I use to love that show "Name of the Game". I remember all my Mom's friends
thought he was so good looking and I never got it. I thought Rock Hudson was
good looking and Anthony Franciosa didn't look anything like Rock. But I did
think he was cool! I thought he was a pretty decent character actor too.
Sue
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 1:22
PM
Subject: [MOPO] Anthony Franciosa dead at
77
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Anthony Franciosa, whose
strong
portrayals of moody, troubled characters made him a Hollywood star
in
the 1950s and '60s but whose combative behavior on movie
sets
hampered his career, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was
77.
Franciosa died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center after suffering
a
massive stroke, publicist Dick Guttman said. The actor's wife of
more
than 35 years, Rita, and other family members were
present.
Franciosa was part of a new wave in the mid-20th century
who
revolutionized film acting with their introspective,
intensely
realistic approach to their roles. Most of them were schooled in
the
method acting of New York's Actors Studio. They included
Marlon
Brando, James Dean, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters and Paul
Newman.
Franciosa was once married to Winters, who died last
weekend.
From his first important film role as the brother of a
drug addict
in "A Hatful of Rain," Franciosa became known for his
portrayals of
complicated young men. He received a 1956 Tony nomination for
his
performance in the role he created on Broadway, then an Oscar nod.
In
1957, the actor appeared in three other films, "This Could Be
the
Night," "A Face in the Crowd" and "Wild Is the
Wind."
Franciosa's career continued in high gear with such films as
"The
Long Hot Summer," "The Naked Maja" (as Goya), "The Story on
Page
One," "Period of Adjustment," "Rio Conchos" and "The Pleasure
Seekers."
The actor's behavior on movie productions became the subject
of
Hollywood gossip. The stories alleged fiery disputes with
directors,
sulks in his dressing room, outbursts with other
actors.
"I went out to Hollywood in the mid-1950s," he remarked in a
1996
interview, "and I would say I went there a little too early. It
was
an incredible amount of attention, and I wasn't quite mature
enough
psychologically and emotionally for it."
Franciosa's
assertive attitude extended beyond movie stages; in 1957
he served 10 days
in the Los Angeles County jail for slugging a press
photographer. His
reputation contributed to the downturn in Hollywood
offers, and his career
veered to European-made films and television.
His first TV series,
"Valentine's Day," cast him as a swinging New
York publishing executive
involved in numerous romances. It lasted
one season (1964-'65).
In
"The Name of the Game" (1968-71) Franciosa alternated with Gene
Barry and
Robert Stack as adventurous members of a Los Angeles
publishing firm. In
1971 the producing company, Universal Pictures,
fired him from the series,
charging erratic behavior. He countered
that the company had treated him
badly and demanded that he take a pay cut.
The film on which "The Name
of the Game" was based, "Fame Is the Name
of the Game" (1966), is generally
considered the first made-for-TV
movie. It also starred
Franciosa.
The 1975 TV series "Matt Helm," with Franciosa as a
wisecracking
detective, was canceled after half a season.
He was
born Anthony Papaleo in October 1928, in New York City. He was
1 when his
father disappeared, and the boy grew up tough in Manhattan
slums. "Getting
in the first blow was something I learned in
childhood," he said in an
interview.
After working in odd jobs and sometimes sleeping in
flophouses, at 18
he attended an audition for actors at the YMCA. and was
chosen for
two plays. He later studied at the Actors Studio and the New
School
for Social Research. Adopting his mother's maiden name, Franciosa,
he
began getting roles in television and the theater. "A Hatful of
Rain"
made him a star.
Besides Winters, Franciosa was married to
writer Beatrice Bakalyar
and real estate agent Judy Kanter, with whom he
had a daughter, Nina.
His lasting marriage was to Rita Thiel, a German
fashion model. They
had sons Christopher and
Marco.
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