Robert Charles Francis (February 26, 1930 â€" July 31, 1955) was an
American actor. He appeared in only four Hollywood films, all with
military themes, before he was killed at age 25 in the crash of a
small airplane he was piloting.Robert Charles Francis was born in
Glendale, California in 1930. His parents, James and Lillian Francis,
ran a family pharmacy. He was the youngest by 10 years of three
children. Francis was a conscientious student and an excellent skier,
so much so that throughout the majority of his teenage years he had
aspirations to join the U.S. Olympic team. While tanning himself on a
Santa Monica beach, he was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout who
persuaded him that with his handsome, all-American looks he should try
to become an actor.Francis graduated from Pasadena City College in
1947 and then began to take acting classes, though interrupted by a
two-year stint in the U.S. Army. He attended the Batomi Schneider
Drama Workshop, where the husband of his acting coach, who worked at
Columbia Pictures, helped arrange a screen test for studio head Harry
Cohn, who had been looking for a new male lead. Francis' quiet and
peaceful manner, in contrast to those of others such as James Dean and
Marlon Brando, appealed to Cohn, who was known for demanding obedience
from his stars and staff. Although Francis tended to play reserved
characters, they were often very rebellious in their approach. On the
strength of his screen test, he earned a contract and a lead role in
The Caine Mutiny.Francis took a keen interest in aviation in his early
twenties, and it was this passion that brought him to the attention of
Howard Hughes. The two men frequently went flying together, with
Francis most likely to be at the controls of Hughes' planes, though
Francis' time in the air was curtailed once Cohn offered him a
contract with Columbia.
American actor. He appeared in only four Hollywood films, all with
military themes, before he was killed at age 25 in the crash of a
small airplane he was piloting.Robert Charles Francis was born in
Glendale, California in 1930. His parents, James and Lillian Francis,
ran a family pharmacy. He was the youngest by 10 years of three
children. Francis was a conscientious student and an excellent skier,
so much so that throughout the majority of his teenage years he had
aspirations to join the U.S. Olympic team. While tanning himself on a
Santa Monica beach, he was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout who
persuaded him that with his handsome, all-American looks he should try
to become an actor.Francis graduated from Pasadena City College in
1947 and then began to take acting classes, though interrupted by a
two-year stint in the U.S. Army. He attended the Batomi Schneider
Drama Workshop, where the husband of his acting coach, who worked at
Columbia Pictures, helped arrange a screen test for studio head Harry
Cohn, who had been looking for a new male lead. Francis' quiet and
peaceful manner, in contrast to those of others such as James Dean and
Marlon Brando, appealed to Cohn, who was known for demanding obedience
from his stars and staff. Although Francis tended to play reserved
characters, they were often very rebellious in their approach. On the
strength of his screen test, he earned a contract and a lead role in
The Caine Mutiny.Francis took a keen interest in aviation in his early
twenties, and it was this passion that brought him to the attention of
Howard Hughes. The two men frequently went flying together, with
Francis most likely to be at the controls of Hughes' planes, though
Francis' time in the air was curtailed once Cohn offered him a
contract with Columbia.
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