Diane Franklin is an American actress, producer, and model.

Education

Franklin attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

for one year in 1981–1982 before dropping out to become a professional actress. She continued her education thirty years later when she attended

Moorpark College Moorpark College is a public community college in Moorpark, California. It was established in 1967 with enrollment of 2,500 students and enrolled 14,254 students in 2014. An Exotic Animal Training and Management center houses over 200 animals o ...

and then

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

where she graduated with a degree in Education in 2017.

Career

Early in her acting career, Franklin appeared in TV commercials for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

Jell-O Jell-O is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert (genericized as jello) is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is a reg ...

, and

Maxwell House Maxwell House is an American brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Heinz in North America and JDE Peet's in the rest of the world. Introduced in 1892 by wholesale grocer Joel Owsley Cheek, it was named in honor of the Ma ...

coffee. At the age of 17, she appeared in two episodes of ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' which aired in October 1979. Her breakthrough role was as Karen in the 1982

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

drama film ''

The Last American Virgin ''The Last American Virgin'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film written and directed by Boaz Davidson. It is a remake of Davidson's 1978 Israeli film '' Eskimo Limon (Lemon Popsicle)''. After the success of the original film and its sequels in ...

''. That same year, she played Patricia Montelli in the horror film '' Amityville II: The Possession''. She was given

top billing Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, direct ...

in her next film, the 1984

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

film ''

Second Time Lucky ''Second Time Lucky'' is a 1984 New Zealand erotic comedy film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Diane Franklin and Roger Wilson.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p137 The story cent ...

'', and played French exchange student Monique Junet in the 1985 comedy film '' Better Off Dead''. Franklin played Princess Joanna in the 1989 comedy film ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction film, science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson (screenwriter), Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the Bill & T ...

'' and has appeared as an extra or in guest roles in episodes of television series such as ''

Bay City Blues ''Bay City Blues'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from October 25 to November 15, 1983. The series stars Michael Nouri, Dennis Franz, and Pat Corley, and was created and produced by Steven Bochco. Eight episodes ...

'', '' Matlock'', and ''

Family Law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage, ...

''. She also appeared in three television films, including a role as

Jock Ewing John Ross "Jock" Ewing Sr. (1909–1982) is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' created by David Jacobs. Jock was played by Jim Davis in the show's first four seasons from 1978 to 1981, and as a young man by Dale ...

's first wife in the 1986 film '' Dallas: The Early Years''. In 2012, Franklin published a memoir called ''Diane Franklin: The Excellent Adventures of the Last American, French Exchange Babe of the 80s''. In 2017, she published a second memoir called ''Diane Franklin: The Excellent Curls of the Last American, French-Exchange Babe of the 80s''. In 2018, she returned to the Amityville franchise to play Louise DeFeo in the horror-drama film ''The Amityville Murders'' In 2021, she played Mrs. Healy in the horror film '' Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman''.

Personal life

Franklin married Ray DeLaurentis, an animation writer for shows such as ''

The Fairly OddParents ''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him w ...

'', in 1989. They reside in

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vill ...

. Their son Nick is a musician, while their daughter Olivia is a comedian and actress best known as one half of the absurdist comedy double act Syd & Olivia.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * Living people American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from New York (state) Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses {{US-screen-actor-1960s-stub