). "IFC Lands U.S. Rights To Dave Franco-Directed Black Bear Pictures Thriller 'The Rental'".
30. Mr. Josh. (August 2, 2023). "''The AfterParty'' Season 2 Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything You Need to Know".
31. Navarro, Meagan. (December 11, 2024). "Sundance Film Festival 2025: Images from All the Horror Movies Just Announced!".
32. "Alison Brie and Dave Franco Are Engaged! : People.com".
33. (24 August 2015). "Exclusive! Alison Brie and Dave Franco Engaged—See the Ring Now". E! Online.
34. "Dave Franco and Alison Brie Are Married". People.
35. By  Allison Takeda. (2017-01-19). "Dave Franco, Alison Brie Are Married! - Us Weekly". Usmagazine.com.
36. (2017-01-20). "Alison Brie and Dave Franco Are Married | E! News". Eonline.com.
37. Zalben, Alex. (June 13, 2014). "'22 JUMP STREET': 9 EASTER EGGS AND CAMEOS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED". MTV.
38. "How old was Dave Franco in the movie Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping?". In That Movie.
39. [https://deadline.com/2024/12/sundance-film-festival-lineup-2025-movies-1236200107/ Sundance Film Festival Lineup 2025 Movies]
40. Eric Goldman. (4 February 2016). "Marvel Avengers Academy Launches with an All-Star Cast". IGN.
41. "Independent Spirit Awards – 37 Years of Nominees and Winners". [[Independent Spirit Awards.
42. Stedman, Alex. (April 12, 2015). "Shailene Woodley, 'Fault in Our Stars' Dominate at MTV Movie Awards".
43. "Dave Franco". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].