He certainly had the goods: the flashing grin, cleft chin, easy charisma, qualities that made him a very popular actor in both film and television, if not quite a front-rank star. Anthony Franciosa, best known for his Oscar® nominated performance in A Hatful of Rain and the popular TV crime drama The Name of the Game, died on January 19 at UCLA Medical Center from complications of a stroke that he suffered just days earlier. He was 77.

The only child of a construction worker and a seamstress, Franciosa was born Anthony Papaleo in New York City on October 25, 1928. His parents divorced when he was one year old, and to escape a rough childhood early on, Franciosa developed a love for acting while in his teens. He won an acting scholarship in 1950 and worked as a waiter to support himself while attending Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, during which he adopted his mother's maiden name, Franciosa.

He made his Broadway debut in End As a Man in 1953, but didn't make a name for himself until an Actors Studio workshop production of A Hatful of Rain moved to Broadway in 1955. His performance of the brother of a heroin addict earned him a Tony nomination, and when Hollywood came calling, Franciosa answered.

After recreating his stage role for the film version of A Hatful of Rain (1957), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Franciosa made some strong films almost immediately: an oily (if charming) personal manager in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd, (also 1957); a weak-willed Southerner with a taste for the ladies in the Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward vehicle The Long, Hot Summer, (1958); and as a struggling actor opposite Shirley MacLaine in Career (1959).

His film roles lost their steam by the '60's, although he was always effective as a sauve leading man in a few romantic comedies. Period of Adjustment (1962) with Jane Fonda; The Swinger, (1966) co-starring Ann-Margret; and Fathom opposite Raquel Welch, by the late '60s and '70s, he found his niche in television: scoring in the detective series The Name of the Game (1968-71) and the lead in the pop hitMatt Helm (1975-76). Unfortunately, his film career stalled, and he was reduced to such action fare as Firepower (1979); and the Charles Bronson revenge flick Death Wish II (1982). Franciosa could still be seen dishing out the charm when he made some guest appearances in the late '80s in such programs as Jake and the Fatman (1988); and the prime time soaper Hotel, but by the '90s he was pretty much in semi-retirement, save for his last, fine film performance in the political thriller City Hall with Al Pacino. Franciosa was married briefly to actress Shelley Winters (1957-60). He is survived by his wife, Rita; his daughter, Nina; sons, Christopher and Marco; and a granddaughter.

by Michael T. Toole