Franc Luz

Infobox actor


name = Franc Luz
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1950|12|22
birthname =
location = Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
notable role =
emmyawards =
spouse = Barbara Marineau (1978-present)

Franc Luz (born December 22, 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American actor of stage, film, and television seen in popular leading dramatic film roles in the 1980s and 1990s. These credits are also supplemented with a heavy dose of TV guest roles and several regular turns on TV series. Luz is perhaps best known for his parts in "The Nest", "Ghost Town", "When Harry Met Sally...", and to "Star Trek" fans, as the symbiont Odan in a memorable 1991 episode of "" in the season 4 episode "The Host".

Luz's early acting experience in the 1970s ranged from Broadway to off-off-Broadway theatre. In 1979, he received attention playing Wanenis, the noble North American savage in the period piece "Whoopee!". His first movie role also arrived that year, when he was cast a supporting part in the film "Voices". On the heels of this film exposure, Luz made his first transition to television. He auditioned and won the role of young Dr. John Bennett on NBC's daytime serial "The Doctors". This role made him instantly noticed by daytime viewers with his stellar performance, so much that he was nominated for a 1980 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Although he didn't win, Luz continued in the role for another year before leaving the show in 1981.

After his departure from "The Doctors", Luz returned to theatre work. He was often seen in the early 1980s playing the role of the sadistic dentist in the original off-Broadway production of "Little Shop of Horrors" that was running throughout New York. For this, he was nominated for the 1983 Drama Desk Award in the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical category. The voice of Luz, along with other co-stars such as Lee Wilkof and Jennifer Leigh Warren, are all prominently featured in the 1992 CD release "Little Shop of Horrors Soundtrack - Original Off-Broadway Cast". Additional movie roles would then follow for Luz, both theatrical and on TV. Along the way, he would join another daytime soap, "Ryan's Hope", for particularly heated story arc in 1984; he played Steve Latham, lover of Delia Reid Ryan Coleridge (played at the time by Robin Mattson), who held Delia captive while she was still committed to marry Matthew Crane (Harve Presnell). Their affair was indirectly responsible for leading Crane to accuse Delia of attempted murder.

In 1985, Luz assumed a co-starring role on a primetime series, the CBS dramedy "Hometown", a TV adaptation of the hit 1983 film "The Big Chill". Luz played the husband of Jane Kaczmarek in the series, and another co-star was Daniel Stern. The series did not fare well in the ratings, however, and was cancelled after two months. He then appeared in a recurring role on another new CBS series the following season, playing the ex-boyfriend of Patricia Kalember in the medical drama "Kay O'Brien". This series too, was axed after two months. A few memorable 1987 guest roles for Luz included that of Dee Dee McCall's late police sergeant husband, in flashbacks, on "Hunter" and of Professor Richard Katt, who was rumored to have had an extramarital affair with student Blair Warner on "The Facts of Life".

Luz then assumed two leading roles in the popular 1988 horror films "The Nest", in which he led a team of scientists who battled man-eating cockroaches, and "Ghost Town", where he played a deputy bent on protecting his Western town from ghosts and the forces of evil. The following year, he then played Julian in Rob Reiner's smash hit romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally...". After production on that film was complete, Luz signed on to co-star in the ABC comedy "Free Spirit", which premiered in September 1989. He portrayed lawyer Thomas J. Harper, a widower with three children who hires a housekeeper/nanny named Winnie (Corinne Bohrer) whom only the kids know is a witch. Luz's daughter on the show was played by a young Alyson Hannigan. "Free Spirit" turned out to be another short-lived series for Luz, as ABC cancelled it mid-season.

In the 1990s, Luz continued with his stream of TV guest appearances on such shows as "Sisters", "L.A. Law", "The Young Riders", and "Silk Stalkings", while keeping up appearances in motion pictures. In 1991-92, he also starred in the Broadway production of Larry Gelbart's "City of Angels", alongside Richard Kline and Michael Rupert. His most notable role in 1990s cinema was that of Don Antonio in Francis Ford Coppola's "Don Juan DeMarco" (1995), which starred Johnny Depp in the title role. Prior to that, Luz had appeared on daytime TV once again, playing Seth Tanner on "All My Children" in 1993. Luz followed up "Don Juan DeMarco" with the independent film "The Pornographer" (1999), and "Restraining Order" (1999), co-starring with Eric Roberts.

"Restraining Order" has been Luz's last on-screen acting role to date, since after that project he decided on a career change. A longtime enthusiast of the fine arts, Franc became involved in many New York area museums and exhibition halls. He has become a trustee for several of them, and also works as a tour guide.

Luz has been married to Barbara Marineau since 1978; she is also an actress. Although much of her work has been exclusively in theater, she has had film and TV roles from time to time. Her most recent guest work was on NBC's short-lived "The Book of Daniel".

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