Originally, James Franco auditioned for high school plays in order to get back at a girlfriend who kissed another boy on stage. The vengeful ploy serendipitously motivated this modern-day Renaissance man’s multiple-mediums career. After dropping out of UCLA in 1997, he started on the small screen in " Freaks and Geeks," a gig which introduced him to frequent collaborators Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow. Playing James Dean in the 2001 TV biopic earned him a lead actor Golden Globe as well as Emmy and SAG nods. He picks roles all over the genre map and in just about every budget including Sam Raimi’s "Spider-Man" trilogy, "This Is The End," "Howl," "Milk," "Rise of The Planet Of The Apes," "Eat, Pray, Love," "Pineapple Express" (which got him another Globe nomination) and "Spring Breakers." In 2010, he received his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for "127 Hours." He’s modeled for Gucci, cameoed on "30 Rock," directed ("Bukowski," "The Sound and The Fury"), produces, authored a couple of books, did multiple guest stints on "General Hospital" after he was famous, hosted the 2001 Academy Awards, has Hollywood Walk of Fame star and a private pilot’s license, paints proficiently, teaches acting, volunteers with Art of Elysium, and has earned multiple degrees (bachelor’s from UCLA, two master’s in writing from Columbia and Brooklyn College, master’s in film from NYU).