Profile Text
Franco in 2013, photo by PrPhotos
Birth Name: David John Franco
Place of Birth: Palo Alto, Santa Clara, California, United States
Date of Birth: June 12, 1985
Ethnicity: * father – half Portuguese Madeiran, half Swedish * mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Dave Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. His roles include the films After Sex , The Shortcut , Charlie St. Cloud , The Broken Tower , Fright Night (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), and its sequel; Warm Bodies , Now You See Me , and its sequel; Unfinished Business , Nerve (2016), The Little Hours , The Lego Ninjago Movie , The Disaster Artist , 6 Balloons , If Beale Street Could Talk , Zeroville , 6 Underground , and Day Shift , and television’s Greek , Scrubs , Easy , The Now , and The Afterparty . He directed and co-wrote the horror film The Rental and the romantic comedy Somebody I Used to Know .
Dave is the son of Betsy (Verne) and Douglas Eugene Franco. His father ran a Silicon Valley business, and his mother is a writer and actress. His brothers are actor James Franco and actor and artist Tom Franco. Tom founded the Firehouse Art Collective in Berkeley. A picture of Dave’s father can be seen here . A picture of Dave’s mother can be seen here . Dave is married to actress, writer, and producer Alison Brie .
Dave’s father was of half Portuguese/Madeiran and half Swedish descent. Dave’s mother is Jewish, of Russian Jewish, German Jewish, Polish Jewish, and Lithuanian Jewish descent. Dave has said that he is proud to be Jewish.
Dave’s paternal grandfather was Daniel Franco, Jr. (the son of Daniel Franco and Eugénia J. Baptista). Dave’s grandfather Daniel was born in Illinois, to Portuguese emigrants, from the Madeira islands. Dave’s great-grandfather Daniel was the son of João Franco and Maria de Mendonça. Dave’s great-grandmother Eugénia was the daughter of João Baptista and Carlota de Freitas.
Dave’s paternal grandmother was Marjorie Jane Peterson (the daughter of Claus Fredolph Peterson and Martha Louise Rehn). Dave’s grandmother Marjorie Franco was born in Illinois, and is a children’s author. Claus was born in Illinois, to Swedish parents, Carl Magnus Peterson and Amelia Bernadette Ackerman. Dave’s great-grandmother Martha was also born in Illinois, to Swedish parents, Edward Anderson Rehn and Anna Louise Knall.
Dave’s maternal grandfather was Daniel Surad Verovitz/Verne (the son of Carroll/Carrol Harris Verovitz and Bessie G. Surad). Daniel was born in Ohio. Carroll was born in Chicago, Illinois. Carroll’s father, Harry/Harris David Verovitz, was a Russian Jewish immigrant. Carroll’s mother, Mary Harris/Harrison, was born in Ohio, to a German Jewish father and a Polish Jewish mother. Dave’s great-grandmother Bessie was born in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Philip Surad and Mary Shank, who were Jewish emigrants from Russia.
Dave’s maternal grandmother was Marcella Ruth “Mitzie” Levine (the daughter of Emanuel/Emmanuel “Manuel” Levine and Jessie Bialosky). Marcella was born in Ohio, and owned the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland. Emanuel was a noted judge in Cleveland; he was born in Vilna, Lithuania, to Jewish parents, David J. Levine and Michelle/Michele Corban. Dave’s great-grandmother Jessie was born in Ohio, the daughter of Louis Bialosky and Rebecca Shapiro, who were Polish Jewish immigrants.
Sources: Interview mentioning Dave’s Jewish background – http://www.instyle.com
Genealogies of Dave Franco – http://familypedia.wikia.com http://www.geni.com https://www.wikitree.com https://blogger.googleusercontent.com
Dave’s paternal grandfather, Daniel Franco, Jr., on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dave’s paternal grandmother, Marjorie Jane Peterson, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Dave’s paternal grandmother, Marjorie Jane (Peterson) Franco – https://www.legacy.com
Dave’s maternal grandfather, Daniel Surad Verovitz/Verne, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dave’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Harry/Harris David Verovitz, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dave’s maternal grandmother, Marcella Ruth “Mitzie” Levine, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dave’s maternal great-grandmother, Jessie Bialosky, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org