Celebrity Happy 36th Birthday, James Franco! By Rita Kokshanian Rita Kokshanian Rita Kokshanian is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor who covers celebrity, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. She was previously an Assistant Editor for InStyle and is currently the Senior Copywriter at The Grind. InStyle's editorial guidelines Published on April 19, 2014 @ 11:00AM Pin Share Tweet Email Photo: Vera Anderson/WireImage Happy birthday, James Franco! Everyone's favorite brooding actor and multi-hyphenate is turning 36 today. Franco first caught our attention in James Dean and Spider Man, and we haven't been able to take our eyes off him since. Whether he's acting, directing, writing a novel or teaching a college class, he looks good doing it. And it's obvious that 36 isn't going to slow Franco down. His Broadway show Of Mice and Men just opened and will run until the end of July; his new film Palo Alto, which is based on a collection of short stories he wrote, hits theaters May 9; and he just signed on as lead in a Gus Van Sant film that starts shooting this July. Want more Franco? Check out the campaign he directed and starred in for Gucci!