David John Franco (born June 12, 1985) is an American actor and
director. He began his career with small roles in films such as
Superbad (2007) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring
role in the ninth season of the comedy series Scrubs, Franco had his
film breakthrough as a supporting role in the buddy comedy film 21
Jump Street (2012).Franco has also starred in Fright Night (2011), Now
You See Me (2013) and its sequel Now You See Me 2 (2016), Neighbors
(2014), Nerve (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017). In 2020, he made
his directorial debut with The Rental, which starred his wife Alison
Brie.Franco was born in Palo Alto, California, to Betsy Lou (née
Verne), a poet, author, and editor, and Douglas Eugene Franco
(1948â€"2011), who ran a Silicon Valley business; the two met as
students at Stanford University. Franco's father was of Portuguese
(from Madeira) and Swedish descent. Franco's mother is Jewish (of
Russian-Jewish descent); her parents had changed the surname from
"Verovitz" to "Verne". Dave has stated that he is "proud" to be
Jewish, which is the faith in which his mother raised Franco and his
brother. Franco's paternal grandmother, Marjorie (Peterson) Franco, is
a published author of young adult books. Franco's maternal
grandmother, Mitzie (Levine) Verne, owned the Verne Art Gallery, a
prominent art gallery in Cleveland, and was an active member in the
National Council of Jewish Women. Franco grew up in California with
his two older brothers, Tom and James.
director. He began his career with small roles in films such as
Superbad (2007) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring
role in the ninth season of the comedy series Scrubs, Franco had his
film breakthrough as a supporting role in the buddy comedy film 21
Jump Street (2012).Franco has also starred in Fright Night (2011), Now
You See Me (2013) and its sequel Now You See Me 2 (2016), Neighbors
(2014), Nerve (2016), and The Disaster Artist (2017). In 2020, he made
his directorial debut with The Rental, which starred his wife Alison
Brie.Franco was born in Palo Alto, California, to Betsy Lou (née
Verne), a poet, author, and editor, and Douglas Eugene Franco
(1948â€"2011), who ran a Silicon Valley business; the two met as
students at Stanford University. Franco's father was of Portuguese
(from Madeira) and Swedish descent. Franco's mother is Jewish (of
Russian-Jewish descent); her parents had changed the surname from
"Verovitz" to "Verne". Dave has stated that he is "proud" to be
Jewish, which is the faith in which his mother raised Franco and his
brother. Franco's paternal grandmother, Marjorie (Peterson) Franco, is
a published author of young adult books. Franco's maternal
grandmother, Mitzie (Levine) Verne, owned the Verne Art Gallery, a
prominent art gallery in Cleveland, and was an active member in the
National Council of Jewish Women. Franco grew up in California with
his two older brothers, Tom and James.
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