Anthony Franciosa

Anthony George Franciosa (née Papaleo; October 25, 1928

– January 19, 2006) was an American actor. He began his Anthony Franciosa
career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the
brother of the drug addict in the play A Hatful of Rain, which
earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best
Featured Actor in a Play. He reprised his role in its subsequent
film adaptation, for which he won the 1957 Venice Film
Festival Award for Best Actor, and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.[1]

After relocating to Hollywood he made numerous feature

films, including A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Long, Hot
Summer (1958), and Career (1959), for which he won the
Golden Globe for Best Actor.[2] In television, he played lead
roles in five television series: the sitcom Valentine's Day
(1964–65), drama The Name of the Game (1968–71), Search
(1972–73), Matt Helm (1975), and Finder of Lost Loves
(1984).[3] Later in his career, he acted primarily in Europe, Franciosa in 1969
starring in the erotic drama The Cricket (1980) and Dario Born Anthony George Papaleo
Argento's giallo Tenebrae (1982).
October 25, 1928
New York City, U.S.
Died January 19, 2006
Contents (aged 77)
Early life Los Angeles, California,
U.S.
Career
Theatre Other names Tony Franciosa
A Hatful of Rain Occupation Actor
Film star Years active 1955–2006
Television
Spouse(s) Beatrice Bakalyar
Later career
(m. 1952; div. 1957)
Personal life Shelley Winters
Selected filmography (m. 1957; div. 1960)
Awards and nominations Judy Balaban
(m. 1961; div. 1967)
References
Rita Thiel
External links
(m. 1970)

Children 3
Early life Awards Tony Award for Best
Featured Actor in a
He was born in the Little Italy district of New York to an Play
Italian-American family. His grandparents emigrated from
1956 A Hatful of Rain
Melfi, Basilicata, in the center of the boot of Southern Italy, in
1890).[4] His parents separated when he was one and he was Volpi Cup for Best
raised by his mother and aunt, adopting his mother's maiden Actor
name Franciosa.[5] 1957 A Hatful of Rain

After high school he worked as a welder, ship steward and Golden Globe Award
cook. At the age of 18 he was doing free dancing lessons at for Best Actor – Motion
the YMCA. They offered him a role in a production of The Picture Drama
Seagull and the experience made him want to be an actor.[3][6] 1960 Career

Career

Theatre

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 the Cherry Lane Theatre Group off Broadway (at the same time as actress Bea
Arthur). Within two years, he had been accepted as a member of the Actors 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. He worked in Theatre of the Sky on Lake Tahoe. In
1950 he was in a San Francisco production of Detective Story.[9][10]

In 1953, Franciosa made his Broadway debut in End as a Man alongside Ben Gazzara, and the following
year in Wedding Breakfast (1954).[11]

Franciosa began guest starring on TV shows such as Studio One in Hollywood, Kraft Theatre, Ford Star
Jubilee (an adaptation of This Happy Breed with Noël Coward), and Goodyear Playhouse.[12]

A Hatful of Rain

Franciosa's breakthrough role came when cast in the Actor's Studio production of A Hatful of Rain (1955–
56) under the direction of Elia Kazan. He played Polo, the brother of the drug addicted Johnny (Ben
Gazzara). Shelley Winters played Gazzara'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 in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd (1957) alongside Andy Griffith,
Patricia Neal and Lee Remick.

He followed it in MGM's This Could Be the Night (1957) as the romantic interest for Jean Simmons, under
the direction of Robert Wise.

Franciosa reprised his role in A Hatful of Rain in the film version, directed by Fred Zinnemann at 20th
Century Fox, with Don Murray and Eva 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 in Hatful of Rain earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.[1]

Film star
Franciosa supported Anna Magnani and Anthony Quinn in Wild Is the Wind (1957) directed by George
Cukor, produced by Hal B. Wallis who put Franciosa under a multi-film contract.

He then appeared with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in The Long Hot Summer (1958), playing
one of the two sons of Orson Welles, directed by Martin 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 Hal Wallis one film a year over seven years.[7]

He played Francisco Goya in MGM's The Naked Maja (1958) with Ava Gardner, which earned Franciosa
$250,000 in acting fees due to production delays. He made a second film for Wallis, Career (1959) with
Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine,[16][17] then The Story on Page One (1959) with Rita Hayworth for
Clifford Odets at Fox.

He was meant to star in Orpheus Descending (which became The Fugitive Kind) with Anna 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 in The Magnificent Seven and for the title role in a proposed Simon Bolivar
biopic that Dino 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 in Heaven Can Wait an adaptation of Here Comes Mr Jordan (1960),
then in Cradle Song (1960).[20]

He supported Gina Lollobrigida in MGM's Go Naked in the World (1961), which lost money. He was top-
billed in the Italian Careless (1962) with Claudia Cardinale and MGM's Period of Adjustment (1962) with
Jane Fonda, Franciosa's first film for that studio which made a profit. In August 1963, he addressed a race
rally in Alabama alongside Marlon Brando and Paul Newman.[21]

Television

Franciosa guest starred on The DuPont Show of the Week, Arrest and Trial, Breaking Point, The Greatest
Show on Earth, and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. He had support parts in two films for Fox:
Rio Conchos (1964) with Stuart Whitman and Richard Boone, and The Pleasure Seekers (1964) with Ann-
Margret and Carol Lynley.[22]

He starred in a TV series Valentine's Day (1964–65).[23] When that ended he had support parts in A Man
Could Get Killed (1966) with James Garner and Assault on a Queen (1966) with Frank Sinatra. He was
leading man to Ann-Margret in The Swinger (1966) at Paramount[22] and Raquel Welch in Fathom (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's Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966), then a spaghetti Western at
Universal, A Man Called Gannon (1968), a drama with Jacqueline Bisset at Fox, The Sweet Ride (1968),
and a war film at Universal, In Enemy Country (1968).
Producer David Dortort was on the verge of casting him as
Cameron Mitchell's best friend and brother-in-law, Manolito
Montoya, on the western, The High Chaparral, if Henry Darrow
did not make it to the set in time. Darrow did.[24]

Tony Franciosa returned to regular series with The Name of the

Game (1968–71) (based on Fame Is the Name of the Game), as
lead role of charismatic but doggedly determined star reporter Jeff
Dillon, alternating the regular lead spot with Gene Barry and
Robert 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.

Franciosa was in Web of the Spider (1971), an Italian horror film,

then a series of TV movies: The Deadly Hunt (1971), Earth II
(1971), and The Catcher (1972). He had a support part in the
action film Across 110th Street (1972). Tony Franciosa with Robert Stack
(left) and Gene Barry in the TV
Franciosa had a further alternating lead role in a TV series, this series The Name of the Game (1968)
time alongside Hugh O'Brian and Doug McClure, as agent Nick
Bianco in Search (1972). When that ended he supported Peter
Sellers in Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973), then had support roles in This Is the West That Was (1974) for
TV and The Drowning Pool (1975) with Paul Newman.[25]

Franciosa had his own series with Matt Helm (1975), a television
version of the spy-spoof theatrical films that starred Dean Martin,
but it only lasted 14 episodes.

He was in Curse of the Black Widow (1977), a television

miniseries Aspen (1977) with Sam Elliott, Wheels (1978),
Firepower (1979), The World Is Full of Married Men (1979), The
Cricket (1980), Help Me to Dream (1981), an episode of Tales of
the Unexpected, Side Show (1981), Death Wish II (1982), Kiss My
Grits (1982), Tenebrae (1982) from Dario Argento, Julie Darling
(1983), and an episode of Masquerade. 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 movie
Wheels, so co-star Rock Hudson had to hold up cue cards for him
during one scene in a car.[26] With Laraine Stephens in a publicity
photo for the TV series Matt Helm in
1975
Later career

Franciosa starred in the Aaron Spelling-produced series Finder of Lost Loves (1984–85). He could be seen
in Stagecoach (1986) and episodes of Hotel, The Love Boat, and Jake and the Fatman.[27]

In the 1985 revival of The 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 included Blood 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 musical Grand Hotel at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and other national tour locations.[28][29]

Franciosa's final film was City Hall, a 1996 drama starring Al Pacino and John Cusack, in which he
portrayed a crime boss.[30]

In his autobiography The Garner Files, actor James Garner stated that Franciosa, on the set of A Man
Could Get Killed, constantly abused the stunt crew by not pulling punches in fight scenes, resulting in a
physical confrontation with Garner.[31]

Personal life
Franciosa was married four times, and had three children. His first marriage to writer Beatrice Bakalyar in
1952 ended in divorce in 1957. That May 4, he married actress Shelley Winters; the couple divorced in
1960.[22]

He next wed the former Judith Balaban, daughter of Barney Balaban, and author of the book The
Bridesmaids, about her friend Princess 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 Theil on November 27, 1970 -- coincidentally, the day his final
episode of The 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, Theil 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 Theil's influence on him, said

"It took years of therapy and simply living through things to finally accept and enjoy myself.
My wife Rita's influence has been profound in that process. Her family was a product of
The Great Disaster — World War II. She emerged from the flames with a remarkable
buoyancy. Each day she rises with an optimism, a serenity toward life that is certainly
contagious. Does that sound romantic? If so, so be it."[33]

During his later years, Franciosa lived in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He died on January
19, 2006, at age 77 at nearby UCLA Medical Center after suffering a massive stroke.[22]

Selected filmography
This Could Be the Night (1957) - Tony Armotti
A Face in the Crowd (1957) - Joey DePalma
A Hatful of Rain (1957) - Polo Pope
Wild Is the Wind (1957) - Bene
The Long, Hot Summer (1958) - Jody Varner
The Naked Maja (1958) - Francisco Jose De Goya
Career (1959) - Sam Lawson
The Story on Page One (1959) - Victor Santini
Go Naked in the World (1961) - Nick Stratton
Careless (1962) - Emilio Brentani
Period of Adjustment (1962) - Ralph Bates
 Rio Conchos (1964) - Rodriguez
The Pleasure Seekers (1964) - Emilio Lacayo
A Man Could Get Killed (1966) - Steve / Antonio
Assault on a Queen (1966) - Vic Rossiter
The Swinger (1966) - Ric Colby
Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966) - Jeff Dillon
Fathom (1967) - Peter Merriwether
A Man Called Gannon (1968) - Gannon
The Sweet Ride (1968) - Collie Ransom
In Enemy Country (1968) - Charles
Web of the Spider (1971) - Alan Foster
Earth II (1971) - Frank Karger
Across 110th Street (1972) - Nick D'Salvio
Search (1972–1973) - Nick Bianco
Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973) - Pierre Rodriguez
The Drowning Pool (1975) - Broussard
Curse of the Black Widow (1977) - Mark Higbie
Firepower (1979) - Dr. Charles Félix
The World Is Full of Married Men (1979) - David Cooper
The Cricket (1980) - Annibale Meneghetti, detto Ulisse
Help Me Dream (1981) - Ray
Death Wish II (1982) - Herman Baldwin, LA Police Commissioner
Kiss My Grits (1982) - Charlie Karkas
Tenebrae (1982) - Peter Neal
Julie Darling (1983) - Harold Wilding
Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife (1987) - Lou Di Luca
Zombie Death House (1987) - Vic Moretti
La morte è di moda (1989) - Commissioner Rizzo
Ghost Writer (1989) - Vincent Carbone
Backstreet Dreams (1990) - Angelo
Double Threat (1993) - Crocker Scott
El caçador furtiu (1995) - Walter
City Hall (1996) - Paul Zapatti

Awards and nominations

 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 A Hatful of Rain Won
1956 Theatre World Award A Hatful of Rain Won
1957 Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actor A Hatful of Rain Won
1957 Venice Film Festival New Cinema Award A Hatful of Rain Won
1958 Golden Globe Best Actor – Drama A Hatful of Rain Nominated
1958 Academy Award Best Actor in a Leading Role A Hatful of Rain Nominated
1958 Laurel Award Top New Male Personality Nominated
1960 Golden Globe Best Actor – Drama Career Won
1965 Golden Globe Best Actor – Drama Rio Conchos Nominated

References
1. "A Hatful of Rain" (https://variety.com/1956/film/reviews/a-hatful-of-rain-1200418373/).
Variety. December 31, 1956. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
2. "Anthony Franciosa" (https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/anthony-franciosa). Golden
Globe Awards. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
3. Vallance, Tom (January 23, 2006). "Anthony Franciosa; Temperamental leading man" (http
s://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/anthony-franciosa-6110928.html). The
Independent. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
4. The Racine Journal-Times Sunday Bulletin (https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/79899
22/)
5. Tony Franciosa background (http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/franciosa.htm)
6. "Anthony Franciosa, TV and Film Actor, Dies at 77" (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/21/art
s/anthony-franciosa-tv-and-film-actor-dies-at-77.html). The New York Times. January 21,
2006. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
7. Thompson, Howard (December 8, 1957). "ASCENDING BRIGHT STAR; Anthony Franciosa
Retraces His Path In Rapid Rise to Screen Success Face in the Crowd Personal Approach"
(https://www.nytimes.com/1957/12/08/archives/ascending-bright-star-anthony-franciosa-retra
ces-his-path-in-rapid.html). The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
8. Lipton, Michael A. (March 18, 1996). "Back in the Game" (https://people.com/archive/back-in
-the-game-vol-45-no-11/). People. Retrieved August 18, 2012. "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."
9. The Life Story of ANTHONY FRANCIOSA Picture Show; London Vol. 70, Iss. 1827, (Apr 5,
1958): 12.
10. Hopper, Hedda (April 21, 1957). "Franciosa Rated Star Before Public Sees Films". Los
Angeles Times.
11. Zolotow, Sam (August 27, 1954). "NEW REEVES PLAY WILL OPEN NOV. 16" (https://www.
nytimes.com/1954/08/27/archives/new-reeves-play-will-open-nov-16-shumlin-to-stage-wedd
ing-breakfast.html). The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
12. Smith, Cecil (October 26, 1960). "THE TV SCENE---: Franciosa to Do 'Heaven Can Wait' ".
Los Angeles Times.
13. Parsons, Louella (August 14, 1957). "Anthony Franciosa Agrees to Try Faulkner Role". The
Washington Post and Times-Herald.
14. "Actor Anthony Franciosa Begins Jail Sentence". Los Angeles Times. December 13, 1957.
15. "Attack on Newsman Jails Shelley Winters' Fiance". Los Angeles Times. April 20, 1957.
16. Beaufort, John (October 10, 1959). "Tale of Theater World Stars Anthony Franciosa". The
Christian Science Monitor.
17. Hawkins, Robert F. (July 27, 1958). "GOYA AND HIS 'MAJA' FACE CAMERA; Artist's Film
Biography Started After Many Delays -- Addenda" (https://www.nytimes.com/1958/07/27/arc
hives/goya-and-his-maja-face-camera-artists-film-biography-started-after.html). The New
York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
18. Scheuer, Philip K. (February 20, 1959). "Franciosa Strong 'Bolivar' Prospect: Busy Actor, Set
in 10 Films, Gives Answer to Pessimists". Los Angeles Times.
19. "Anthony Franciosa Injured" (https://www.nytimes.com/1959/11/29/archives/anthony-francio
sa-injured.html). The New York Times. November 29, 1959. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
20. Anderson, Robert (November 12, 1960). "SOUL IN SEARCH OF A BODY: Anthony
Franciosa Has an Off-beat Role for His Return to Television". Chicago Daily Tribune.
21. "Four Actors Address Negro Rally in Alabama: RACIAL RALLY". Los Angeles Times.
August 23, 1963.
22. McLellan, Dennis (January 21, 2006). "Anthony Franciosa, 77; Versatile Star of Stage, Film
and Television" (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jan-21-me-franciosa21-stor
y.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
23. Adams, Val (June 9, 1964). " 'HOOTENANNY' CUT FROM A.B.C. LIST; Franciosa to Star
Next Fall in TV 'Valentine's Day' " (https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/09/archives/hootenann
y-cut-from-abc-list-franciosa-to-star-next-fall-in-tv.html). The New York Times. Retrieved
May 22, 2019.
24. Darrow (http://www.thehighchaparral.com/cast.htm#Henry)
25. Hall, William (December 22, 1973). "Peter Sellers Goes to Sea". Los Angeles Times.
26. London, Jerry; Collier, Rhonda (2017). From I Love Lucy to Shōgun and Beyond: Tales from
the Other Side of the Camera. p. 60. ISBN 978-0692866993.
27. Thomas, Bob (January 21, 2006). "Hollywood bad boy Anthony Franciosa, 77". The Record.
28. Rose, Lloyd (December 7, 1990). "THEATER" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/life
style/1990/12/07/theater/bfffc8d0-9077-4489-a4a0-2da98e0386f6/). The Washington Post.
Retrieved August 21, 2019.
29. Walsh, Winifred (February 25, 1991). "Anthony Franciosa, the matinee idol under the
makeup" (https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-02-25-1991056142-story.html).
The Evening Sun. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
30. Maslin, Janet (February 16, 1996). "FILM REVIEW;Dangerous Dealings In the Heart of New
York" (https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/16/movies/film-review-dangerous-dealings-in-the-h
eart-of-new-york.html). The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
31. Garner, James; Winokur, Jon (2011). The Garner Files. Simon & Schuster. p. 255. ISBN 978-
1-4516-4260-5.
32. People Weekly, March 18, 1996, v.45 n.11 p. 73.
33. Source: TV Heaven.

External links
Anthony Franciosa (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290047/) at IMDb
Anthony Franciosa (https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/41103) at the Internet
Broadway Database
Anthony Franciosa (http://www.lortel.org/Archives/CreditableEntity/29098) at the Internet Off-
Broadway Database
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anthony_Franciosa&oldid=1055930554"

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