Name
Jesús Franco
Known For
Directing
Birthday
1930-05-12
Deathday
2013-04-02 (83 years old)
Place of Birth
Madrid, Spain
Biography
Jesús "Jess" Franco was a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England. Though he had some American box office success with Necronomicon, his first women-in-prison film Ninety-Nine Women, and his two Christopher Lee films, The Bloody Judge and Count Dracula, he never achieved wide commercial success. Franco moved from Spain to France in 1970 so that he could make more violent and sexual films, and it was at this point that his career began to go downhill commercially, as he turned to low-budget filmmaking with a heavier accent on adult-oriented films. Although he produced a few well-received, low budget horror films in the early 70's, many people in the industry considered him a porn director due to the huge number of X-rated adult films he began churning out. Franco returned to low-budget horror in a brief comeback period from 1980-1983, but after 1983, his career took a second downturn. With the exception of Faceless and Killer Barbies, his films after 1984 are quite disliked and obscure due to their incredibly low budgets. Franco has nevertheless retained a large cult following through the years with his sexually-charged horror films, some of which are regarded as masterpieces by his avid followers.
Known For
5.731
An erotic horror tale about a vixen vampiress seducing and killing women to appease her in...
6.892
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the...
5
Without a family, penniless and separated from her sister, a beautiful chaste woman will h...
4.785
A young woman feigns illness in order to infiltrate a mental hospital, where she investiga...
4.919
In 1685 England, an overzealous Lord Chancellor condemns various rebels and "witches" to s...
3.236
In a small village, somewhere in France, German soldiers, killed and thrown into the lake ...
4.9
Betsy Norman is a happy assistant at a luxurious Spanish hotel. Shiela, the hotel owner, c...
4.567
A group of female freedom-fighters led by Karine Levere is caught by the warden of a women...
- 1973 The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein as Morpho
- 1969 The Castle of Fu Manchu as Insp. Ahmet
- 1970 Count Dracula as Van Helsing's servant (uncredited)
- 1971 The Devil Came from Akasava as Tino Celli
- 1972 The Corpse Packs His Bags as Gonzales
- 1999 Vampire Blues as The Merchant
- 2002 Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco Movie as Himself
- 2001 Journey into Perversion as Himself
- 1966 The Diabolical Dr. Z as Inspector Tanner
- 2014 Falks Frauen as (archive footage)
- 2021 Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess as Self (archive footage)
- 1999 Dr. Wong's Virtual Hell as Dr. James Wong
- 1968 Succubus as Writer
- 1966 Attack of the Robots as Piano Player
- 1965 Dr. Orloff's Monster as Piano Player
- 1969 Venus in Furs as Jazz Musician (uncredited)
- 1971 She Killed in Ecstasy as Dr. Donen
- 1973 Eugenie de Sade as Attila Tanner
- 1976 Barbed Wire Dolls as Maria's Father (uncredited)
- 1974 Night of the Skull as Andy
- 1977 Kiss Me Killer as Marcel
- 1973 Female Vampire as Dr. Roberts
- 1984 The Sinister Doctor Orloff as Manolo
- 1972 The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse as Crosby / Drunk Man in Nightclub
- 2009 Take-Away Spirit as J.W. Radek
- 1981 Jailhouse Wardress as Uncle Jess
- 1981 Sex Is Crazy as Film Director
- 1969 The Girl from Rio as Guitar Player
- 1971 Vampyros Lesbos as Memmet
- 1976 Downtown as Al Pereira
- 1975 Women Behind Bars as Bill
- 1975 Exorcism as Mathis Vogel, aka Laforgue
- 1981 Sadomania as Lucas
- 1985 Judoka Shadow versus Doctor Wong as Dr. Wong
- 1976 Midnight Party as Janos Radeck
- 2003 Death Karate in Torremolinos as Miyagi
- 1970 Eugenie... The Story of Her Journey into Perversion as Man in Red Ritual Scene (uncredited)
- 1974 Celestine as Sleeping Man
- 2013 Al Pereira vs. the Alligator Ladies as The Director
- 2012 La cripta de las condenadas
- 1972 Robinson and His Tempestuous Slaves as Director
- 1977 Slaves as Radeck's Assistant
- 2013 La última película de Jess Franco as Self
- 2000 Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote as Self
- 1973 Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac as Inspecteur Hernandez
- 2013 The Rhythm of Jess as Self
- 1983 Macumba Sexual as Recepcionist
- 2000 Call Him Jess as Himself
- 1981 Bloody Moon as Doctor (uncredited)
- 2014 Call Me Jess Redux as Himself
- 2003 On the Threshold to Another World as Himself
- 1969 Marquis de Sade: Justine
- 1964 Strange Voyage as Don Venancio
- 1980 White Cannibal Queen as Mr. Martin
- 1984 A Crack for Two as Tom
- 1972 Vampir Cuadecuc as Self
- 1973 Dolls for Sale
- 1976 The Troublemakers
- 1983 Blood on My Shoes as Abductor
- 1983 The Blues of Pop Street as Sam Chesterfield
- 1983 En busca del dragón dorado as Blind Old Man
- 1986 Girl with the Red Lips as Professor Karame
- 1992 El abuelo, la condesa y Escarlata la traviesa
- 2013 Los profundos sueños de Jennifer as Voz
- 1979 The Sadist of Notre Dame as Mathis Vogel
- 1969 Kiss Me Monster as Abilene's Contact Man (uncredited)
- 1976 Shining Sex as Dr. Seward
- 1983 The Night Of Open Sex as Count
- 1969 Your Caresses
- 1968 The Blood of Fu Manchu
- 2003 Red Venice as Jess Franco
- 1973 The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff as Lord Comfort (uncredited)
- 2013 Revenge of the Alligator Ladies as Himself
- 2012 Debris Documentar as Himself
- 1988 Flesh-Eating Mothers as Policeman
- 1967 Lucky, the Inscrutable as Ciego / Zoltan / Guitarrista
- 2007 Angel of Death 2: The Prison Island Massacre as Pete
- 2004 See you later Cowabunga: La maldición del cenachero diabólico!
- 1984 Night Has a Thousand Desires as Psychiatrist (uncredited)
- 1979 Justine and the Whip as Strange Guy
- 1984 Lonely Road as Doctor Callman
- 1983 Black Boots, Leather Whip as Matón en cementerio de coches (voice) (uncredited)
- 1975 The Hot Nights of Linda as Dr. Roberts (as Jess Franck)
- 1956 Around the World in 80 Days as Extra (uncredited)
- 1988 Esa cosa con plumas
- 2012 Tío Jess as Self
- 2007 Jesús Franco, manera de vivir as Himself
- 2017 Drácula Barcelona as Himself
- 1969 Two Undercover Angels as Napoleon Bolivard
- 2005 The Well
- 2009 Idoru
- 1969 99 Women as Official (uncredited)
- 2014 Queridos monstruos as Self
- 2005 Ban the Sadist Videos! as Self
- 2015 Soledad Miranda, Flower in the Desert as Himself (archive footage)
- 2009 Coffins of Light as himself
- 2009 Por la gracia de Luis as Himself
- 1980 What a Honeymoon as Dying Man (uncredited)
- Soon El misterio del castillo rojo
- 2014 Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1989 Esmeralda Bay as Boat Captain
- 1966 Attack of the Robots as Pianist (uncredited)
- 2005 Jesús in Furs as Himself
- 2019 Wild Session as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- 1972 Daughter of Dracula as Cyril Jefferson
- 1977 Greta, the Mad Butcher as Dr. Milton Arcos (as Jess Franco)
- 1962 The Awful Dr. Orlof as Pianist (uncredited)
- 1973 A Virgin Among the Living Dead as Basilio
- 1976 Ladies House of Pleasure
- 1984 Bahia Blanca as The Miseries (uncredited)
- 1968 Residence for Spies as Casino Piano Player (uncredited)
- 1964 Death Whistles the Blues as Saxofonista en Club de Nueva Orleans (uncredited)
- 1984 Lilian, the Perverted Virgin as Bernardo
- 2008 Ellos robaron la picha de Hitler as Padre del Dr. Weissman
- 1958 Anna Said Yes as Pianista (uncredited)
- 2007 Bloody Jess as Self
- 2002 Perversion Stories as Self
- 2007 Beloved Count as Self
- 1976 White Skin Black Thighs as Graf Anastasio
- 1971 X312 - Flight to Hell as Man at John Somers'
- 2024 Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada “S” as Self - Archive footage
- 1983 The Bizarre World of Jess Franco as Self
- 2010 Macumba sexual: Voodoo Jess as Self
- 2005 Jess' Women as self
- 1975 Sexorcismes as Mathis Vogel
- 1985 Trip to Bangkok, Coffin Included as Rose Hotel's recepcionist (uncredited)
- 1973 The Other Side of the Mirror as Roger (uncredited)
- 1974 Lorna, the Exorcist as Doctor (uncredited)
- 1999 Eurotika! ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2009 Martes de Carnaval ( 3 episodes ) as Don Manolito
- 1993 Eurotrash ( 1 episode )
