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. 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 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. In 1953, he made his Broadway debut in
End as a Man alongside
Ben Gazzara, and the following year in
Wedding Breakfast (1954). 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.
A Hatful of Rain Franciosa's breakthrough role came when cast in the Actors 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 Johnny's wife and she would marry Franciosa the following year. Franciosa was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.
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 Jody Varner, the son of Will Varner (
Orson Welles), directed by
Martin Ritt at Fox. In December 1957, he spent 10 days in jail for hitting a press photographer in April of that year. 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. 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. In 1959, he served 30 days at an open-prison farm for possession of marijuana. The same year, he was in a car accident. Franciosa returned to television to appear in
Heaven Can Wait, an adaptation of
Here Comes Mr Jordan (1960), then in
Cradle Song (1960). 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 civil rights rally in Alabama alongside
Marlon Brando and
Paul Newman.
Television (left) and
Gene Barry in the TV series
The Name of the Game (1968) 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 supporting 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. He starred in a TV series ''
Valentine's Day (1964–65). 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 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. He 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). Franciosa had a further alternating lead role in a TV series, this time rotating with
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) and
The Drowning Pool (1975) with former
The Long, Hot Summer co-star
Paul Newman. '' in 1975 He 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), three part ABC mini series
Aspen (1977),
Wheels (1978),
Firepower (1979),
The World Is Full of Married Men (1979),
The Cricket (1980),
Death Wish II (1982),
Tenebrae (1982), and
Julie Darling (1983). 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.
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. 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. His final film was
City Hall, a 1996 drama starring
Al Pacino and
John Cusack, in which he portrayed a crime boss. 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. ==Personal life==