James Franciscus

James Franciscus

Missouri-born James Franciscus attended Yale University, where one of his fellow students was future talkshow host Dick Cavett. Franciscus came to the attention of casting directors after starring in a student musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby. He went into summer stock then in 1956 made his first film appearance in Four Boys and a Gun (1956). While few of Franciscus' film appearances were remarkable, he was probably at his best as Tony Curtis' army buddy in the 1961 Ira Hayes biopic The Outsider. Franciscus' fame rests on his TV work: he was starred in several series from 1959 onward, most notably as an idealistic young high-school teacher in Mr. Novak (1963-65) and as a visually handicapped detective in Longstreet (1971-72). His preppie good looks enabled James Franciscus to successfully portray JFK in the 1980 TV movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, as well as a clef President "James Cassidy" in the Jackie/Onassis derivation The Greek Tycoon (1979). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide