BIOGRAPHY

                 OF

                 TONY FRANCIOSA
 

                         Fourteen years ago Tony Franciosa said:  "I'll never make a TV series."

                         Franciosa since has had reason to regret the statement; TV's been quite 
                 good to him.  There's too little space to report all his TV commitments in 
                 the past 14 years, but there was the "Valentine's Day" series and "Name of 
                 the Game," both highly successful.

                         More recently, he did a two-hour film, "Earth II," plus another titled 
                 "The Catcher."  He's recently completed an independent film, "Across 110th 
                 Street," with Tony Quinn in New York.  Admittedly, film is his favorite 
                 medium but, as he says, "I do TV for the bread.  I've a lotta family to 
                 support."

                         So, he's back in TV again, this time starring in the "Search" (formerly 
                 "Probe") series, a Leslie Stevens Productions-Warner Bros. Television 
                 one-hour series for NBC.  Hugh O;Brian and Doug McClure also star in 
                 "Search,"  with guest stars added.

                         His character name for the series is Nick Bianco.  Of the Bianco character 
                 he created, executive producer Leslie Stevens notes:  "A razor-sharp 
                 character, he is a smooth, funny 'street specialist.'  He knows every gang, 
                 bookie, pool hustler, mobster, consigliere, cop, commissioner, FBI, CIA, 
                 DFI agent - he is an encyclopedia of the underworld...  Placed in 
                 fish-out-water situations, he is able to dazzle the Lady Dean of a wealthy 
                 Girls' School or even a Jackie Kennedy..."  For an interested researcher, 
                 there's much corroborative evidence Franciosa closely resembles the summation.

                         Tony Franciosa grew up in New York's East Harlem.  He drifted into acting 
                 when he accompanied a friend to an audition at the YWCA (to meet the girls) 
                 and was handed a role.

                         He quickly became comfortable in the theatre.  Taking his mother's name, 
                 Franciosa, he won a four-year scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop and 
                 appeared in several off-Broadway plays.

                         In November, 1955, he hit big time on Broadway with "A Hatful of Rain," 
                 winning the New York Critics' Award for best actor in a supporting 
                 role.  Later, repeating the role in films, he won an Oscar nomination.

                         Among Franciosa's other major films are "A Face in the Crowd," "The Long 
                 Hot Summer," "Wild is the Wind," "Career," "Period of Adjustment," "In 
                 Enemy Country," "A Man Called Gannon" and  "The Sweet Ride."  He also 
                 starred in "World Premiere:  "Fame Is The Name Of The Game," from whence 
                 came the TV series.

                         Formally, Francisoa's education ended at New York's Benjamin Franklin High 
                 School.  Following his YWCA dramatic debut, he went into experimental 
                 theatre, Dramatic Workshop training, and New York Repertory Theatre, 
                 performing in "Hamlet," "Taming of the Shrew, "Six Characters in Search Of 
                 An Author" and "Yes Is For A Very Young Man."

                         Broadway first saw him in a supporting role in "End As A Man," followed by 
                 "The Wedding Breakfast" - and then came "A Hatful of Rain."  His film 
                 career soared rocket-like.  Capsulated, it looks easy, but it wasn't; he 
                 knew days of gut-hunger and several scrapes with the law are a matter of 
                 court record.  Of course, he's also a volatile man, as are most Latins.

                         Franciosa's marital record - he's now in his fourth - would give a priest 
                 fits.  Currently, he's married to former top model Rita Thiel.  They have 
                 two sons, Christopher, 3, Marco, 1.  (He has a daughter, Nina, 9, by 
                 ex-wife Judith Balaban.)

                         They live in a secluded area named Hidden Valley off the Coldwater Canyon 
                 section north of Beverly Hills.  He swims daily in his pool and plays 
                 tennis on public courts as often as possible.  He reads quite a bit, both 
                 submitted scripts, fiction and non-fiction and, except on-screen, dresses 
                 casually and has a "modest" wardrobe.  He indulges a hobby of photography, 
                 mostly of the children, but doesn't do his own lab work.  He writes poetry, 
                 "but not for anyone to see.  Well, maybe Rita sees some of it."  He has no 
                 idea how he'd go about making a living if it weren't for acting.

                 VITAL STATISTICS

                 Birthplace:     New York City                   Birthdate:      October 25
                 Height: 6' 1"                           Weight:         175 lbs.
                 Color of Eyes:  Hazel                           Color of Hair:  Brown