James Franco turns 42 today. It was Franco's childhood dream to become an actor. Most of us started to adore him from his Spider-Man days where he played Peter Parker's best friend Harry Osborn and New Goblin. But after the conclusion of Sam Raimi's trilogy, James established himself as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. He has been nominated for an Oscar and has won two Golden Globes over the years. James Franco's Name Gets Embroiled in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's Legal Drama - Read Details.

"Acting is an art form and you want to take roles that are challenged and it's more of a challenge I think to play dark characters. Not that I want to always play those, but it is a challenge and challenges are rewarding and fun," Franco has said about his choice of roles over the years. So today, we are going to talk about Franco's best films to celebrates his 42nd birthday. Anne Hathaway Takes a Dig at Her Hosting Fail with James Franco as the 91st Academy Awards Kick-Starts without a Host.

The Disaster Artist (2017)

James Franco directed and acted in a brilliant film about the 'worst movie ever made'. The actor played the role of Tommy Wiseau.

Milk (2008)

In this biographical drama, he played the role of Scott Smith, a gay rights activist who was dating Harvey Milk.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Franco and Freid Pinto starred in this awesome reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise. He played Dr William "Will" Rodman who ends up making the chemical that gave the apes their super-intelligence.

Oz The Great And Powerful (2013)

The actor teamed up with Sam Raimi again for this reimagination of a fairy tale. He played the role of Oz.

127 Hours (2010)

Franco played the role of Aron Ralston, a man who had to cut his own arm after he got stuck under a boulder during a canyoneering hike.

Franco has also taught at New York University as a teacher. "I've been very fortunate. I had to work hard but had opportunities to do everything that I wanted. That's one of the reasons I'm teaching. I'm trying to give back to other people. That's what I guess I want to do now - continue to be creative in a way that I can give back," he revealed his reason for doing so. We thank the actor for being our source of entertainment. We hope to see him up the ante even more in the coming years. Happy birthday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).