James Grover Franciscus graduated magna cum laude from Yale University
in 1957 with a B.A. in English and theater. His father, John Allen
Franciscus, was a pilot killed in action during WWII. His mother was
named Loraine (nee Grover) and he had one sibling, a brother named
John. Mr. Franciscus is best known for his work in television,
including Gnadenlose Stadt (1958),
The Investigators (1961),
Mr. Novak (1963) and
Longstreet (1971). He also made
numerous guest appearances in other popular television programs,
starred in numerous television movies, and appeared in numerous feature
films. In the mid 1980s, he became dissatisfied with the roles offered
to him and turned his attention to screen writing. As co-founder of
Omnibus Productions, he produced many classic films, such as
Heidi kehrt heim (1968),
Das Geheimnis von Schloß Thornfield (1970),
David Copperfield (1970),
Entführt (1971), and
Das letzte Wort hat Tilby (1973). An
avid tennis player, he founded the James Franciscus Celebrity Tennis
Tournament in the mid 1970s to raise money for multiple sclerosis
research and victims (his mother suffered from this disease). He also
enjoyed sky diving and scuba diving. He married
Kathleen 'Kitty' Wellman,
daughter of director
William A. Wellman, on March 28,
1960, and fathered four daughters (Jamie, Kellie, Corie and Jolie). A
devoted family man, his contracts often stipulated that he not be
required to work past 6:00 pm. After his divorce from Wellman, he
married second wife Carla in 1980 and continued to live on his two acre
North Hollywood estate until his death.
