Tony Franciosa
American film, TV and stage actor
Died when: 77 years 86 days (926 months)Star Sign: Scorpio
Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo;October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career.
He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of the drug addict in the play A Hatful of Rain, which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
He reprised his role in its subsequent film adaptation, for which he won the 1957 Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
After relocating to Hollywood he made numerous feature films, including A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Long, Hot Summer (1958), and Career (1959), for which he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor.
In television, he played lead roles in five television series: the sitcom Valentine's Day (1964–65), drama The Name of the Game (1968–71), Search (1972–73), Matt Helm (1975), and Finder of Lost Loves (1984).
Later in his career, he acted primarily in Europe, starring in the erotic drama The Cricket (1980) and Dario Argento's giallo Tenebrae (1982).