Franciscus was born in
Clayton,
Missouri, to Lorraine (née Grover) and John Allen Franciscus, who was killed during World War II when James was nine. In 1957, Franciscus received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre arts from
Yale University in
New Haven, Connecticut, where he graduated
magna cum laude. He was a classmate of
Dick Cavett and
Bill Hinnant. At Yale, he joined
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. His first major role was as Detective Jim Halloran in the half-hour version of
ABC's
Naked City. Franciscus guest starred on the
CBS military comedy–drama
Hennesey, starring
Jackie Cooper, and on the
NBC drama about family conflicts in the American Civil War entitled
The Americans. CBS soon cast him in the lead in the 13-week series
The Investigators, which aired from October 5 to December 28, 1961. He played the insurance investigator Russ Andrews, with
James Philbrook as a co-star. Franciscus was also cast in the role of Tom Grover in the 1961 episode "The Empty Heart" of the CBS anthology series
The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He performed in many feature films and television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, preceded by a minor role in an episode of
The Twilight Zone titled "
Judgment Night" in 1959, and a major role in episodes of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "
Forty Detectives Later" in 1960, and "
Summer Shade" in 1961. from the television series
Mr. Novak He starred in
I Passed for White (1960), and in 1963, he appeared as Mike Norris in the episode "Hang By One Hand" on the
NBC medical drama about psychiatry,
The Eleventh Hour. He also guest-starred on
Combat!,
The F.B.I. and
Miracle of the White Stallions. Franciscus may be best remembered for his title roles in NBC's
Mr. Novak (1963–65) and ABC's
Longstreet (1971–72) which included his blind character taking martial arts lessons in Jeet Kune Do from
Bruce Lee as Li Tsung in four episodes, and for his vocal performance in the movie version of
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973). Along with
Lloyd Bridges, he served as host of the syndicated real-life adventure series
Waterworld, which aired from 1972 to 1975. In 1977, he starred in his fifth television series, the short-lived
Hunter, as a secret agent. He was also frequently seen in feature films of the 1960s and 1970s such as
Youngblood Hawke, Snow Treasure, The Amazing Dobermans, Marooned, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, City on Fire, When Time Ran Out,
The Valley of Gwangi, and
The Greek Tycoon. Over the years, Franciscus found film work with Italian cinema. In 1971, he accepted the lead role in
Dario Argento's second film, ''
The Cat o' Nine Tails''. In 1979, he appeared in
Antonio Margheriti's
Killer Fish, and in 1980, he starred in director
Enzo G. Castellari's
Jaws-inspired
Great White (aka
The Last Shark). He continued appearing in roles on the screen and television. When less important roles were offered, Franciscus turned to writing screenplays and producing. In 1991, the year of his death, he worked as an associate producer and screenwriter on the film
29th Street starring
Anthony LaPaglia and
Danny Aiello; it was his final project. ==Personal life and death==