James Franciscus

James Grover Franciscus (January 31, 1934 – July 8, 1991) was an American actor, known for his roles in the series Mr. Novak, The Naked City and The Investigators, and in feature films. Franciscus was born in Clayton, Missouri, the son of Loraine (née Grover) and John Allen Franciscus, who was killed in action in World War II. In 1957, Franciscus received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre arts from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, graduating magna cum laude. His first major role was as Detective Jim Halloran in the half-hour version of ABC's The Naked City television series. Franciscus was thereafter the lead star in the 13-week series The Investigators, which aired on CBS from October 5 to December 28, 1961. He played the insurance investigator Russ Andrews, with James Philbrook as a co-star. Franciscus also appeared in the role of Tom Grover in the 1961 episode "The Empty Heart" of 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.

Actor