Anthony Franciosa
| Tony Franciosa | |
|---|---|
Publicity photo, 1969
|
|
| Born |
Anthony George Papaleo October 25, 1928 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 2006 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Occupation | TV, stage, and film actor |
| Years active | 1955–2006 |
| Spouse(s) |
Beatrice Bakalyar (m. 1952–57) Shelley Winters (m. 1957–60) Judy Balaban (m. 1961–67) Rita Thiel (m. 1970–2006) |
Anthony Franciosa (October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006), usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career, was an American film, TV and stage actor. He made several feature films, including A Face in the Crowd (1957) and Career (1959) for which he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor/Drama. In television, along with many minor parts, 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). However, he began as a successful stage actor, gaining a Tony Award nomination for the drug-addiction play A Hatful of Rain.
Born Anthony George Papaleo to an Italian-American family (his grandparents emigrated from Melfi, Basilicata, in 1890), and raised by his mother and aunt, he adopted his mother's maiden name Franciosa as his professional name.
In 1948, Franciosa joined the Cherry Lane Theatre Group off Broadway (at the same time as actress Beatrice Arthur). Within two years, he had been accepted as a member of the Actors Studio, which would prove an invaluable resource going forward but it would be a few years more before Franciosa could make a living from acting. In the meantime, he worked a variety of jobs which included being a waiter, dishwasher, day laborer, and messenger boy. Several years later he garnered rave reviews and a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway performance of the play A Hatful of Rain.
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