Dave Franco biography, wife, height, net worth, age, brother, awards 2025

Dave Franco Biography

David John Franco (Dave Franco) is an American television and film actor, the younger brother of James Franco ("127 Hours," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"). He's best known as Eric Molson, the hilarious pint-sized drug dealer from "21 Jump Street," intern Cole Aaronson from the series "Scrubs," and card magician Jack Wilder from "Now You See Me 2."

Dave Franco's full name is David John Franco

Childhood

Dave was born into the family of writer Betsy Franco and businessman Douglas Eugene "Doug" Franco. The future actor's mother was Jewish, while his father was half Portuguese, half Swedish. His parents met as students at Stanford University.

Dave grew up as a modest, shy kid. His childhood idol was actor and writer Roald Dahl. The family raised two other boys: older brother James and middle brother Tom Franco, who, unlike his actor brothers, dedicated his life to painting.

Dave is the youngest of the Franco brothers

Not much is known about Dave Franco's childhood, except that the young man always had a tendency toward romantic gestures. For example, in high school he decided to make his girlfriend's birthday truly special. He arrived at school early, went around to all the classrooms where she had classes that day, and left each teacher a rose to give to the birthday girl. Each flower came with a little note containing their private jokes.

After graduating high school, Dave enrolled at the University of Southern California, initially planning to become a teacher and teach literature in schools. But during his sophomore year, his brother's manager – James Franco was already a well-known actor by then – transferred Dave (at his request) to the theater department, where the young man began studying acting.

Acting Career

In 2006, the 20-year-old made his debut in an episodic role as Benjamin Bainsworth in The CW's "7th Heaven." The family drama series followed a Christian family confronting the challenges of modern society day by day.

Over the next three years, Dave went through the typical struggling actor rite of passage – small parts in lesser-known series and background work on TV shows. In 2007, he auditioned for Edward Cullen in "Twilight," but director Catherine Hardwicke passed him over, ultimately choosing British actor Robert Pattinson.

Dave Franco could have become Edward Cullen

Dave Franco's first starring role came as medical student Cole Aaronson in the ninth season of "Scrubs," which aired in 2009. His character was a cocky, sharp-tongued guy who still managed to show humor and nobility.

'Scrubs' brought Dave Franco long-awaited fame

In 2012, he gained recognition as Eric from the comedy "21 Jump Street" – a small-time school drug dealer. He later reprised this role in the series "The After Party with Chelsea Handler."

'21 Jump Street': Dave Franco as dealer Eric

A year later, the actor transformed into brilliant magician Jack Wilder in the thriller "Now You See Me." His character brought the necessary dose of humor and spectacle to the film. Alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson, he actually learned magic tricks in New York, Paris, Las Vegas, and even New Orleans – everywhere filming took place.

Now You See Me - Official Trailer

In 2016, the actor landed the lead role alongside Emma Roberts in the thriller "Nerve." For filming, he had to learn how to ride a motorcycle in just 2 weeks.

Dave Franco and Emma Roberts on the set of 'Nerve'

Dave's older brother tries his hand at directing, thoughtfully offering the lead roles to his younger sibling. In 2017, James Franco's film "The Disaster Artist" was released, telling the story behind the creation of the infamous flop "The Room" (2003).

A year later came Maria-Lewis Ryan's debut project – the drama "6 Balloons" about drug addiction, with Dave Franco's character at the center of events.

In 2018, filming began on another James project – "Zeroville," where Dave worked on the same set with Will Ferrell and Megan Fox.

That same year, Franco was ready for a career pivot. He took on a challenging role in the Netflix drama "6 Balloons" alongside Abby Jacobson. For an actor used to light comedic parts, the project became a real test.

Dave Franco and Abby Jacobson walk through a supermarket, a scene from "6 Balloons" — Dave Franco and Abby Jacobson in "6 Balloons"

To play Seth, a drug addict experiencing a heroin relapse, Franco dropped 20 pounds. Critics noted that Franco masterfully captured the struggle of someone who wants to live right but can't get it together.

Almost immediately after, Franco landed a small role in Barry Jenkins' drama "If Beale Street Could Talk," based on James Baldwin's novel. At first, his appearance in the film seemed like a joke. But alongside KiKi Layne and Stephan James, he created a magical, almost pantomime-like scene that became one of the film's most joyful moments.

If Beale Street Could Talk. Scene with Dave Franco

In 2019, Franco joined Michael Bay's massive $150 million action spectacle "6 Underground" as "Six," the driver for Ryan Reynolds' team.

Franco only appears for 20 minutes, but his death, as viewers noted, was surprisingly brutal and unexpected. The film became one of Netflix's most expensive projects but received mixed reviews for Bay's signature "everything explodes and it's really loud" style.

Dave Franco sleeps at the wheel, scene from "6 Underground" — Dave Franco in "6 Underground"

Another turning point for Franco came in 2020 – he made his directorial debut with the horror-thriller "The Rental," which he co-directed with Joe Swanberg and starred his wife Alison Brie.

Franco admitted the film's idea was born from his discomfort with Airbnb rentals. He was spooked by the thought that some stranger has keys to the house you're staying in. Critics praised the newcomer's confidence: every shot, every performance, and every technical decision was thought through to the smallest detail. The film became only the second in history to simultaneously top both video-on-demand charts and box office receipts in the same weekend.

In 2022, Franco joined the star-studded cast of Apple TV+'s comedy-mystery "The Afterparty," playing Xavier, an obnoxious pop singer who gets killed off in the very first episode.

Dave Franco in a purple suit looking at his phone, scene from The Afterparty series — "The Afterparty": Dave Franco as Xavier.

Franco dove so deep into the role that he actually recorded a full EP called "R.I.P. Xavier" with four tracks that unsuspecting listeners mistook for real pop hits. He even shot a music video for "Imma Live Forever," where his character performs deadly dangerous stunts, ending with the credits: "Xavier died shortly after filming this video."

Xavier — Imma Live Forever

That same year, Netflix dropped the action-comedy "Day Shift" – about blue-collar vampire hunters. Franco played Seth, a nervous union rep who literally pisses his pants from fear.

Jamie Foxx, the film's leading man, insisted on Franco's involvement, declaring: "I'm not making this movie without him. I knew he'd bring something incredible to it."

Dave Franco with an orthopedic neck collar and a frightened expression on his face — Dave Franco in "Day Shift"

In 2023, the romantic comedy "Somebody I Used to Know" premiered, which Franco directed and co-wrote with his wife. Franco revealed that the film's concept came during lockdown, when he and his wife were analyzing classic rom-coms from the '80s and '90s.

Dave Franco's Personal Life

Dave had casual relationships with actresses Dianna Agron ("Burlesque," "The Family") and Shenae Grimes ("90210").

In summer 2015, the actor announced his engagement to actress Alison Brie, whom he'd been dating since July 2012. Franco made sure to attend all his fiancée's premieres to show his support. By 2016, the couple was deep in wedding planning mode, and they tied the knot the following year.

The proposal happened in Big Sur, with Franco showing up in a Zorro mask and presenting an antique ring while designer Irene Neuwirth crafted the actual engagement ring.

Since 2017, the couple has collaborated on several films: "Little Hours," "The Disaster Artist," "The Rental," "Somebody I Used to Know," and "Together." Brie has said their priority is always the film itself, so they're totally cool with each other's romantic scenes with other actors.

The actor creates and runs original video projects "Funny or Die" and "Would You." He films his entire creative family, maintaining incredibly close relationships with everyone. He writes his own scripts and teams up with childhood friend Brian McGinn to shoot short films.

Real Live H.O.R.S.E. with Dave Franco

He adores his older brother James and always forgives his teasing and jokes. When tabloids reported that Dave was dating Zac Efron, James didn't bother denying the fake story — instead, he ironically congratulated the "couple" and wished them happiness.

Dave Franco Now

Summer 2025 brought Franco and Brie's most unusual project yet — the body horror film "Together." They play spouses who literally start growing together. The actors had to wear prosthetics that actually connected them physically.

Alison Brie and Dave Franco look into the camera with worried expressions, shot from a low angle — Alison Brie and Dave Franco in "Together"

The film became Sundance 2025's priciest acquisition — Neon paid $17 million for distribution rights. However, the project got tangled up in a plagiarism lawsuit, with the creators of "Better Half" accusing "Together" team of stealing their idea about a couple whose bodies fuse together as a metaphor for codependency.

Fun Facts

Dave Franco keeps it casual when it comes to fashion, preferring comfortable styles. For footwear, he goes with sneakers or canvas shoes.

His calling card? That big, genuine smile of his.

He often plays characters much younger than himself, but he's not thrilled about it – he's tired of playing high schoolers.

He's into poetry and zombie movies.

He doesn't see himself as a comedian and can't crack jokes to people's faces.

People often tell Dave he looks like Tom Cruise, and he's not about to argue with that comparison.

When his brother James Franco moved to New York, Dave took in his two cats – Harry and Arturo. He's been a devoted cat dad ever since.

His first big purchase was a flat-screen TV for his mom.

The youngest Franco brother doesn't believe in taking unnecessary risks or putting himself in danger. He disapproves when people do reckless things just for social media "likes."

He's fascinated by 1970s Hollywood because back then "there weren't all these massive constraints that limit creative freedom today."

He thinks some TV shows are more interesting than many modern movies and wouldn't rule out returning to television.

When choosing projects, his main criterion is working with a good director. He only wants to collaborate with filmmakers whose work he genuinely admires. Since he plans to direct in the future, he tries to learn the ins and outs of the profession while on set.

He's convinced he'll never be comfortable getting undressed on camera – for Dave, it's always nerve-wracking.

Dave Franco is embarrassed to shoot nude scenes

He's sure he can't rap, but that didn't stop him from challenging Cara Delevingne to a rap battle on James Corden's show.

Drop the Mic - Cara Delevingne & Dave Franco

He participates in the "Cycle for Survival" movement, which raises funds to fight rare cancers. He joined the organization after losing his best friend Brian Rosella to cancer in 2015.

Despite all his love and respect for James, Dave spent years trying to distance himself from his brother and step out of his shadow. After the first "Now You See Me" came out, he finally managed to do just that.

Dave Franco: latest news and articles

Helen Bell

I saw him in the movie Warm Bodies but he showed up there only for a few minutes. And the character he played, I imaged different after the book.. somehow he showed up and I did not remember him much in the role.

2021-04-26 13:58:29
Mary Moore

I like with him comedy Neighbors. I was laughing like crazy.

2021-04-26 08:31:22
Steve Smith

I love both parts of the Now You See Me! I always watch it if its on TV. Dave in the film is very charismatic character who brings the team its own special flavor.

2021-04-24 16:53:53
Helen Brooks

I know Dave only as a brother of James.. who played Harry Osborn in the very first trilogy of Spider-Man. It think I watched with him a couple of other movies, but now I can not remember the names.

2021-04-16 11:24:46
Patricia Robbins

Он отличный актер, как и его брат, они оба талантливы. У Джеймса есть более важные роли, но для меня это не имеет значения.

2021-03-21 22:48:13

Dave Franco

Photos: Dave Franco