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 his Faceless and Killer Barbys, his post-1984 films are almost unwatchable due to the incredibly low budgets he was forced to work with. 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.
Movie | Wild Session | Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) | 2019-12-13 |
Movie | Drácula Barcelona | Himself | 2017-10-05 |
Movie | Soledad Miranda, Flower in the Desert | Himself (archive footage) | 2015-10-01 |
Movie | Clawing! A Journey Through the Spanish Horror | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2014-06-20 |
Movie | Falks Frauen | (archive footage) | 2014-02-25 |
Movie | Call Me Jess Redux | Himself | 2014-09-26 |
Movie | Queridos monstruos | Self | 2014-10-10 |
Movie | Al Pereira vs. the Alligator Ladies | The Director | 2013-03-22 |
Movie | Los profundos sueños de Jennifer | Voz | 2013-03-18 |
Movie | La última película de Jess Franco | Self | 2013-10-11 |
Movie | The Rhythm of Jess | Self | 2013-04-26 |
Movie | Revenge of the Alligator Ladies | Himself | 2013-10-12 |
Movie | Debris Documentar | Himself | 2012-09-28 |
Movie | La cripta de las condenadas | 2012-10-05 | |
Movie | Tío Jess | Self | 2012-11-20 |
Movie | Take-Away Spirit | J.W. Radek | 2009-01-01 |
Movie | Coffins of Light | himself | 2009-01-01 |
Movie | Idoru | 2009-09-27 | |
Movie | Por la gracia de Luis | Himself | 2009-10-17 |
Movie | Martes de Carnaval | 2008-01-05 | |
Movie | Ellos robaron la picha de Hitler | Padre del Dr. Weissman | 2008-06-06 |
Movie | Angel of Death 2: The Prison Island Massacre | Pete | 2007-01-15 |
Movie | Jesús Franco, manera de vivir | Himself | 2007-05-24 |
Movie | The Well | 2005-03-11 | |
Movie | Ban the Sadist Videos! | Self | 2005-09-06 |
Movie | See you later Cowabunga: La maldición del cenachero diabólico! | 2004-03-06 | |
Movie | Red Venice | Jess Franco | 2003-01-01 |
Movie | Death Karate in Torremolinos | Miyagi | 2003-03-14 |
Movie | On the Threshold to Another World | Himself | 2003-09-29 |
Movie | Antena Criminal: Making a Jess Franco Movie | Himself | 2002-01-15 |
Movie | Journey into Perversion | Himself | 2001-07-17 |
Movie | Orson Welles in the Land of Don Quixote | Self | 2000-11-05 |
Movie | Call Him Jess | Himself | 2000-01-20 |
Movie | Vampire Blues | The Merchant | 1999-01-01 |
Movie | Dr. Wong's Virtual Hell | Dr. James Wong | 1999-01-01 |
Series | Eurotika! | Himself | 1999-10-03 |
Movie | El abuelo, la condesa y Escarlata la traviesa | 1992-01-01 | |
Movie | Esmeralda Bay | Boat Captain | 1989-05-18 |
Movie | Esa cosa con plumas | 1988-04-08 | |
Movie | Flesh Eating Mothers | Policeman | 1988-09-16 |
Movie | Girl with the Red Lips | Professor Karame | 1986-01-01 |
Movie | Judoka Shadow versus Doctor Wong | Dr. Wong | 1985-01-01 |
Movie | Trip to Bangkok, Coffin included | (uncredited) | 1985-06-01 |
Movie | Bahia Blanca | The Miseries (uncredited) | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | A Crack for Two | Tom | 1984-08-01 |
Movie | Night Has a Thousand Desires | Psychiatrist (uncredited) | 1984-03-05 |
Movie | Camino solitario | Doctor Callman | 1984-01-23 |
Movie | The Sinister Doctor Orloff | Manolo | 1984-06-18 |
Movie | Lilian, the Perverted Virgin | Bernardo | 1984-06-25 |
Movie | The Blues of Pop Street | Sam Chesterfield | 1983-01-01 |
Movie | Blood on My Shoes | Abductor | 1983-01-01 |
Movie | En busca del dragón dorado | Blind Old Man | 1983-01-01 |
Movie | Macumba Sexual | Recepcionist | 1983-10-20 |
Movie | Black Boots, Leather Whip | Matón en cementerio de coches (voice) (uncredited) | 1983-01-24 |
Movie | The Night Of Open Sex | Count | 1983-02-23 |
Movie | Sex Is Crazy | Film Director | 1981-01-01 |
Movie | Sadomania | Lucas | 1981-03-27 |
Movie | Jailhouse Wardress | Uncle Jess | 1981-08-05 |
Movie | Bloody Moon | Doctor (uncredited) | 1981-03-27 |
Movie | What a Honeymoon | Dying Man (uncredited) | 1980-01-01 |
Movie | White Cannibal Queen | Mr. Martin | 1980-09-15 |
Movie | The Sadist of Notre Dame | Mathis Vogel | 1979-06-15 |
Movie | Justine and the Whip | Strange Guy | 1979-09-13 |
Movie | Greta, the Mad Butcher | Dr. Milton Arcos (as Jess Franco) | 1977-01-21 |
Movie | Kiss Me Killer | Marcel | 1977-03-31 |
Movie | Slaves | Radeck's Assistant | 1977-04-15 |
Movie | Midnight Party | Janos Radeck | 1976-01-23 |
Movie | Barbed Wire Dolls | Maria's Father (uncredited) | 1976-04-22 |
Movie | Ladies House of Pleasure | 1976-06-23 | |
Movie | Shining Sex | Dr. Seward | 1976-08-21 |
Movie | Les emmerdeuses | 1976-07-22 | |
Movie | Women Behind Bars | Bill | 1975-01-01 |
Movie | The Hot Nights of Linda | Dr. Roberts (as Jess Franck) | 1975-07-16 |
Movie | Downtown | Al Pereira | 1975-08-28 |
Movie | Exorcism | Mathis Vogel, aka Laforgue | 1975-08-25 |
Movie | Night of the Skull | Andy | 1974-09-29 |
Movie | Celestine | Sleeping Man | 1974-10-16 |
Movie | Eugenie de Sade | Attila Tanner | 1973-04-05 |
Movie | El misterio del castillo rojo | 1973-01-01 | |
Movie | Female Vampire | Dr. Roberts | 1973-04-07 |
Movie | The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff | Lord Comfort (uncredited) | 1973-01-01 |
Movie | The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein | Morpho | 1973-05-31 |
Movie | Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac | Inspecteur Hernandez | 1973-06-21 |
Movie | Dolls for Sale | 1973-11-29 | |
Movie | A Virgin Among the Living Dead | Basilio | 1973-11-15 |
Movie | Robinson and His Tempestuous Slaves | Director | 1972-10-01 |
Movie | Vampir Cuadecuc | Self | 1972-05-05 |
Movie | Daughter of Dracula | Cyril Jefferson | 1972-12-14 |
Movie | The Corpse Packs His Bags | Gonzales | 1972-10-01 |
Movie | The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse | Crosby / Drunk Man in Nightclub | 1972-12-26 |
Movie | Vampyros Lesbos | Memmet | 1971-07-15 |
Movie | The Devil Came from Akasava | Tino Celli | 1971-03-05 |
Movie | She Killed in Ecstasy | Dr. Donen | 1971-12-10 |
Movie | X312 - Flight to Hell | Man at John Somers' | 1971-08-20 |
Movie | Eugenie | Man in Red Ritual Scene (uncredited) | 1970-02-20 |
Movie | Count Dracula | Van Helsing's servant (uncredited) | 1970-04-03 |
Movie | Two Undercover Angels | Napoleon Bolivard | 1969-03-28 |
Movie | 99 Women | Official (uncredited) | 1969-03-05 |
Movie | The Girl from Rio | Guitar Player | 1969-03-14 |
Movie | Kiss Me Monster | Abilene's Contact Man | 1969-03-28 |
Movie | Marquis de Sade: Justine | 1969-04-03 | |
Movie | Venus in Furs | Jazz Musician (uncredited) | 1969-08-19 |
Movie | Your Caresses | 1969-11-06 | |
Movie | The Castle of Fu Manchu | Insp. Ahmet | 1969-05-29 |
Movie | Succubus | Writer | 1968-04-19 |
Movie | The Blood of Fu Manchu | 1968-08-23 | |
Movie | Lucky, the Inscrutable | Ciego / Zoltan / Guitarrista | 1967-06-23 |
Movie | Residence for Spies | Casino Piano Player (uncredited) | 1966-01-01 |
Movie | The Diabolical Dr. Z | Inspector Tanner | 1966-08-01 |
Movie | Attack of the Robots | Pianist (uncredited) | 1966-04-27 |
Movie | Death Whistles the Blues | Saxofonista en Club de Nueva Orleans (uncredited) | 1964-07-04 |
Movie | Dr. Orloff's Monster | Piano Player | 1964-01-01 |
Movie | Strange Voyage | Don Venancio | 1964-08-09 |
Movie | The Awful Dr. Orlof | Pianist (uncredited) | 1962-05-14 |
Movie | Anna Said Yes | Pianista (uncredited) | 1958-10-23 |
Movie | Around the World in Eighty Days | Extra (uncredited) | 1956-10-17 |