Jesús Franco
Born: 1930-05-12 in Madrid, Spain
Died: 2013-04-02
Known For: Directing
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.
Filmography
2024
- Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada “S” as Self - Archive footage
2021
- Inferno Rosso: Joe D'Amato on the Road of Excess as Self (archive footage)
2019
- Wild Session as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2017
- Drácula Barcelona as Himself
2015
- Soledad Miranda, Flower in the Desert as Himself (archive footage)
2014
- Queridos monstruos as Self
- Falks Frauen as (archive footage)
- Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Call Me Jess Redux as Himself
2013
- Revenge of the Alligator Ladies as Himself
- The Rhythm of Jess as Self
- Al Pereira vs. the Alligator Ladies as The Director
- La última película de Jess Franco as Self
- Los profundos sueños de Jennifer as Voz
2012
- Debris Documentar as Himself
- La cripta de las condenadas: Parte II ... (Director)
- La cripta de las condenadas
- Tío Jess as Self
2010
- Macumba sexual: Voodoo Jess as Self
- Paula-Paula ... (Director)
2009
- Idoru
- Por la gracia de Luis as Himself
- Coffins of Light as himself
- Take-Away Spirit as J.W. Radek
2008
- Martes de Carnaval
- A Bad Day at the Cemetery ... (Director)
- Vampyros Lesbos ... (Story)
- Ellos robaron la picha de Hitler as Padre del Dr. Weissman
2007
- Beloved Count as Self
- Bloody Jess as Self
- Lascivia ... (Director)
- Jesús Franco, manera de vivir as Himself
- Angel of Death 2: The Prison Island Massacre as Pete
2006
- Montes de Venus ... (Director)
2005
- Snakewoman ... (Original Music Composer)
- The Well
- Jess' Women as self
- Jesús in Furs as Himself
- Ban the Sadist Videos! as Self
- Jess Franco's Perversion ... (Director)
- Jess Franco's Passion ... (Writer)
2003
- On the Threshold to Another World as Himself
- Death Karate in Torremolinos as Miyagi
- Red Venice as Jess Franco
2002
- Killer Barbys vs. Dracula ... (Director)
- Incubus ... (Director)
- Perversion Stories as Self
- Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco Movie as Himself
2001
- Journey into Perversion as Himself
- Vampire Junction ... (Director)
2000
- Call Him Jess as Himself
- Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote as Self
- Blind Target ... (Director)
- Helter Skelter ... (Director)
1999
- Vampire Blues as The Merchant
- Dr. Wong's Virtual Hell as Dr. James Wong
- Eurotika! as Self
- Broken Dolls ... (Director)
- Red Silk ... (Screenplay)
1998
- Lust for Frankenstein ... (Screenplay)
- Mari-Cookie and the Killer Tarantula ... (Director)
1997
- Tender Flesh ... (Screenplay)
1996
- Vampire Killer Barbys ... (Writer)
1994
- Downtown Heat ... (Director)
1993
- Jungle of Fear ... (Director)
1992
- Don Quixote ... (Editor)
- El abuelo, la condesa y Escarlata la traviesa
1991
- In Pursuit of Barbara ... (Director)
1989
- Esmeralda Bay as Boat Captain
- Night of the Eagles ... (Director)
1988
- Faceless ... (Director)
- Flesh-Eating Mothers as Policeman
- Dark Mission: Flowers of Evil ... (Director)
- Esa cosa con plumas
1987
- Thong Girls ... (Editor)
- ¡Biba la banda! ... (Costumer)
- Slave of Crime ... (Screenplay)
- Falo Crest ... (Director)
- Phollastía ... (Director)
1986
- Golden Temple Amazons ... (Producer)
- The Last from Philippines ... (Editor)
- Alone Against Terror ... (Original Music Composer)
- Girl with the Red Lips as Professor Karame
- Sida, la peste del siglo XX ... (Screenplay)
- Fury in the Tropics ... (Director)
- Las chuponas ... (Director)
- Lulu's Talking Ass ... (Screenplay)
- Fly Story ... (Director)
- The Voyeur and the Exhibitionist ... (Director)
- Para las nenas, leche calentita ... (Original Music Composer)
- Entre pitos anda el juego ... (Director)
1985
- Angel of Death ... (Director)
- Dirty Game in Casablanca ... (Director)
- Trip to Bangkok, Coffin included as Rose Hotel's recepcionist (uncredited)
- Bangkok, City of the Dead ... (Director)
- Judoka Shadow versus Doctor Wong as Dr. Wong
- White Jungle Slave ... (Director)
- Un pito para tres ... (Story)
1984
- Bahia Blanca as The Miseries (uncredited)
- Camino solitario as Doctor Callman
- How Much Does a Spy Make? ... (Director)
- Night Has a Thousand Desires as Psychiatrist (uncredited)
- The Sexual Story of O ... (Screenplay)
- The Sinister Doctor Orloff as Manolo
- A Crack for Two as Tom
- Lilian, the Perverted Virgin as Bernardo
1983
- Cecilia ... (Director)
- Revenge in the House of Usher ... (Original Music Composer)
- Diamonds of Kilimandjaro ... (Director)
- The Night Of Open Sex as Count
- Macumba Sexual as Recepcionist
- The Blues of Pop Street as Sam Chesterfield
- The House of Lost Women ... (Director)
- Cries of Pleasure ... (Writer)
- Voces de muerte ... (Director)
- The Hotel of Love Affairs ... (Editor)
- Black Boots, Leather Whip as Matón en cementerio de coches (voice) (uncredited)
- En busca del dragón dorado as Blind Old Man
- Blood on My Shoes as Abductor
- The Bizarre World of Jess Franco as Self
- Intimate Confessions of an Exhibitionist ... (Director)
- Claire ... (Director)
1982
- Mansion of the Living Dead ... (Screenplay)
- Oasis of the Zombies ... (Screenplay)
- El lago de las vírgenes ... (Original Music Composer)
- The Inconfessable Orgies of Emmanuelle ... (Editor)
- El huésped de la niebla ... (Director)
1981
- The Story of Linda ... (Director)
- Zombie Lake ... (Writer)
- Sexual Perversions of a Married Woman ... (Director)
- Sadomania as Lucas
- The Girls of the Copacabana ... (Director)
- Bloody Moon as Doctor (uncredited)
- Sex Is Crazy as Film Director
- Jailhouse Wardress as Uncle Jess
- Pick-Up Girls ... (Screenplay)
- Lola 2000 ... (Director)
1980
- Devil Hunter ... (Director)
- Cannibal Terror ... (Writer)
- White Cannibal Queen as Mr. Martin
- Wicked Memoirs of Eugenie ... (Writer)
- What a Honeymoon as Dying Man (uncredited)
- Two Female Spies with Flowered Panties ... (Director)
- Erotic Symphony ... (Director)
1979
- The Sadist of Notre Dame as Mathis Vogel
- Burning Up Inside ... (Writer)
- Justine and the Whip as Strange Guy
- They Do Everything ... (Director)
1978
- Obscene Desire ... (Music)
- Women in Cellblock 9 ... (Director)
- Convoy of Girls ... (Writer)
- Women Without Innocence ... (Director)
- Cocktail spécial ... (Director)
1977
- Around the World in 80 Beds ... (Director)
- Slaves as Radeck's Assistant
- Sexy Sisters ... (Director)
- Kiss Me Killer as Marcel
- Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun ... (Director)
- Blue Rita ... (Director)
- Call of the Blonde Goddess ... (Director)
- Love Camp ... (Director)
- Greta, the Mad Butcher as Dr. Milton Arcos (as Jess Franco)
1976
- Barbed Wire Dolls as Maria's Father (uncredited)
- Midnight Party as Janos Radeck
- Golden Jail ... (Director)
- Jack the Ripper ... (Screenplay)
- Les emmerdeuses
- Ladies House of Pleasure
- Silence of the Grave ... (Director)
- Shining Sex as Dr. Seward
- White Skin Black Thighs as Graf Anastasio
- Doriana Grey ... (Director)
- Girls in the Night Traffic ... (Director)
1975
- Downtown as Al Pereira
- The Perverse Countess ... (Director)
- Sexy Erotic Job ... (Director)
- Women Behind Bars as Bill
- Sexorcismes as Mathis Vogel
- Les chatouilleuses ... (Director)
- A Virgin for St. Tropez ... (Director)
- The Hot Nights of Linda as Dr. Roberts (as Jess Franck)
- Exorcism as Mathis Vogel, aka Laforgue
- Exorciseme
1974
- The Greedy Ones ... (Director)
- The House of the Lost Dolls ... (Screenplay)
- Celestine as Sleeping Man
- How to Seduce a Virgin ... (Director)
- Night of the Skull as Andy
- Lorna, the Exorcist ... (Director)
- Fifteen Year Old Captain ... (Director)
- The Lustful Amazons ... (Director)
1973
- The Demons ... (Writer)
- Eugenie de Sade as Attila Tanner
- Dolls for Sale
- A Virgin Among the Living Dead as Basilio
- The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff as Lord Comfort (uncredited)
- Female Vampire as Dr. Roberts
- The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein as Morpho
- The Other Side of the Mirror as Roger (uncredited)
- Lovers of Devil's Island ... (Director)
- Tender and Perverse Emmanuelle ... (Director)
- El misterio del castillo rojo
- Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac as Inspecteur Hernandez
1972
- Vampir Cuadecuc as Self
- Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein ... (Story)
- Virgin Report ... (Director)
- Daughter of Dracula as Cyril Jefferson
- The Corpse Packs His Bags as Gonzales
- Robinson and His Tempestuous Slaves as Director
- The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse as Crosby / Drunk Man in Nightclub
- Sex Charade ... (Screenplay)
1971
- Vampyros Lesbos as Memmet
- The Devil Came from Akasava as Tino Celli
- X312 - Flight to Hell as Man at John Somers'
- She Killed in Ecstasy as Dr. Donen
1970
- Cuadrilátero ... (Music)
- Eugenie as Man in Red Ritual Scene (uncredited)
- Nightmares Come at Night ... (Director)
- The Bloody Judge ... (Director)
- Count Dracula as Van Helsing's servant (uncredited)
- Juliette ... (Director)
1969
- Your Caresses
- Venus in Furs as Jazz Musician (uncredited)
- The Castle of Fu Manchu as Insp. Ahmet
- Marquis de Sade: Justine
- The Girl from Rio as Guitar Player
- Two Undercover Angels as Napoleon Bolivard
- 99 Women as Official (uncredited)
- Kiss Me Monster as Abilene's Contact Man (uncredited)
1968
- The Blood of Fu Manchu
- Castle of the Creeping Flesh ... (Story)
- Succubus as Writer
- A Man, Eight Girls ... (Director)
1967
- Lucky, the Inscrutable as Ciego / Zoltan / Guitarrista
1966
- The Diabolical Dr. Z as Inspector Tanner
- Attack of the Robots as Piano Player
- Residence for Spies as Casino Piano Player (uncredited)
1965
- Chimes at Midnight ... (Second Unit Director)
1964
- Strange Voyage as Don Venancio
- Death Whistles the Blues as Saxofonista en Club de Nueva Orleans (uncredited)
- Dr. Orloff's Monster as Piano Player
- Rififi in the City ... (Director)
1963
- 55 Days at Peking ... (Assistant Production Manager)
- Jaguar ... (Director)
1962
- Zorro the Avenger ... (Screenplay)
- Vampiresas 1930 ... (Director)
- The Awful Dr. Orlof as Pianist (uncredited)
- The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus ... (Director)
1960
- Ama Rosa ... (Writer)
- Red Lips ... (Director)
- Queen of the Tabarin Club ... (Director)
- El destierro del Cid ... (Director)
- Estampas guipuzcoanas número 2: Pío Baroja ... (Director)
1959
- Llegaron los franceses ... (Writer)
- Oro español ... (Director)
- We Are 18 Years Old ... (Director)
- Las playas vacías ... (Screenplay)
1958
- Anna Said Yes as Pianista (uncredited)
- Historias de Madrid ... (Music)
1957
- El hombre que viajaba despacito ... (Music)
- Fulano y Mengano ... (Screenplay)
- The Tree from Spain ... (Screenplay)
1956
- The Coyote's Justice ... (Screenstory)
- Around the World in 80 Days as Extra (uncredited)
- The Mysterious Melody AKA Ce soir les souris dansent ... (Writer)
1955
- The Coyote ... (Dialogue)
- Death of a Cyclist ... (Assistant Director)
1954
- Merry Christmas ... (Assistant Director)
- Comedians ... (Script Supervisor)