Franco (General Hospital)

Franco Baldwin
Roger Howarth as Franco Baldwin
General Hospital character
Portrayed by	James Franco (2009–12) Roger Howarth (2013–)
Duration	2009–
First appearance	November 19, 2009 (November 19, 2009)
Created by	Robert Guza, Jr., James Franco, and John Carter
Introduced by	Jill Farren Phelps (2009) Frank Valentini (2013)
Spin-off appearances	General Hospital: Night Shift
Classification	Present; regular
Profile
Other names	Franco Baldwin (2015–) Franco Quartermaine (2013) Jason Morgan (2013) Robert James Frank
Occupation	Art therapist (2014–) Multi-media artist
Residence	Port Charles, New York
James Franco as Franco
Family Baldwin Parents Scott Baldwin Heather Webber Adoptive mother Karen Anderson Half-brothers Steven Webber Logan Hayes Half-sisters Karen Wexler Serena Baldwin Christina Baldwin (adoptive) Grandparents David Bordisso Lee Baldwin (adoptive) Meg Bentley Alice Grant Other relatives Susan Moore Jason Morgan

Franco is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime drama General Hospital. James Franco originated the character in November 2009, after seeking out a soap opera role. He continued to portray the character in intermittent guest stints through January 2012. The character of Franco is a multi-media artist and serial killer who becomes fixated on Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), a known hitman. Franco terrorizes Jason, along with his friends and family. Jason supposedly kills Franco in January 2012, after Franco allegedly rapes Jason's wife Sam (Kelly Monaco). The character is mentioned often after his alleged death, and for a time it was believed that he was Jason's twin brother. In May 2013, Roger Howarth assumed the role when the character is revealed to be alive. Franco's return brought about the revelation that his biological parents are Scott Baldwin (Kin Shriner) and Heather Webber (Robin Mattson).

James Franco's casting on General Hospital was met by surprise and mixed reviews. Franco also used his time on the series to create a documentary that was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, and turned a scene filming at MOCA into a live performance piece. The attention Franco garnered boosted publicity for General Hospital and the soap opera genre.

In 2009, James Franco sought out a soap opera role. Sharing the same agent as Steve Burton, who played Jason Morgan on General Hospital, he went to that series for his request. Franco signed on for a series of 20 episodes that he filmed in three days. He was credited as a special guest star, and first appeared on November 19, 2009. His scenes aired through February 2010. He returned on June 30, 2010 for a summer-long storyline. He next appeared on February 25 and February 28, 2011, bookending his co-hosting job of the 83rd Academy Awards. Franco returned for a longterm stint on September 20, 2011 that aired until January 13, 2012.