final credits - anthony franciosa
On screen he played moody, troubled characters. Off screen his behaviour was described as combative.
Tony Franciosa's death marks another milestone in the generation that revolutionised film acting in the 1950s with their introspective, intensely realistic approach to their roles.
Other luminaries of "the method" were Franciosa's fellow New York Actors Studio graduates Marlon Brando, James Dean, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.
Born Anthony Papaleo in New York City's Manhattan slums, he learned at a young age that getting in the first blow was important. He got his break re-creating his Broadway performance in Fred Zinnemann's 1957 film "A Hatful Of Rain."
The role got him a Tony and Oscar nomination. "A Hatful Of Rain" was reputed to be the first Broadway show to deal openly with drug addiction, and the production also starred Ben Gazarra, Harry Guardino and Shelley Winters.
Franciosa went on to perform in Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd," "The Long, Hot Summer," "The Pleasure Seekers" and "The Swinger," both opposite Ann-Margret.
Franciosa's behaviour on movie sets became Hollywood gossip fodder.
In 1957, he served 10 days in the Los Angeles County jail for slugging a press photographer. Two years later he served 30 days for possession of marijuana. He was also known for disputes with directors, sulks in his dressing room and outbursts with other actors.
Despite his promise as an actor, Franciosa's reputation led to a downturn in Hollywood offers and his career veered to European-made films and television. It was for appearances on the small screen that audiences will remember him most.
Franciosa's first TV series, "Valentine's Day," cast him as a womanising New York publishing executive -- it lasted one season (1964-1965). Then came "The Name of the Game," which ran from 1968 to 1971.
"The Name of the Game" was ground-breaking television with its innovative 90-minute anthology format, high production values (at $400,000 per episode, the most expensive series in production at the time) and its use of up and coming directors such as Steven Bochco and Steven Spielberg.
The series was actually three shows in one, with Franciosa starring with Gene Barry and Robert Stack in separate stories that continued every third week.
The common element in the shows was Susan St. James as "Peggy Maxwell," girl wonder and research aide for the three lead characters.
In 1971, Universal Pictures fired Franciosa from the series, charging erratic behaviour. His next series, "Matt Helm," was cancelled after half a season.
Franciosa returned to more regular work in Italy where he made a few so-called "giallo" (yellow for fear) thrillers, including 1982's "Tenebrae" by gore-master Dario Argento. His last role was as a mafia boss in 1996's "City Hall."
Franciosa was married for three years to fellow Actors Studio classmate Shelley Winters, who preceded Franciosa in death by five days.
The always-quotable Winters wrote of her one-time husband, "If sex were an event at the Olympics, Tony Franciosa would have been captain of the team."
Franciosa has a Bacon number of 2.
Tony Franciosa died January 19th, 2006 at the age of 77 from a stroke.