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One False Move
Background:
American actor/director/screenwriter Carl Franklin rose to fame after
successfully collaborating with actor/screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton in the
thriller One False Move (1992), in which his directorial attempt won him
accolades and brought home a Mystfest Award, an Independent Spirit Award, an MTV
Movie Award, a Grand Prix Award, as well as a Cognac Festival du Film Policier’s
Critics Award and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award.
Franklin was also critically applauded for his fine screenwriting and directing
in the crime mystery thriller Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, earned an Edgar Allan
Poe and San Sebastián International Film Festival nominations) and Out of Time
(2003, received a Black Reel nomination), both of which featured rising actor
Denzel Washington.
Franklin, who in 1996 was handed a Franklin J. Schaffner Award from the American
Film Institute, established his onscreen career as an actor. Recurrently, he
played typecast characters of an officer or military man and was seen in the cop
drama series “Caribe” (1975, starred as Sgt. Mark Walters), “McClain’s Law”
(1981, had the regular role of Detective Jerry Cross) and the self-directed Eye
of the Eagle II: Inside the Enemy (1989, as Col. Rawlins).
On a more private note, Franklin formerly had two failed marriages, one of which
gave him two children. Currently, he is seeing Jesse Beaton.
Aspiring Lawyer
Childhood and Family:
Carl Michael Franklin was born on April 11, 1949, in Richmond, California. His
father died before he was born and his mother, a homemaker, married a carpenter.
The bright Carl, who initially wished to be a lawyer or teacher, received a
scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley. Frequent involvement in
the college’s theater department triggered his interest in acting. Soon after
graduation, Carl relocated to New York to start his acting career. In 1986, he
studied acting at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
As for his private life, the actor/director previously had two marriages, both
of which ended in divorce. From one of the marriages, he has two children.
Devil in a Blue Dress
Career:
In New York, Carl Franklin sharpened up his acting skills by performing at
Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival in such plays as “Cymbeline,” “Timon
of Athens” and “Twelfth Night.” He then took part in productions at New York’s
Lincoln Center and Joseph Papp Public Theater, and at Washington D.C.’s Arena
Stage.
Franklin made his movie acting debut with the supporting turn of Marvin in the
comedy Five on the Black Hand Side (1973), where he was billed as Carl Mikal
Franklin. A year later, he went to the small screen, guest performing in the
action drama series “The Streets of San Francisco” (1974) and had the small part
of Hovey in television’s It Couldn’t Happen to a Nicer Guy (1974).
Franklin undertook the starring turn of Sgt. Mark Walters in the cop drama
series “Caribe” (1975), guest starred as Larry in the sitcom “Good Times” (1975,
1976), costarred with Jared Martin and Ike Eisenmann in the short-lived sci-fi
series “The Fantastic Journey” (1976) and appeared in the western miniseries
“Centennial” (1978). He was also seen as Joshua Brown in the western fantasy
movie The Legend of the Golden Gun (1979, TV) before making appearances in the
series “Lou Grant” (1980), “McClain’s Law” (1981, had the regular role of
Detective Jerry Cross) and “Quincy M.E.” (1983).
After playing Officer Lloyd Green in the TV romantic comedy One Cooks, the Other
Doesn’t (1983), the actor accepted the recurring role of Captain Crane in the
popular NBC action comedy series “The A-Team” (1985). He was also seen with
guest roles “Hill Street Blues” (1986) and “ALF” (1987) and Too Good to Be True
(1988, TV).
Franklin, who at first wrote and directed the short film Punk (1986) as his
Masters thesis at AFI, tried movie directing and screenwriting with the action
thriller Eye of the Eagle II: Inside the Enemy (1989), in which he also had the
supporting role of Col. Rawlins. The same year, he directed David Carradine and
Jason Priestley in Nowhere to Run (1989). Next, Franklin played authority
characters in his self-directed Full Fathom Five (1990, played Navy crew
Fletcher), self-written Last Stand at Lang Mei (1990, as Sgt. T. Deveraux) and
In the Heat of Passion (1992, took the part of Detective Rooker).
Also in 1992, the director successfully worked with screenwriters Billy Bob
Thornton and Tom Epperson in the drama thriller One False Move (1992) and reaped
a number of awards, such as a Mystfest, an Independent Spirit and an MTV Movie
for Best Director, as well as a Cognac Festival du Film Policier’s Critics
award, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation award and a Grand
Prix. For the same movie, he was also nominated for International Fantasy Film
and Mystfest’s Best Film.
A guest star of the sitcom “Roseanne” (1991, 1992), Franklin next focused on
directing with the TV drama Laurel Avenue (1993). He performed even better with
the crime mystery thriller Devil in a Blue Dress (1995, starring Denzel
Washington), his screen adaptation of Walter Mosley’s book. Skillfully carrying
out the double tasks of directing and screenwriting, Franklin was soon nominated
for Edgar Allan Poe’s Best Motion Picture and San Sebastián International Film
Festival’s Golden Seashell. The following year, he was awarded with a Franklin
J. Schaffner award from the American Film Institute.
The filmmaker also worked with actresses Renee Zellweger and Meryl Streep in the
touching adaptation of Anna Quindlen’s autobiographical novel One True Thing
(1998). After helming the ephemeral series “Partners” (1999), Franklin directed
High Crimes (2002, featuring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd) and rejoined Denzel
Washington in Out of Time (2003, received a Black Reel’s Best Director
nomination).
Franklin’s next directorial work, the TV comedy drama Low Life, is slated for
release in 2006. Featuring actors Minnie Driver, Eddie Izzard, Shannon Marie
Woodward and Aidan Mitchell, the TV movie will depict the effort of a
dysfunctional couple trying to lead an orderly life. The director will also
direct actress Jennifer Aniston in the upcoming drama The Senator’s Wife (2007).
Awards:
