Francis Elliott Kranz (born July 13, 1981)[citation needed] is an American actor and film director. He is known for his portrayal of Topher Brink in the science fiction drama series Dollhouse.[1] Kranz had prominent roles in the films The Cabin in the Woods and Much Ado About Nothing. In 2012, he played Bernard in Death of a Salesman, beginning a career on Broadway that continued with 2014's You Can't Take It with You.
Fran Kranz | |
|---|---|
 Kranz in 2009 | |
| Born | Francis Elliott Kranz July 13, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard-Westlake School |
| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse |
Spencer Margaret Richmond
(m. 2015; div. 2021) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Jaclyn Smith (former-mother-in-law) Anthony B. Richmond (former-father-in-law) |
Kranz made his feature directorial debut with Mass (2021), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim.[2] From 2022 to 2023, he was a regular cast member in the Max series Julia.
Personal life
editKranz was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[3] He started acting in third and fourth grade, and knew from a very young age that he wanted to become an actor.[4] Kranz graduated from Harvard-Westlake School[5] in 2000 and from Yale University in 2004,[6] where he was a member of the improv comedy group The Ex!t Players.
In 2015, Kranz married actress Spencer Margaret Richmond, daughter of Charlie's Angels actress Jaclyn Smith and filmmaker Tony Richmond. In 2016, their daughter was born. On July 6, 2020, she filed for divorce.[7] The divorce was finalized in 2021.[citation needed]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Donnie Darko | Frank's Friend | |
| Training Day | College Driver | ||
| 2002 | Orange County | Shane Brainard | |
| 2003 | Matchstick Men | Slacker Boyfriend | |
| Swordswallowers and Thin Men | Adrian | ||
| 2004 | The Village | Christop Crane | |
| Admissions | James Parks | ||
| 2005 | Hitch | Coca Cola Guy | Uncredited |
| 2006 | Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas | Ralph | |
| The Night of the White Pants | Millian Hagan | ||
| The TV Set | Zach Harper | ||
| Whirlygirl | Freddie | ||
| 2007 | Careless | Mitch | |
| Rise: Blood Hunter | Alex | ||
| 2008 | Wieners | Joel | |
| Shades of Ray | Sal Garfinkle | ||
| Last Meal | Noah | Short film | |
| 2009 | Homeland | Arne | |
| My Two Fans | Thad | ||
| 2010 | Don't Fade Away | Ben | |
| 2011 | Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules | Bill Walter | |
| The Cabin in the Woods | Marty | ||
| The Five Stages of Grief | Daniel | Short film | |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing | Claudio | |
| It's Not You, It's Me | Jack | Short film | |
| Putzel | Salmon Guy | ||
| 2013 | Seasick Sailor | Wormy Guy | Short film |
| 2014 | Lust for Love | Astor | |
| Before I Disappear | Darren | ||
| Murder of a Cat | Clinton | ||
| Last Weekend | Sean Oakes | ||
| The Living | Teddy | ||
| Seven Lovers | Brian | ||
| 2015 | Bloodsucking Bastards | Evan | |
| The Truth About Lies | Gilby Smalls | ||
| Mojave | Bob | ||
| 2016 | Rebirth | Kyle | |
| 2017 | A Happening of Monumental Proportions | Mr. Rolf | |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Bottom | Also producer | |
| The Dark Tower | Pimli | ||
| 2018 | You Might Be the Killer | Sam | |
| 2019 | Fanboy | Jeremiah Brennan | Short film |
| Jungleland | Buck Noble | ||
| 2021 | Mass | — | Director, writer, and producer |
| 2022 | Silk | Short Sol | |
| 2024 | Half Lives | Luke | |
| They Whisper | Silas |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Frasier | Aaron | Episode: "Good Grief" |
| 2007 | Untitled Christine Taylor Project | Brian | TV movie |
| 2008 | Welcome to The Captain | Josh Flug | 5 episodes |
| 2008 | Private Practice | Brian | Episode: "Equal & Opposite" |
| 2008 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | College Student | Episode: "Who Pooped the Bed?" |
| 2009–2010 | Dollhouse | Topher Brink | 27 episodes |
| 2011 | Goodnight Burbank | Chaz Parker | Episode: "Lesbians on Acid" |
| 2012 | Dating Rules from My Future Self | Sorbet Guy | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | The Good Wife | Eugene | Episode: "A More Perfect Union" |
| 2014 | Dallas | Hunter McKay | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | TripTank | Various voices | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Elementary | Brendan Farley | Episode: "How the Sausage Is Made" |
| 2017 | Major Crimes | Stan Pearl | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Ballers | Yanni | 3 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Homecoming | Ron | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | Gabriel Sherman | Episode: "2012" |
| 2022–2023 | Julia | Russell Morash | Main role |
| 2023 | Party Down | Miles | Episode: "Kyle Bradway Is Nitromancer" |
Broadway
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Death of a Salesman | Bernard | In Ethel Barrymore Theatre, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman[8] |
| 2014 | You Can't Take It with You | Tony Kirby[9] | In Longacre Theater, starring James Earl Jones[10] |
Web
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | MegaBot | Blue[11] | |
| 2012 | JourneyQuest | Silver Tom | 8 episodes |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Chemical Brothers - "The Golden Path" | Main role - Office worker |
References
edit- ^ Moorhouse, Drusilla (April 24, 2009). "Dollhouse: Fran Kranz Talks Topher". E!. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ "Mass (2021) Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "Francis Elliott Kranz, Born 07/13/1981 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. July 13, 1981. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
- ^ Bühnsack, Catherine. "Interview with Fran Kranz". myfanbase.de. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ Remington, Alex (March 28, 2008), "Interview with Fran Kranz, Star, CBS's Welcome to the Captain", Huffington Post
- ^ Lytton, Charlotte (March 16, 2012). "Interview: Fran Kranz". redbrick.me. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ "RICHMOND, SPENCER VS KRANZ, FRANCIS "FRAN"". unicourt.com.
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Starry Revival of Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' Opens on Broadway" Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, March 15, 2012
- ^ Tedder, Michael (September 29, 2014). "Fran Kranz on Joss Whedon and Broadway's 'You Can't Take It With You'". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ^ Staff. "The Verdict: Critics Review 'You Can't Take It With You', Starring James Earl Jones and Elizabeth Ashley, on Broadway" playbill.com, September 28, 2014
- ^ Caroline van Oosten de Boer, Milo Vermeulen. "Post about MegaBot on". Whedonesque.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.